It’s time to “Sow It, Grow It and Show It” at the Orange County Fair.
The longstanding fair will bring entertainment, animals and more to the county Wednesday through Saturday, June 25-28. The action unofficially kicks off Saturday, June 21 with “Thunder in Orange,” a truck and tractor pull held at the fairgrounds with proceeds benefitting the fair association. Gates open at 4 p.m. with pulling to begin at 6 p.m. Pulling classes include 10,000 Super Pro Farm, Super Modified TWD Trucks, 11,000 Altered Farm, 6,300 FWD Trucks, 8,000 Hot Street Diesel, 12,000 Hot Stock and 15,000 Farm. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, but bleachers are available. There will be food trucks on-site; bottles are prohibited. Tickets are $15; kids ages 9 and under are free.
The pull is a great warm-up for the fair action that begins Wednesday. The fair features dozens of 4-Hers showing off their animals, live music, a draft and mule horse pull, an antique tractor pull, dirt drags, the demolition derby and more. Children will enjoy a variety of bounce houses and a barrel train daily. Pony rides will be available Saturday afternoon. Also occurring daily will be the Dynamo Dogs and Pool Party Pooches Show, a performance by Gail Maribella and her pups with dock diving, frisbee tricks, high jumps and more. Jay Mattoli will also perform his “Electrifying Magic” show daily and folks can bet on chickens in Chicken Squat Bingo.
The exhibit hall will feature entries from locals in everything from produce and food preparation and preservation to sewing, home furnishings, arts and crafts, flowers and photography. Entries are split into age divisions–8 and under, 9-14, 15-19, 20-59, 60-79, 80+ and special citizens. Pre-registration into the exhibit hall competitions is not required; completed forms and goods can be dropped off Monday and Tuesday, June 23-24, 5-7 p.m. Entries in the food preparation, garden produce and flowers and plants departments can be dropped off Wednesday, June 25, 7-9 a.m. Youth ages 19 and under who submit 12 or more entries will receive a free day pass to enter the fair. Entries are open to residents of Virginia only and can consist of only one entry per exhibitor per class. Judging will take place Wednesday, June 25, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For complete rules and the entry form, visit https://orangecountyfairva.com/county-fair.
Exhibits open Wednesday at 4 p.m. followed by Koi Dirt Drag Racing, the main event of the evening. Practice and registration is at 5 p.m. followed by eliminations at 7 p.m. Classes include kids classes, quads, dirtbikes, modified classes, open classes, SXS classes, diesel, gas, two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, buggies and semis. The fee is $20 for diesel with a 100% payback and $10 for all other classes with 100% payback.
On Thursday, the horse show will begin the festivities at 3 p.m. followed by the 4-H meat goat show at 4 p.m. and the Cloverbud parade at 6 p.m. The fair pageant will take place at 5 p.m. The pageant is open to ages 1-22 from all counties. Pre-teen through miss categories will start at 5 p.m. with personality wear. Gown will follow immediately. For the entry form and rules, visit https://orangecountyfairva.com/county-fair. The 4-H hog show will begin at 7 p.m. and the Beard, Mustache and Mullet Contest is at 7 p.m. Categories include beard (all ages), mustache (all ages) and mullet (10 and under, 11-17 and 18 and up). Winners will split proceeds 50/50 with the fair association. The entry fee is $10.
On Friday, the 4-H dairy cattle show will begin at 2 p.m., followed by the 4-H sheep show at 4 p.m., the Cloverbud parade at 5 p.m. and the 4-H beef show at 6 p.m. Live music by national recording artist Glenn Shelton will begin at 7 p.m. with a cornhole competition also starting at 7 p.m. Registration for the competition will begin at 6 p.m. and is $10. First place earns $300, second place $200; bring your legal board.
The fair begins early on Saturday with the Cloverbud parade at 9 a.m., antique tractor pull at 10 a.m., 4-H poultry show and draft horse pull at noon, Cloverbud parade again at 1 p.m. and 4-H costume contest at 2 p.m. Tiktok sensation Emily Woodhull will offer live music and the pedal tractor pull will start at 2 p.m. The Cloverbud parade will again occur at 5 p.m. with a performance by the Hi-Horse Cloggers at 5 p.m., the 4-H animal auction at 6 p.m. and Chaos in the Valley Demolition Derby at 7 p.m.
And don’t forget a fair favorite–food. According to fair association board member Jamie Lamb, a variety of food trucks will be on-site along with a concession booth operated by the Orange County Fair Association. There will also be a beer tent.
Single day tickets are $10 for ages 13 and up and $5 for children ages 6-12. A fair pass, good for entry everyday of the fair, is $30 for ages 13 and up and $15 for ages 6-12. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2025-orange-county-fair or at the gate. Pets are prohibited; the fair is rain or shine.
For more information, visit https://orangecountyfairva.com/ or follow https://www.facebook.com/orangecountyfairassociation/ on Facebook.
