GROWING & GOING

GROWING & GOING

G illespie County is coming up on the 136th year of its historic fair, which is set for Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 22-25.

Sponsored by the Gillespie County Fair and Festivals Association, the 136th Gillespie County Fair will include two days of live pari-mutuel horse racing, a carnival and midway, displays of agricultural and home products, a parade, queen’s contest, antique machinery displays, musical entertainment, livestock shows and more.

With the exception of the parade, all activities take place at the Gillespie County Fair Grounds, located about 2 miles from downtown Fredericksburg, off Texas 16 South (Kerrville highway). The fair opens on Thursday night, Aug. 22, with Tejano music and free admission to the grounds.

The carnival and midway will be operating, and judging will take place in the various agricultural and home products divisions.

The kickoff parade is on Friday, Aug. 23, at 10 a.m., on Fredericksburg’s Main Street.

After the parade, activities shift back to the Gillespie County Fair Grounds, where three full days of events are planned, including dances on Friday and Saturday nights at the outdoor pavilion.

Entertainers and other plans are being finalized, and information will be announced in the regular issues of the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post.

Another highlight of the event is the crowning of the new Gillespie County Fair Queen and her court on Friday night, Aug. 23.

Pari-mutuel horse races will be run Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 24-25.

Post time for the races both days is 1 p.m.

Throughout the four-day weekend, the Exhibition Hall will be open for onlookers to take in the many displays of agricultural home products. Fruits and vegetables, grain, hay, wool and mohair, baked goods and canned foods along with arts and crafts, sewing, plants and children’s items are featured.

Also, the Hill Country Antique Tractor and Engine Club will offer displays and will host demonstrations.

There are also a number of commercial displays and educational booths.

Admission is charged Friday through Sunday.

A wide array of foods and drinks will also be available throughout the weekend.

The Race Day Classic Steer Show will be held before the fair on Aug. 5-7 (dates subject to change). The show is sanctioned by the Texas Junior Livestock Association.

History

Since its beginning before the turn of the century, the Gillespie County Fair

has been held at numerous locations, including the banks of Barons Creek, just east of the city on the site of Old Fort Martin Scott. Later, it was moved to where the Turner Hall was located on West Travis Street. (The Turner Hall was destroyed by a fire in June of 2016.)

From there, the fair was held on a knoll near the former location of the City of Fredericksburg Electrical Department, off of South Washington Street.

Years afterward, the fair was conducted at what people today call the old fair grounds, two blocks from Main Street on the Kerrville Highway.

The present facility, located off Texas 16 South, was dedicated in 1976 during the U.S. Bicentennial.

The current site includes a 5/8-mile racetrack, grandstand, biergarten, exhibition hall, livestock barn, food court, restroom facilities, an outdoor dance pavilion and ample parking.

INFORMATION:

Mailing address: Gillespie County Fair and Festivals Association, P.O. Box 526, Fredericksburg, TX 78624. Telephone number: 830-997-2359. Website: www.gillespiefair.com.

TICKETS:

Can be purchased online at www. gillespiefair.com.