By Rick Kennedy, managing editor
All the pageantry and fun of fall fair season continues in a big way with the 74th Annual Southwest Arkansas District Fair on tap, starting Tuesday, Sept. 25 and running thru Saturday, Sept. 29 at Fair Park in Hope. The annual official parade will kickoff the activities in downtown Hope starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Per tradition, the Southwest District Fair showcases exhibits, livestock and attractions from a 15-county area, that stretches from Saline County to Miller County, and of course, includes both Hempstead and Nevada counties.
Also happening Tuesday is the Southwest District Fair Queen pageant, which this year will feature all the runners-up eligible from all the nearby county pageants. Nevada County alone will have a potential pool of four eligible contestants in the Miss Southwest District pageant, and another seven eligible for the Jr. Miss title.
The outgoing queens are 2017 Miss Southwest Reagan Grubbs, who later went on to become Miss SAU and a preliminary winner in the Miss Arkansas, and outgoing 2017 Jr. Miss Southwest Heavenly Zachary, who became the new 2018 Miss Nevada last week.
Per tradition, too, will be all-time favorite fair activities and a variety of concession stands featuring fair food and home-cooked favorites.
The daily schedule includes the following:
TUESDAY, September 25
• 10 AM: Arts and Crafts Judging, educational exhibits judging, food preservation judging, horticulture judging, AG mechanic judging
• 11 AM: Potted Plant Show judging
• 5 PM: Food Preservation and horticulture products open for viewing, arts and crafts open for viewing
• 5-to-10 PM: Amusement Attractions Open (dollar night)
• 6 PM: Official Parade Downtown Hope
• 7:30 PM: Fair Queen and Talent Contest in Coliseum
WEDNESDAY, September 26
• 9 AM: Arts and crafts, food preservation, and horticulture open for viewing
• 9 AM: School Tours
• 3-to-6 PM Livestock Check in
• 5 PM: Amusement Attractions Open
• 6 PM: All animals must be in place
• 8 PM: Weight cards due in for market hogs
THURSDAY, September 27
• 9 AM: Arts and crafts, food preservation, and horticulture open for viewing
• 9 AM: School Tours
• 9 AM: Swine Show
• 2:00-10:00 p.m. Amusement Attractions open (armband day)
• 6 PM: Weigh commercial heifers
• 6 PM: Weigh Goats and Sheep
• 6:30 PM: Weigh Steers
• 7:30 PM: Ranch Rodeo in arena
FRIDAY, September 28
• 9 AM: Arts and crafts, food preservation, and horticulture open for viewing
• 9 AM: School Tours
• 9 AM: Sheep and Goat Showing
• 4 PM: Junior activities
• 5 PM: Amusement Attractions open
• 6 PM: Music in front of coliseum
• 7:30 PM: Roughstock Productions Bulls, broncs, and barrels
• 10 PM: Swine Release
SATURDAY, September 29
• 9 AM: Open cattle, steers, breeding beef, and commercial heifers judging followed by showmanship. Dairy Cattle judging will follow showmanship
• 9 AM: Rabbit Show Judging
• 11 AM: Arts and crafts, food preservation, horticulture open for viewing
• 1-to-5 PM: Amusement Attractions (armband day)
• 6 PM: Mexican Band in front of the Coliseum
• 7:30 PM: Rough Stock Productions Bulls, Broncs, and Barrels
• 8:30 PM: Release sheep and goats
• 10:30 PM: Release cattle
All the fair information and entries are online at southwestarkansasdistrictlivestockshow.com.
