New entertainment enlivens county fair days
Fair-goers enjoy the first night of rides at the 2016 Floyd County Fair. Press photo by Kate Hayden
The Gil & Donna White FFA Youth Enrichment Center, at the Floyd County Fairgrounds. Press photos by Kate Hayden
Hundreds of people attend the Youth Enrichment Center open house at the Floyd County Fairgrounds in March 2017. File photo
Press file photo by Amie Johansen Rockford friends hang out in the livestock barn in between fair competitions at the 2016 Floyd County Fair.
Press file photo by Amie Johansen Two caretakers wash down a cow as temperatures climb into the 80s during the 2016 Floyd County Fair.
Press photo by Amie Johansen Competitors wait to enter the show ring ahead of the horse show during the 2016 Floyd County Fair.
By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com
The Floyd County Fair is rolling out new entertainment for visitors to explore during the 2017 season. From new rides to live stingrays, county residents will find a packed schedule to stay busy with this week.
This year’s fair features a brand-new carnival to Floyd County. Superior Equipment Carnival Midway will bring about 10 more rides, plus more games and food available to visitors at the fair, said Fair Board member Amy Staudt.
Midway rides open at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Unlimited ride daily wristband specials will be offered for $25 each day, Wednesday-Friday from 5-9 p.m.; and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. An $85 wristband special will give visitors access for three days. More information on specials will be available at the Fair Office in the green building, Staudt said.
Kids can take part in “Little Hands on the Farm,” a new interactive experience geared toward ages 2-7. The exhibit is sponsored by Valero thanks to a youth activity grant, Staudt said, and it gives kids a chance to be a “Farmer for a Day” while working a milking station, collecting potatoes or apples and more.
Staudt said she hopes the exhibit can be a mainstay in future years of the Floyd County Fair.
“I’d like to grow it every year and add more things to it,” she said.
The Live Stingray Encounter, sponsored by the Floyd County Community Foundation, begins Wednesday from 5-9 p.m. and runs each day until Saturday. The exhibit bills itself as the “world’s only traveling ‘self-contained’ stingray exhibit,” with a touch-tank and educators present for visitor’s questions.
“They have their own outdoor trailer display available as a walk-through,” Staudt said. “Staff on hand will let you touch them or feed them, too.”
Grandstand tickets are sold at Farm Bureau, the Floyd County Extension Office on Main Street, or at the Fair Office on the fairgrounds until Thursday at noon, Staudt said. The tickets offer general admission to the grandstand for Thursday-Saturday ($20 ages 12 and up; $15 ages 6 to 11; ages 5 and under free).
On Saturday, the Floyd County Fair Board and Charles City FFA will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and ice cream reception for the brand-new Youth Enrichment Center, which will host all non-livestock exhibits throughout the week.
The YEC is also hosting two complimentary breakfasts on Friday and Saturday, sponsored by State Bank and Flint Hills Resources, from 7-9 a.m.
“It’s a huge project we’ve been doing for two years. Everyone is so excited to see it opening and put into place as a fair hall and year-round facility,” Staudt said.
“We’ve had wedding rentals and other businesses for meetings and receptions. Our FFA is opening up the building and thanking everyone.”
Daily calendars of all Floyd County Fair events are available in the Press Community Calendar, every day on Page 2, or at www.charlescitypress.com.
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