IF YOU LOVE TO SING YOU CAN WIN BIG !!

Do you love to sing? If so, the Nevada County Fair is looking for talented vocalists to sing in the “Barnyard Buckaroos” Idol Competition at this year’s Fair.

Nevada County residents between the ages of 16 and 28 are invited to participate in this crowd favorite on Wednesday, August 6, at 8 pm on the Pine Tree Stage at the Fairgrounds. The grand prize is $100 and an opportunity to compete in the State Fair competition in Sacramento.

Singers will be judged by a panel of local celebrities, who will narrow it down to three finalists. Audience members will then vote with quarters for the grand prize winner. The quarters will be weighed on stage and the winner will be announced that night. All quarters collected will be donated to the non-profit of the winner’s choice.

There’s still time to sign up! The entry fee is only $5, and entries close on Friday, August 1 at 5 pm. A complete list of rules and a registration form can be obtained at the Fair office, by calling 530-273-6217, or by contacting Debby.

Bring your posse, your quarters, and be prepared for a great night of music and entertainment at this year’s Nevada County Fair, August 6-10.

NEVADA COUNTY FAIR TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Tickets for the Nevada County Fair are on sale now. Purchase your admission and entertainment tickets before the Fair begins and receive a discount. There are several ways to get your tickets early.

Pre-sale and discounted tickets may be purchased by calling, faxing or visiting the Fair Office by Tuesday, August 5 at 5 pm.

Exhibitors may purchase tickets on-line through the exhibit entry system. Exhibitors can access the on-line entry system through the Fair’s website at www.nevadacountyfair.com. On-line entry capability will end on Friday, July 25 at 5 pm.

Buy your admission tickets before August 5, and get admission for only $4. Or, take advantage of other pre-sale offers before August 5 – a 5-day Fair pass with unlimited entry for $20; a season parking pass for $25; a carnival ride bracelet, good for unlimited rides for any one day for $23; or purchase 30 carnival ride coupons for $15.

Pre-sale tickets will be mailed to customers until Friday, July 25. Tickets for orders received after that date will be put in “Will Call” in the Fair's Administration Office, open Monday through Friday from 8 am – 5 pm. Beginning July 31 until August 5, pre-sale tickets will be available at the Gate 1 cashiers' booth.

After August 5, admission for the Fair is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $3 for children 6-12; and free to children under 5 years of age.

Visit www.nevadacountyfair.com for more information.

Little Buckaroos Can WIN $$BIG BUCKS$$

Two new arena events – Mutton Bustin’ and Calf Scramble – are planned for young children and teens in the Arena on Wednesday and Thursday night of the Nevada County Fair, August 6-10.

Featured in the Arena during the Professional Bull Riding on Wednesday and the Rodeo on Thursday will be Mutton Bustin’, where eight young cowboys and cowgirls between the ages of 5 and 7 years old will get the chance each evening to mount their trusty sheep and head for the thrill of their young lives. Participants must be between the ages of 5 – 7, and must not weigh more than 65 pounds.

Also featured at the Arena on the same two nights will be the Calf Scramble, where ten teams, each consisting of a boy and girl, will compete with one another to catch, halter and coax their calf across the finish line. Participants must be between the ages of 12 – 18, and must weigh at least 100 pounds.

Western attire is required for both events, and there is no entry fee. Great prizes will be awarded for both events. For the Mutton Bustin’, prizes are $50 for first prize, $25 for second prize, and $10 for third prize. For the Calf Scramble, prizes are $100 for first prize, $50 for second prize, and $25 for third prize. There are a limited number of spots available, so call the Fair Office at (530) 273-6217 to reserve a spot in either event, as well as obtain an application and a list of rules.

This year’s Fair is August 6-10. Visit www.nevadacountyfair.com for more information.

BUSINESSES/ORGANIZATIONS CAN SPONSOR AND DRIVE IN THE DEMOLITION DERBY

YOU COULD WIN $1,000 FOR YOUR FAVORITE CHARITY

For the first time, the Nevada County Fair is providing organizations and businesses the opportunity to sponsor and drive a car in the Fair’s popular Demolition Derby, while at the same time raising money for a favorite charity or service organization.

Organizations and businesses can purchase a car for $500 and the Fair will provide a Derby car to use in the Demolition Derby. The organization can choose to provide its own driver or the Fair will provide a driver for the car. Additionally, the car can be picked up on August 1 to customize the car or it can be left at the Fair, where it will have a number painted on it.

The sponsored Derby cars will participate in their own event at the Demolition Derby, held on Sunday, August 10, at 7 pm in the Arena. The last of the sponsored cars moving will receive $1,000 towards the charity or service organization of their choice.

There are only a limited number of cars available, so call the Fair Office at
(530) 273-6217 to reserve your car, and obtain a list of rules and all the necessary forms. Visit www.nevadacountyfair.com for more information.

FAMILY OF THE YEAR TO BE HONORED

Photo Taken by: Shaffers Originals

The Henderson-Drew Family of Grass Valley has been named Family of the Year by the Nevada County Fair’s Board of Directors. The Board chose the Henderson-Drew family because of all the work they do to support Nevada County and for consistently encouraging the participation of Nevada County youth in agricultural projects.

Karen Henderson and Jim Drew are both agriculture teachers at Nevada Union High School and work extensively with high school students. Drew has been teaching at the high school for 31 years, and Karen for 16 years. In addition to their teaching responsibilities, they coach numerous leadership and career development FFA teams, and Karen is the school’s FFA advisor while Jim is the head cook for Cooper’s Café, the snack shack at the school’s football home games. They also oversee 50 different livestock projects during the summer, as well as more than 50 agriculture mechanics projects exhibited at the Fair.

