Approximately 3,000 folks showed off their “Farmer Pride County Wide” last week at the Orange County Fair.
The longstanding fair was held Wednesday through Saturday, June 24-27. Featured events included livestock shows, a magician, field games, the demolition derby, a cornhole tournament and more. Fair board treasurer and entertainment chair Jamie Lamb said the fair was well attended, especially with the free entry community night sponsored by Madison Ford and the overall lower gate prices. The weather also favored good fair attendance with some storms impacting Friday evening’s Gymkhana event. Line dancing and corn hole both went well. A stormy forecast Saturday morning led to the cancellation of the antique tractor pull and a lower than expected amount of entries for the car show.
“I think had the weather been good that morning the car show would have been a huge success,” Lamb said. “Saturday cleared up and lots of people started coming out around 3 p.m. The demolition derby is always a big crowd pleaser.”
Lamb said Wednesday’s featured event, wrestling with American midget professional wrestler Short Sleeve Sampson drew a larger crowd than initially expected with at least one spectator traveling from Richmond for the show. Magician Jay Mattioli was a hit again this year. He travels the country with his Electrifying Magic show and performed at the fair last year as well. The new Starfield Farms Petting Zoo featured a variety of reptiles and drew a crowd. Thursday night’s featured event, Farmer Field Games, was also a hit with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office participating and giving both K-9 and drone demonstrations.
Overall, Lamb said things went very well for this year’s fair.
“There were a few hiccups when we first got started, but with a well oiled team we had things fixed or organized better very quickly,” he said. “We are extremely lucky to have board members and friends of the fair that are willing to jump in when needed to help. Overall things went very smoothly.”
Lamb said plans are already underway for the 2027 Orange County Fair. Anyone interested in volunteering or becoming a board member is encouraged to reach out to the fair board.
“We could always use fresh minds and ideas,” he said.
For more information, visit https://orangecountyfairva.com/ or follow https://www.facebook.com/orangecountyfairassociation/ on Facebook.
