Fair continues to grow with addition of demolition derby in ?05
To double the attendance at the 2005 Presque Isle County fair would be a lofty, but nice goal to reach this year. With the addition of carnival rides, a queen?s pageant, as well as other activities, attendance doubled from 2003 to 2004. Members of the Presque Isle County fair board are hoping for more of the same when the fair opens in Millersburg for a four day run in Millersburg, August 24. While much of the fair remains the same, there are new events this year that the board believes will bring another boost to attendance. One of the new events will be establishment of a demolition derby.
?WE?VE GOT a lot of people interested in entering,? said fair spokesperson Rita Tollini, who serves as the board treasurer. ?We are going to have the same rules as the Cheboygan County Fair.? The fair is still more than six weeks away, but improvements continue to be made to the fair grounds, just east of the village limits, to help make the fair run smoother. The first noticeable difference on the grounds of the facility will be the new two-story animal building, which was paid for by the Gertz Foundation and proceeds from the tractor raffle. It has been constructed and ready for use.
Other changes this year include free carnival rides. Schmidt Amusements will have three or four rides at the fair as well as midway games, but because the fair board wasn?t able to expand on the rides this as the fair had hoped, they picked up the bill from Schmidt Amusements and everyone paying the $2 gate fee rides for free on all four days.
The admission price has increased from $1 last year. The gate fee does not cover the demolition derby, mud bog, or the quee
CONTESTAMTS ARE being sought for the queen?s pageant. Organizers would like to have at least six contestants for the August 25 show. There were three as of Tuesday, who were all from Rogers City. Tollini said they would like to have all the communities in the county represented in the pageant. There will be free entertainment every day at the fair with nightly music, a garden tractor pull, and a horse speed show. Fair books have been distributed to locations throughout the county and tell residents what exhibits they can enter.
?The first thing I would suggest is anybody who has a hobby or a craft, should enter it,? Tollini said. If someone has a hobby in woodworking, a specialized collection, canned goods, fruits, and vegetables, they can entered the item and have a chance to earn a ribbon. She said the earlier the entries get in the better. There?s also will be animal exhibits with a minimal processing fee. All animals must have a photocopy of mandatory state vaccinations for the fair board to keep on file.