“Karen and Jim have become such an integral part of the Fair,” said Ed Scofield, Fairgrounds CEO. “To me, they embody the spirit of Nevada County. They dedicate countless hours to their students and Nevada County agriculture. Instead of taking the summer off from their teaching, they are busier than ever. They begin the Fair season with Karen and her horticulture class planting the more than 1,000 hand-raised Marigolds along the Gold Path, then they work with their students throughout the summer on their livestock projects, and, finally, they see the students through their year-long culminating project – the Ag Mechanics Auction and the Junior Livestock Auction. These events benefit the youth of Nevada County by enabling students to afford college or vocational training. None of these events would be possible without the time and effort that Jim and Karen put into these projects.”

The Henderson-Drew family consists of six children, two grandchildren, and a grandchild on the way. All six children are graduates of Nevada Union. Karen’s three children are Pat, 30, who is currently attending Sonoma State for his city planning degree; Lesa, 28, the CEO of the California Wool Growers and California Pork Producers; and Sara, 22, graduating in June with her bachelor of science degree in agriculture business. Drew’s three children are Jessie, 30, a Chico State graduate and a nursing student, married to a Grass Valley police officer; Joy, 27, married and expecting their first child; and Jamie, 24, married and working in Sacramento.
As for their involvement in FFA, the couple’s dedication is admirable. In addition to FFA advisory roles, together they travel more than 6,000 miles a year taking students to competitions, leadership conferences, and various activities. Most of their weekends in the spring are spent with FFA travel and conferences. However, the family does find time for relaxation. They love to go to Eagle Lake and fish. Still, even those trips involve their students, as the two usually take the new officer team with them for a leadership and planning retreat during the summer.

Both families have been a fixture in Nevada County for more than 40 years. In fact, Henderson’s parents, Jack and Nancy Henderson, are being inducted into this year’s Fair’s Hall of Fame for their on-going support of the youth of Nevada County.

Prior to moving here in 1964, Karen spent her summers in Nevada County while her grandparents built their home, where the Henderson-Drew family currently resides. “The highlight of my summer when I was a child,” she says, “was going to the Nevada County Fair and going on all the rides.”

About being named the Fair’s Family of the Year, Henderson says, “We are honored to be recognized because we believe in what we are doing – with our program and with our community – because the FFA not only benefited our own kids but thousands of students. We both understand the importance of instilling work ethic and a caring attitude in every student we have in class, while at the same time we help students understand the importance of leadership – for themselves and their community.”

The Henderson-Drew Family will be honored at opening ceremonies of the Nevada County Fair, which runs August 6-10. They will receive free admission to the entire run of the Fair, along with parking passes, free carnival rides, and admission to all five nights of arena events. In addition, Schaffers Originals of Grass Valley will create a family portrait to commemorate the family’s selection as the Fair’s Family of the Year.

For more information about the Nevada County Fairgrounds, visit their website at http://www.nevadacountyfair.com/ or call (530) 273-6217.

NEVADA COUNTY FAIR EXTENDS ENTRY DEADLINE

If You Want to Enter an Exhibit, You Have an Extra Week to Complete the Entry Form

The deadline to complete the paperwork to enter your exhibits in the Nevada County Fair has been extended. Nevada County residents interested in entering exhibits in one of the more than 300 available categories must either submit a paper entry form to the Fair Office or enter online at the Fair’s website at http://www.nevadacountyfair.com/.
The entry deadline for walk-in, paper entries is Friday, July 18, at 5 pm for both still exhibits and livestock. The entry deadline for on-line entries is Friday, July 25, at 5 pm, for still exhibits only. There will not be any late entry fees.





The deadline to enter your exhibits in the Nevada County Fair is just around the corner. The entry deadline is 1 pm on Saturday, July 12, for Nevada County residents who want to enter their baked goods, paintings, photographs, honey, quilts, poetry, or anything else in one of the more than 300 available categories.

Exhibitors must either submit paper entry forms to the Fair office or enter online at the Fair’s website at http://www.nevadacountyfair.com/. Late paper entries will be accepted until July 18 at 5 pm, but will be charged an additional $2 fee per exhibit. The deadline for on-line entries is Friday, July 18 at 5 pm. There is no entry fee if you choose to enter your still exhibit on-line.

With this year’s Fair theme of “Barnyard Buckaroos,” there are plenty of special entry possibilities for those interested in entering projects for judging. Buckaroo Furnishings, Decorated Cowboy Hats and Boots, Milk Carton Covered Wagons, and “My Own Barnyard Buckaroo” photo contest are all part of this year’s fun for the Fair.

There are still a limited number of kits available to those interested in participating in the Solar Powered Sprint Car contest for youth and teens. The Fair provides the solar cell kit, and competitors then design and build a solar powered vehicle that will race on a 20’ race course. Solar cell kits can be picked up at the Fair office.

For a free ticket to the Nevada County Fair, be part of our “Wild Horse Round-Up,” and find one of the wild horses hidden in local businesses around Grass Valley and Nevada City. If you spot one of the horses, bring it to the Fair Office on McCourtney Road by 5 pm on August 1 and receive your free ticket.

Complete descriptions of all categories and contests are available online or in the Fair's free Competition Handbook. The handbook is available at the Fair office, area libraries, chamber of commerce offices, various sponsoring merchants, and online at the Fair's web site.

This year’s Nevada County Fair is August 6-10, and there will be thousands of community exhibits, barns full of champion livestock, thrilling arena motorsports, five stages of ongoing entertainment, games, carnival rides, and Treat Street goodies awaiting Fair-goers.

For more information about entry deadlines or this year’s Nevada County Fair, visit the Fair’s website at http://www.nevadacountyfair.com/ or call (530) 273-6217.