Fair Season kicking in to high gear

Fair season is kicking in to high gear today in the Golden Plains of Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas. Beginning with the fairs now in progress for Rawlins County in Atwood and Furnas County in Beaver City, the series of county expositions will continue through the third week of August. Before the dust settles, the counties in the region will have hosted more than a dozen fairs and community festivals.

This week's action in Rawlins County and Furnas County sets the stage. The big rodeo will be the highlight in Furnas County, with Rodeo Rose providing the stock for rodeo action on both Thursday and Friday nights. As an added attraction, the Beaver City Volunteer Fireman will be serving a barbecue at the Blue Ribbon Cafe (at the fairgrounds) between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday night.

Another crowd pleaser will be the Furnas County Classic Tractor Pull, scheduled Thursday night at 7 p.m. An hour earlier, youngsters will show their skills in the Kids Tractor Pull. Trophies will be awarded in seven divisions for children aged 4 to 12.

Bringing the Furnas fair to a close will be the Demolition Derby, slated at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night in front of the grandstand.

One of the much anticipated events at the Rawlins County Free Fair in Atwood will be the first annual Mud Bog, scheduled at 2 p.m. Saturday at the fairgrounds. Members of the Rawlins County Fair Board picked up the idea for the Mud Bog from events in Colorado. Four truck classes and one all-terrain vehicle class are planned, with truck entrants roaring through a pit which is 12 feet wide and 150 to 200 feet long.

The Rawlins Fair will also feature rodeo action, scheduled Tuesday night starting at 7:30 p.m., and a Children's Ranch Rodeo, set for Wednesday night beginning at 7 p.m.

Area fairgrounds will remain busy throughout the next month, with the Dundy, Frontier and Red Willow fairs scheduled next week, followed by the Hayes, Decatur, Hitchcock, Decatur and Chase County fairs in the first three weeks of August. Also upcoming are the Wauneta and Trenton festivals and the Old Settler's Picnic in Indianola.

All in all, it's going to be a busy -- and fun -- way to bring the summer to a close. County fairs are a long-time tradition in Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas, giving young and old a chance to meet and greet friends and neighbors while enjoying the exhibits and entertainment.