A photo from the popular demolition derby, a staple at the Tioga County Fair in New York. (File Photo)
New York’s Tioga County Fair is set for July 7 through 11 this year, and the Agricultural Society’s Fair Board has been working since shortly after last year’s fair ended to make the 2015 fair bigger and better.
“The board is going to put on the best possible fair this year,” Jonathan Marks said. He’s one of several local business people who came together last year to revamp the county fair, bringing back old time features and new attractions. The goal is to have the fair become recognized as one of the “can’t miss” events of the summer, according to Marks.
One of the most anticipated entertainment events during the 2015 Tioga County Fair is the Legends Stunt Show featuring Tim Chitwood. If that name sounds familiar, it should. Chitwood is the son of legendary stunt car driver Joie Chitwood who entertained crowds of fairgoers for decades.
“There used to be dozens of these stunt shows,” Marks said, “now there’s just a few. We’re lucky to have the stunt show for our Thursday night entertainment this year.”
The stunt show on Thursday, and the demolition derby scheduled for Wednesday and Friday night starting at 7 p.m. are high-powered entertainment. So are the truck and tractor pulls, which are going to run throughout the day on Saturday, July 11 starting at 10 a.m.
But on opening day, Tuesday, July 7, Marks said there is going to be an old-fashioned reminder of where the term ‘horsepower’ comes from.
On opening day, the Fair Board dedicates the day to the traditions of the county fair, which go back over 100 years, according to Marks. For starters, there will be free admission to the fair and the grandstand until 5 p.m., according to Marks. There will also be the first of two Kid’s Day events sponsored by Fidelis Care featuring big trucks for kids to see up close, face painting, a juggler, music, and the Ross Park Zoomobile.
On opening day the New York Sire Stakes will also bring harness racing to the fair again, as well as the Jim Brown Memorial Open Trot and Open Pace races. The Jim Brown Memorial is an open race, allowing most amateur as well as slower and older horses a chance at competition, according to board member Jim Mead. Horse racing will get underway at 1 p.m.
New this year on opening day will be the Hulse Shaw Mead Memorial Race Under Saddle. That race will see the standardbred horses ridden by riders rather than pulling a cart known as a sulky, Mead said. H.S. Mead was Jim Mead’s grandfather, and is connected to the Tioga County Fair’s long history.
“Hulse Shaw was a prominent member of the fair board back in the eighteen hundreds,” Mead said. “My grandfather was named after him,” he added.
At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, horse pulls will be held at the grandstand featuring dozens of draught horses. “It’s a great event for the family, and shows the kids how things used to get done by horse,” Marks said.
Tuesday evening will be capped off with fireworks sponsored by Visions Federal Credit Union at 10 p.m.
Saturday is also going to feature some old time entertainment for the whole family as the Lumberjack Competition, sponsored by Tioga State Bank is set to fill the North end of the track infield. Marks said the lumberjack competition also gives kids a chance to see how things were done by axe and saw in the past, as well as the new with exciting high-powered chainsaws.
Marks added that several local municipalities have agreed to bring their heavy equipment in for a day so kids can get up close to the dump trucks, graders, and other machines they’ve seen.
With the Tuesday and Thursday scheduled as Kid’s Day, there is going to be something exciting for younger children to do each day, Marks added.
There will also be free live music every night on the Vic Hooker Sound Stage, and a free wine and beer tasting on Thursday.
The baby contest will be held Wednesday starting at 5 p.m., with the Little Miss, Little Mister, and Miss Tioga County Fair competition on Thursday starting at 5:30 p.m.
Gates open at 9 a.m. daily, with 4H shows and exhibits running throughout each day of the fair. Over 60 head of beef are expected to come for the open beef competition, and over 100 for the open dairy competition.
This year there will be Visitor’s Choice pricing, according to Mead. General admission to the fairgrounds will be $5, with an all-day unlimited ride pass for $10 thanks to a special arrangement with Main Event Amusements. Midway and rides will be open Wednesday through Friday starting at 3 p.m., and Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
Grandstand admission will be $5; children five and under get free admission to both the fair and the grandstand, according to Mead.
Parking will be accessible via Elm Street in Owego, N.Y. More information can be found on the fair’s website, tiogacofair.com, and on facebook.com/TiogaCountyFair.
