Fair notes the 'Good Old Days'

SANDPOINT — "Good Old Days, Country Ways." 

That is the theme of the 91st annual Bonner County Fair, which commences next week with a main exhibit hall, animal barns, livestock sales and plenty of entertainment and competitions to go around.

"I love the theme," said Darcey Smith, fairgrounds and facility director. "It's a nice time for the community to really come together and get away from electronics, get away from the hustle and bustle and just remember our good old days."

One of the "really neat things," Smith said, is a lot of the community members and their families helped build the fair.

"So we have that genealogy," she said. "We have all of the family members who get to look at old photos from grandma and grandpa being out here, and then they are here doing it as well — I love that; I think that's just fantastic and I want to keep that and let it grow."

In the days leading up to the fair, Smith said she is excited, as it is her first year as director. She and office manager Shelli Cowell both started in May, and Smith said the fair would not have come together as smoothly as it has without all the help they have received from the community members, 4-H members and volunteers. Much of the groundwork was laid by the previous staff as well, she said, since preparations for this year's fair began as soon as the 2017 fair ended.

"I am looking forward to it," Smith said of the fair. "We are going to have a lot of new food vendors, and a lot of exhibitors this year, so it is going to be a full fair."

The main exhibit building and booths will be decorated in the spirit of the theme, and will open to the public at 10 a.m., Aug. 8-10, and at 9 a.m. Aug. 11. Various 4-H events will be held throughout each day of the fair as well. Barrel racing in the outdoor arena at 7:30 p.m. will close out the first day of the fair. Evening entertainment for Thursday, Aug. 9, is the freestyle motorsports team Octane Addictions at 7 p.m., complete with a mini motocross. Members of the local 4-H motorcycle club will put on a show during the event as well.

The Challenge of Champions on Friday night will feature the top 10 from the Tuesday night's barrel racing, who will compete for the title. The challenge begins at 7:30 p.m. in the outdoor arena. The final day of the fair will begin with the market animal sale at 9 a.m., and come to a close with the demolition derby, beginning at 7 p.m.

For a full list of events, visit bonnercountyfair.com or pick up a fair book from various locations around the area, including the fair office, Sandpoint Super Drug, North 40, Les Schwab Tire Center and more. Tickets for events, including Octane Addictions, the Challenge of Champions, and the demolition derby can be purchased in advance through the fair's website.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.