The grandstand entertainment at the 74th Monroe County Fair is set to look a little different this year, with the country concert and combine derby serving as a book end to a busy week of viewing.
Chris Janson, a Nashville country singer and songwriter, will perform in the stands on the last day of the show, August 7th. Also performing is The Cadillac Three, a cross-genre band associated with Janson.
The doors to the grandstand will open at 6:30 p.m. Cadillac Three will take the stage first at 8:00 p.m. and headliner Janson will begin his set right after that.
Tickets that are on sale are priced at $ 40 for general admission in the stands or on the track. Mark Jarrait and Farm Bureau Insurance are sponsoring the stage the bands will perform on.
In the past, the combine derby took place on the last day of the fair. This year, however, the show was postponed to the first evening of the fair – Sunday at 7 p.m. There will be several heats leading to a final contest in which the heat winners will be played out.
Used combine harvesters will be presented, some of which are 30 years old, said the organizers. General admission is $ 8 for adults and $ 2 for children under 12.
Spectators for all grandstand shows during the week are reminded that they must also pay the general admission fee of $ 6 to enter the grounds.
In 2019, 3 Doors Down and Soul Assylum performed at the fair on Friday evening, which postponed the popular Monster Truck Show to Monday evening. This year the truck show returns to its usual place on Friday.
Below is a summary of the daily entertainment in the stands and other events:
SUNDAY
Show gates open at 10 a.m., but there won’t be a full middle until Monday afternoon when rides on the Mid America shows open at 3 p.m.
The combine demolition derby will be the main attraction in the stands, with each entrant receiving $ 300 just for entering a machine. The first place finishers in each round will receive $ 300 and the runner-up will receive $ 200. The main race winner will go home with $ 400 and a trophy, runner-up will receive $ 200 and third-place will receive $ 100. A Best of Show award will also be chosen and the winner will receive $ 100 and a trophy.
Further entertainment includes a classic car show and dance music from the 1950s from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Glenn F. Stock Arena. DJ Doug Gilson from Milan is responsible for the music.
Bands will perform each night in the large white entertainment tent on the northeast corner of the fairgrounds next to the beer tent in the Floral City Beverage Co. exhibition building, which is east of the First Merchants Bank Expo Center. All bands play from 7.30pm to 9.30pm from Sunday to Thursday and on August 7th. Tom Treece and Cross Point will be entertaining on Sunday.
MONDAY
Pickups will be in the spotlight at the annual truck pull at 7am in the stands. Fans will be looking for their favorite pickup or truck. General admission is $ 10 per person and $ 5 for children under 12. Pit passes are $ 26.
The Midway opens at 3 p.m. with an unlimited ride discount until 10 a.m. Trade show attendees can purchase a bracelet for $ 25. Single tickets are also sold. There are height restrictions on all trips.
Monday is also Veteran’s Day, during which every veteran with proper identification is free on the premises all day. Veterans receive discounts at many food stalls, and a parade and recognition program begins at 2:30 pm in the large white entertainment tent on the corner of LaSalle St. and Fairgrounds Ave. east of the beer tent of Floral City Drinks Co.
Other free entertainment options include Matt King, an Elvis impersonator, in the entertainment tent from 7:30 am to 9:30 am and a 4-hour Horse Speed Under the Lights show at 8:00 am in the horse show arena. The horse show is also offered on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
TUESDAY
In general, there will be two demolition derby car smashups in the stands from 6pm and 9pm on the most crowded night in the stands. Many participants worked on their machines for weeks to prepare them to hit the front or rear with other vehicles. General admission seats in the north and south stands cost the same price for each show – $ 8 per person, while reserved seats under the covered area sell for $ 10 per person. Rollo Juckette, a trade fair board member and auctioneer, will convene the show.
Tuesday is also Kids Day, with free admission for all school-age young people up to 17 years of age until 5 p.m. The Midway opens at 1am with another unlimited fare discount.
A children’s tractor train will take place at 9:00 a.m. at the band between the 4-H Activity Center and the Little Red Schoolhouse and Cara will perform in the white tent from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
The Lost Nations Rodeo returns to the stands on Seniors Day and will feature some local riders from the region. The show begins at 7 p.m. with a parade of performers on horseback, followed by rated events like calf rappelling, bareback riding, and barrel racing.
