Franklin County Agricultural Fair

After a near 40-year hiatus, the County successfully resurrected the Franklin County Agricultural Fair in 2014. Continuing the tradition into its second year, the 2015 Fair will be held September 23rd-26th at the Franklin County Recreation Park on Sontag Road just south of Rocky Mount. This family-friendly event will include midway rides provided by Brinkley Entertainment, Inc., a livestock show, a horse show, Franklin County High School Agricultural Exhibits and Skills USA competitions, live entertainment, food and merchandise vendors, and much more! A centerpiece of any Agricultural Fair, kicking off Fair Week will be the judging of various agricultural and art entries. The fair will host an entry day for competitive exhibits on Monday, September 21st, from 1pm-7pm at Franklin County Recreation Park. This event will allow participants to enter items in a variety of agriculture related categories to be judged for a chance to win cash prizes and fair ribbons. The Franklin County Agricultural Fair will be open Wednesday and Thursday, September 23rd and 24th from 5pm-10pm and on Friday, September 25th from 4pm-11pm. On Saturday, September 26th, the fairgrounds will be open from Noon to 11pm. The Livestock Show and competition has been expanded from a single day last year to all four days this year. The types of animals being judged has also expanded this year to not only include cattle, but also a dog show; small animal and poultry show; swine; sheep and goat show; and the grand finale large livestock show (beef, dairy, llama and alpaca) on Saturday. The Horse Show will be held on Saturday, September 26th at the Ginther Farm, 3128 Sontag Road, which is located within a mile of the fairgrounds. Registration starts at 8am with the show starting at 9am. Two new activities have been added to the Fair schedule for 2015. This year, for the first time, a Miss Franklin County Agricultural Fair pageant will be held a few weeks prior to the Fair on Saturday, August 29th at the Pigg River Community Center. The winner of the Miss Division will represent Franklin County in the 2016 Miss Virginia Association of Fairs Pageant in January at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs and will cut the ribbon opening the fairgrounds during this year's opening ceremony. Also new this year will be the Fair Expo which will highlight 64 local businesses and organizations showing their products and services to fair attendees. County Staff and community volunteers have worked tirelessly since last year's fair to expand and improve the festivities to make it the most enjoyable and anticipated event of the year for all ages. Information on the Fair and how to be a part of this year's activities can always be found on the Fair website at www.FCAgFair.com or by calling (540) 483-3030.