Coffeyville, Kan. (July 23, 2019) – A long-standing tradition returns to Coffeyville in August.
For the 111th consecutive year, the Inter-State Fair and Rodeo will take place at Walter Johnson Park.
It runs August 13-17, with activities throughout each day and grandstand entertainment each night.
Pre-fair activities begin on Monday, August 12, with the annual bake sale. Baked items that have been judged are for sale, with generous community members and sponsors buying cakes, cookies, pies and bars, with proceeds going, in part, to improvements at the fair.
Livestock and animals have a strong presence at the fair. Six species: beef cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, water fowl, and new this year, market broilers, will be judged. The premium sale will be held Friday, August 16.
Returning this year to grandstand entertainment after a three year hiatus is the tractor pull. The Montgomery Co. Fair Assoc. works to keep things up to date for fair-goers, and because of the tractor pull’s popularity, it will return, said Luke Carr, president of the association. “We try to keep things fresh,” he said.
The parade route for this year’s fair and rodeo parade has also changed, to keep spectators and parade entrants safer. The parade will follow the same route as the Christmas parade.
Carr is in his second year as president of the association, and in his eleventh year as a volunteer. He enjoys volunteering with the Inter-State Fair and Rodeo. “It has been very rewarding and very eye-opening,” he said. He became a volunteer because his wife, Jamie, was a volunteer. “My wife got me into it, so I blame it on her,” he joked. But he loves it. “When everything comes together and you see families out there, having fun and enjoying events, that’s why we do it.”
During the week of the fair, he and Jamie and their two young daughters “camp” at the fairgrounds in their living-quarter horse trailer, so they are available to help with everything that takes place. Carr estimates during the five days of the fair they work from 8 am to midnight each night, readying the grounds, taking care of ticket buyers, and seeing to the many details that come with producing a fair. “It’s definitely more labor intensive than my day job,” he joked. He and his wife both take vacation time to volunteer at the fair.
The fair volunteers become friends, and that is something else Carr enjoys. “The group is like family,” he said. “We spend enough time together, throughout the year and especially that week that we’re pretty close to each other. Any of these people will take care of my kids, and we’ll do the same for anybody else.”
Fun passes for the Inter-State Fair and Rodeo are available. They admit the bearer to all five nights of grandstand entertainment. Fun passes are $35 through July 31; after that, they are $45. Fun passes, plus tickets to each night of grandstand entertainment, can be purchased online atwww.fairandrodeo.com or at the Coffeyville Chamber of Commerce.
A partial schedule of fair activities follows. A complete list can be found online at www.FairAndRodeo.com.
More information on the fair and rodeo can be found by visiting www.fairandrodeo.com or by calling the Coffeyville Chamber of Commerce at 620.251.2550.
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Schedule of Events, Inter-State Fair and Rodeo
Monday, August 12
6 pm – Bake Sale, Exhibits building
Tuesday, August 13
10 am-9 pm – Exhibits building open
6 pm-11 pm- Carnival
7:30 pm – Outlaw Tractor Pull, grandstand
Wednesday, August 14
10 am – Senior spelling bee, Exhibits building
2 pm- Senior talent contest, Exhibits building
4 pm – Carnival
7:30 pm- LJ Jenkins Bull Riding, grandstand
Thursday, August 15
10 am-9 pm – Exhibits building open
4 pm – Parade, downtown Coffeyville
5:30pm – bean and watermelon feed, picnic area
6-11 pm – carnival
6:30 pm –Buddy Barrow Show
7:30 pm – PRCA rodeo, grandstand
Friday, August 16
10 am-9 pm – Exhibits building open
4:30 pm – Junior market livestock sale
6 pm – midnight – Carnival
7:30 pm – PRCA rodeo, grandstand
Saturday, August 17
6 pm – midnight – Carnival
7:30 pm – Demo derby, grandstand
