Get ready for traditional Idaho at its best.
The annual Blaine County Fair in Carey will kick off Wednesday, Aug. 9. The fair is held annually at the Blaine County Fairgrounds, west of Main Street near the north end of Carey.
This year, organizers have named longtime Wood River Valley resident Ivan Swaner as the 2006 Blaine County Fair grand marshal. Swaner was born in the Wood River Valley and began his education in a one-room schoolhouse in Zinc Spur, north of Hailey.
Swaner's many years spent in the Wood River Valley and surrounding areas have provided him with a thorough knowledge of the history of Blaine County and much of the West, event organizers said. Swaner was one of the original founders of the Ketchum Wagon Days Parade in 1958 and has worked on the event ever since.
Highlights of this year's Blaine County Fair include:
·Wednesday, Aug. 9: All exhibits will be judged from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All fair buildings will be closed during the judging process.
·Thursday, Aug. 10: "Around the Campfire" with 2006 Blaine County Fair Grand Marshal Ivan Swaner from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Also, the Kim Stocking Band will play from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
·Friday, Aug. 11: An archery shoot at the back softball field at 5:30 p.m., family barbecue from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the Blaine County Little Kid's Rodeo at 7:30 p.m.
·Saturday, Aug. 12: 4-H market animal buyers' luncheon at noon followed by the 4-H market animal sale at 1:30 p.m. The rodeo will take place at the rodeo grounds in Carey at 7:30 p.m. Rodeo events will include a wild cow race, wild cow milking, heifer riding and various roping events.
Those wishing to enter open class exhibits during the fair can do so at the Blaine County Extension Office at 302 Second Avenue S. in Hailey from 6-7:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 7. The open class provides Blaine County residents with an opportunity to enter their own exhibits and is divided into the following age groups: junior (up to 18 years old), adult (19-59 years old) and senior citizen (60 years and older).
The fair board will transport open class entries from the extension office to Carey. Open class exhibits may also be entered at the fairgrounds from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8.
The day before Wednesday's scheduled opening of the fair, an open jamboree for all ages will be held at the rodeo grounds at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8. Also on Tuesday, entries in the scarecrow contest can be brought to the fairgrounds from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A youngster shows off her prize cattle at the 2005 Blaine County Fair. The 2006 Blaine County Fair, at the fairgrounds in Carey, is set to run from Wednesday, Aug. 9, through Saturday, Aug. 12. Photo by Willy Cook