General admission to the show is $ 10 for adults and $ 5 for children under 12.
Anyone 65 and older will be admitted to the site until 5 p.m. for $ 2. Some retailers offer special discounts and souvenirs for seniors.
The annual awards program for seniors takes place at 3 p.m. in the white tent with music before and after by Kathleen Bressler, a Patsy Cline impersonator.
All rides on the Midway, which opens at 1:00 PM, are $ 1.50 for the whole day.
A group called Proud Equestrians will perform in the Stock Arena from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, followed by a 4-H Mini Horse Show at 1:00 PM.
The Vendetta Ride group will perform in the white tent from 7.30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m.
THURSDAY
At the annual Grand National Pro Tractor Pulls at 7 p.m. in the stands, the roar of the tractor engines will fill the evening air.
The classes include all-wheel drive, Heavy Super Stock, Limited Pro Stock, and Modified Super Farm. Pulling is done according to the rules approved by the National Tractor Pullers Association. General admission is $ 15 for adults and $ 5 for children under 12. Pit passes are $ 31.
Thursday is also Ladies Day at the fair, where all women and girls aged 13 and over are admitted for $ 2 until 3pm. A free Ladies Day program takes place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the white tent. A guest speaker will be entertained and sponsored by the Monroe County Homemakers of Extension. The program concludes with the coronation of the fair caretaker in 2021.
New this year is a 6pm draft horse show at Old Tyme Travel Clydesdale Hitch’s Stock Arena, directed by Debbie Beckstein of Portage, Ohio. She will bring her six horse hitch from Clydesdales and demonstrate how to harness horses to pull wagons, said Barbara Siebarth, a fair board member. The show will also be on Friday and Saturday at 6 a.m., Siebarth said.
Belgian draft horses are also exhibited on the premises from Thursday to Saturday. Trade fair visitors can see them in their stands. About eight horses will be exhibited by Dan Johnson from Ida and Lori Williams from Carleton.
Unlimited rides are offered mid-way through 10:00 p.m. for $ 25. Single tickets are also sold.
Other free entertainment includes music by the band 56 Daze from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the white tent,
FRIDAY
The second most popular grandstand show will bring monster trucks to the grandstand at 7pm. You’ll ride over crushed derby cars and pull wheelies on the track.
General admission to the show is $ 10 for adults and $ 5 for children under 12.
Dueling Pianos International will perform in the white tent from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The two male performers take requests for rock-n-roll songs and also offer sing-alongs, clap-alongs, and comedy to wow their audiences.
Further entertainment is the annual 4-hour cattle auction starting at 4:00 p.m. with the sale of pigs, oxen and sheep in the Andersons Arena at the western end of the site. Visitors can buy market animals and benefit from 4-H youths who raised the animals and showed them during the week.
SATURDAY
The last day of the fair will include the Chris Janson concert in the stands with special guest, The Cadillac Three. The concert under lights and stars starts at 8 p.m. The doors to the grandstand open at 6.30 p.m.
Presale tickets for sale are available for $ 40 for general access to grandstand seating or standing on the track.
“August 7th is going to be a great night,” Janson said in a message on his social media channels. “Because I’m going to the Monroe County Fair with my best buddies, The Cadillac Three – we’ve been friends for a long time.”
Show manager Daryl Diamond said this is the show’s second attempt to bring Janson to Monroe County. Advance ticket sales are available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the exhibition office, 3775 S. Custer Rd. Or online at etix.com. Telephone orders are also accepted by calling 241-2600. There is a $ 2 fee to process phone orders.
Further entertainment on Saturday includes the 4-hour small animal auction at 11:00 a.m. in Andersons Arena, a robotics demonstration by schools in the area from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the white tent, an unlimited ride marathon from 12 : 00:00 to 10:00 p.m. on the Mittelweg, the 4-H dance at the end of the trade fair week at 8:00 a.m. in the Andersons Arena and music by Larry Rothman & Pickin Roots in the white tent from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
