LoudounExtra.com

County Fair Round-Up

By Rachael Dickson, Sydney Wilmer

Friday, July 25, 2008

The Loudoun County Fair begins this Sunday, and will run through Saturday, Aug. 2. The fair will feature numerous events and performances for the entire family. Here's a preview of some of those events to help get your fair-week planning started.

Pucker Up for Miss Piggy

One of the most anticipated events at the county fair, the Kiss-A-Pig Contest, will take place on Saturday, Aug. 2, the last day of the fair.

The four contestants have been raising money for months that will go towards maintaining the buildings on the fair grounds, youth programs, and scholarships. The contestant who raises the most money gets to kiss Miss Piggy at 6:30 p.m. at the start of the rodeo in front of the grandstand.

This year, the candidates come from a variety of careers and backgrounds.

• Sola Pallotta owns the Pink Shop and the Very Virginia Shoppe in downtown historic Leesburg.
• Wayne Bramhall, a Loudoun native and former 4-H member who grew up near Lovettsville, works at the Loudoun Times-Mirror, where he’s been an advertising sales consultant for the last eight years.
• Heather Elias is a Realtor with Weichert Realty in Leesburg, and keeps a blog, LoCo Real Estate Musings, on Loudoun Real Estate issues. She lives in Purcellville with her husband and four children.
• Joseph Myer works in Leesburg as the assistant vice president and financial advisor at the local Merrill Lynch branch. He grew up in rural Virginia and participated in 4-H programs for local fairs when he was young.

Animal Showcase

For those who love animals, next week’s county fair offers many opportunities to meet and observe the furry and the feathered.

All week at the fair, you can stop to see all sorts of interesting animals at the Bar-C-Ranch Petting Zoo, a feature that has been at the zoo for several years. The mix of domestic and exotic animals are all trained to be friendly, so feel free to pet and feed them.

The Children’s Day at the fair on Thursday will feature a parade of animals. The Animal Ambassadors show gives visitors an up-close experience with native animals that can be found in Loudoun backyards, including box turtles, opossums, porcupines, and native snakes. There’s also an open pet show that fairgoers can enter their beloved Fido or Fluffy in to try to win prizes. If you have a rabbit, you can also participate in the bunny dress up contest to aim for the titles of funniest, cutest, most unusual, owner-bunny look-alike, best seasonal costume, and others. There’s also an animal dress up contest on Saturday.

Of course, the 4-H show competitions throughout the week offer a look into how animals are raised and judged. Go by the Show or the Livestock Barns to check out the cattle, swine, sheep, birds, goats, llamas, and rabbits raised by local youth.

Multiple horse shows and demonstrations will also be held in the horse ring and the equine tent. The first contest on Sunday is set up as a Gambler’s Choice event, where contestants work to complete as many obstacles as possible within five minutes to gain points. A Gymkhana event, consisting of timed equestrian games will take place on Friday

Family Circus

They don't use it as a gimmick - maybe it's a little too much cheese for their Web site - but Hansen's Spectacular Circus Thrill Show, part of the upcoming Loudoun County Fair, is nothing less than a family affair.

Every member of the Hansen family plays a part in the four-act, 30-minute show, said Shane Hansen, the company's owner.

"This is my 2-year-old daughter's third week of performances," he said. "She is still getting the hang of it."

Hansen's older daughter, 4, has been performing on the trampoline for about two years now.

Shane and Michelle Hansen, who live in Sarasota, Fla. with their two children, both come from generations of performers. "My wife and I grew doing this stuff," he said.

The circus, showing once a day throughout the week -- Monday through Saturday -- offers viewers a chance to see acrobatic roller-skating, juggling, trampoline stunts and moves on the trapeze.

"It is kind of a thriller," Hansen said. "I juggle, my daughters and I are on the trampoline and my wife does acrobatics 30 feet in the air on the trapeze. People scream in my wife's show."

Hansen said the show is for the whole family, though. Children are more than welcome. Fair-goers can see Hansen and his family at Sykes Hall Field in the late afternoon. Fair schedulers advise that performance times are subject to change without warning, however. There is no additional cost.

Other Fair Events

July 27

-- Miss Loudoun Fair Pageant, 6:30 p.m.

July 28

-- Fair Dedication, 6 p.m.

-- Corn on the Cob Eating Contest, 6:30 p.m.

-- Demolition Derby, 7:30 p.m.

July 29

-- KYDA Professional Wrestling, 7 p.m.

July 30

-- Scott Hisey Country Music

July 31

-- Optimist Club Free Games, 10:30 a.m.

-- Agricadabra, 2:45 p.m.

-- Flint Hollow (Traditional Bluegrass Music), 5:15 p.m.

-- Pie Eating Contest, 7 p.m.

-- Professional Rodeo, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 1

-- Gymkhana on Horses, 10 a.m.

-- Round Robin, 1 p.m.

-- Watermelon Eating Contest, 5 p.m.

-- Livestock Auction, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 2

-- Hog Calling Contest, 8:30 a.m.

-- VA Best Chiffon Cake Contest, 11 a.m.

-- Super Farmer Competition, 1 p.m.

-- Hay Bale Toss, 5 p.m.

-- Professional Rodeo, 7 p.m.

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