The 2021 Archuleta County Fair kicks off today, Thursday, August 5, at 9am… and runs through 4pm on Sunday, August 8.
In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the fair, general admission to the fair is free this year. General admission includes the Livestock Tent, Exhibit Hall, Activity Tent and food vendors.
There will be a charge for the Friday and Saturday rodeos, with tickets available at the gate. Tickets for each rodeo are $15 per adult, $8 ages 4-17, and free for kids 3 and under. If you buy a ticket for both rodeos, the charge is $25 per adult and $12 per child ages 4-17.
Visit https://archuletacountyfair.com for a complete schedule of the events.
Each day of the fair includes the kids’ train and games, the petting farm, a variety of vendors and food, and 4-H and Open Class entries on display in the Exhibit Hall and Stith Room. The livestock area will be open to the public so you can see the animals and talk to the 4-H kids who raised them.
A perennial attraction of the Exhibit Hall is the quilt display and there will be many gorgeous quilts to see this year. The Pagosa Springs Rotary Club will be hosting the Beer Garden again this year, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Pagosa Pirates wrestling team.
On Thursday there will be the goat, alpaca, swine and steer shows in the Hughes Pavilion. Tap your inner artist and paint your masterpiece, 4-8pm. Have some silly fun at the pie-eating contest in the Activity Tent.
Special events on Friday include the Lamb, Turkey, Chicken and Steer Shows. Another pie-eating contest will be held at 1pm. Wild Man Phil and his exotic animals have three shows at 11am, 2pm and 4pm. There will be a demonstration of Aikido martial arts at 1pm. You will have another chance to create with painting from 4 to 8pm. The Activity Tent will really get jumping at 5pm with live music by Jack Ellis and Out On Work Release. The exciting Bares, Broncs and Bulls Rodeo kicks off at 7pm in the rodeo arena. The evening closes with live music by Tim Sullivan from 9 to 11:30pm.
Saturday is a big day, starting with a horseshoe pitching tournament at 9am. Wild Man Phil and painting are all back for encore performances. The evening starts with live music by the San Juan Mountain Boys at 4pm, providing a musical background to the Chuckwagon Dinner 4:30-6:30pm. This dinner is the major fundraiser for the local 4-H clubs and tickets will be available Saturday in the in- formation booth.
The excitement ramps up when the Livestock Auction begins at 6pm, with auction bidder and add-on registration starting at 5:30pm. The evening closes with the Jeffrey Alan Band providing live music for the Fair Dance from 9 to 11:30pm.
The kids’ rodeo is the main event on Sunday, starting at 10am. Livestock animals and vendors will be there until 2pm.
It’s a timeless tradition — see you at the fair.
The Pagosa Daily Post welcomes submissions, photos, letters and videos from people who love Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Call 970-903-2673 or email pagosadailypost@gmail.com