From the pages of
Sublette Examiner
Volume 7, Number 18 - July 26, 2007
brought to you online by Pinedale Online

SC Fair sets the stage for art, music and livestock

by Janet Montgomery

It’s the last weekend of July and the start of the Sublette County Fair on Saturday, July 28.

While the local fair provides ample opportunity for the area 4-H members to enter their works and compete in various events, there is plenty for everyone else at this year’s fair as well.

Younger kids especially can join in the fun with the greased pig contest or Little Buckaroo Rodeo, and they can also take part in some art projects.

Fair Superintendent Kay Meeks has been busy shopping for art supplies and designing programs to work with rope as an accompaniment to the Rinestone Ropers.

“It’s kind of coming together,” she said. “And I guess it’s a good thing because the fair is right around the corner now.”

Meeks got roped into the concept for the fair as the art superintendent and designed three art programs that all involve rope.

“We sort of brainstormed on the ideas,” she said. “I sort of chose what I thought would be the easiest to implement.”

Since then, she’s been sure to shop for fun materials like metallic-colored and sparkly small cord for braiding and bright color cord for weaving.

The first program Friday morning at 10 a.m. will put pieces of hemp rope into the hands of artists. Meeks will host the program that will feature a strand of hemp rope tied off and frayed so that it can be used for painting.

Friday afternoon at about 2 p.m., Susan Mitchell of Pinedale will host the second program.

“They will all use some very pretty colored cords to braid a bookmark,” Meeks said, adding that the braid will be a six-strand flat braid, “which is kind of exotic.”

Then Saturday morning at 10 a.m., the third program will offer an opportunity for weaving.

“They will use rope to weave a trivet,” Meeks said.”

All three programs will be open to children of any age. Although some programs will require more motor skills than others as well as the ability to follow directions, Meeks said everyone is welcome. Just stop by the rope tent on the south side to the Commercial Building at the Sublette County Fairgrounds and sign up for one of the free art projects.

“Come what may,” she said. “If there’s room in the class and we haven’t filled it up (and) ... bigger people want to join in they can.”

Meeks has been a superintendent for the fair for a long time, she said, as well as teaching art and giving private lessons locally. This next week, Meeks will also be starting a watercolor class at the Sublette County Library in Big Piney.

The weekend begins with the open horse show and team-branding events, followed by barrels on Sunday along with pig wrestling and a greased-pig contest.

The 4-H Horse Show will fill up Monday and Tuesday’s events with the 4-H interview and style review judging kicking off Wednesday morning with open class exhibits open from 4 to 8 p.m. The Little Buckaroo Rodeo will start at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Then the week really gets going, as the Rinestone Ropers start their six-show stint on Thursday along with many of the other entertainment groups sure to mystify, hypnotize and amaze kids, both young and old, including Safari Adventures Live, Tyzen - Master of Suggestion, KidZJam, Grand Illusion and Escape Show by Ridgeway and Johnson as well as cowboy poet and singer T.J. Casey.

Along with tunes from Casey, two music concerts are planned for fair week with the Fiddlers Jamboree on Thursday night.

Friday offers another opportunity to view the great entertainment groups as well as the big show that puts Blackhawk on the stage to open Friday, Aug. 3, for Little Texas in the Shell Rocky Mountain Productions- sponsored concert that starts at 7 p.m. To save $5, buy tickets in advance of the show; stop by at the Cowboy Shop, Office Outlet, Sand Draw Station, Sublette County libraries, the Elk Horn Lodge and All-American Fuel.

For those who want to take to the dance floor, the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office will again host its dance on Saturday night offering dance to a laser screen with DJ Mix hits, starting at 8:30 p.m.

Almost all of the fair activities take place at the Sublette County Fairgrounds just north of Marbleton, save one — Doubles’ Draw Pitch horseshoe pitching.

This year’s pitching challenge also has an added $500 in the pot for the top pitchers in the 40-foot competition set for Saturday at 4 p.m. at the horseshoe pit at the baseball field on Highway 189. The $500 will be divided between the different class winners.

While there is a lot of fun with art and music, the fair is also about livestock with events and showing throughout the week that also includes a show just for local livestock, the Sublette County and LaBarge Bred and Raised Market Steer Show set for 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 3, and of course, the big finale of the fair days with the Junior Livestock Sale on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Nearly every night of fair week has a different event ready to entertain Sublette County for fair days from July 28-Aug. 5.

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