The Barton County Fair is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and Fair Board President Charles Atkinson says the milestone has the whole board feeling reflective — and a little surprised.

“A lot of us on the board didn’t think we’d make it this far,” Atkinson joked at a recent Great Bend Kiwanis meeting. “We thought we’d all be old and retired and doing other things in our life. I guess this is our life.”

The fair runs June 24–28 at the Expo complex, and this year’s lineup of entertainment leans into regional talent. On Thursday — the fair’s traditional Christian night — the 3 Heath Brothers will perform a free concert. The gospel group has appeared at Winter Jam in Wichita and is being brought in thanks to sponsor support.

Country night on Friday, June 25, will feature Trayvon Dawson, a 19-year-old singer who placed in the top 10 on The Voice. Atkinson said a January showcase left the board impressed. “He put on a performance that was just unbelievable,” he said. “It’s definitely worth it.” Joining Dawson on the bill is Eastern Heights, a Branson, Missouri-area band the board has seen perform multiple times. “They bring great energy — they’re a fun band to be around,” Atkinson said.

Saturday night closes out the music with Paramount, a high-energy cover band. “They bring in a lot of great music, fun to watch — a good group to just sit back and enjoy yourself,” he said.

All concerts take place on a stage positioned beneath a grove of mature trees — a shady setting years in the making. “When the fair started in ‘92 there were no trees,” Atkinson explained. “Mike Cargill and I planted those trees 30 years ago, and we just now got to where we could use them. Welcome to Kansas — it takes a long time to grow a tree.”

The WEEE Entertainment carnival returns for another year, running Wednesday through Saturday. “We’re just excited to have them back.”

There are a couple of pre-fair events starting June 19 and the fair proper opens Wednesday, June 24, with commercial exhibits in Expo I and the check-in of open class entries. Atkinson encouraged community members with hidden talents to participate.

“If you’re a painter, an artist, a wood carver, a woodworker — bring out your favorite piece and share it with us,” he said. Categories also include photography, baking, bread making, and more, all listed on the fair’s website.

Mystery improvement

“We are making an improvement to Expo III that no county fair has ever had — except the state fair,” he said. “No, they don’t even have it.” He declined to elaborate, promising only that visitors who come out for the livestock sale on Sunday will be impressed. “This will be something we’re hoping to keep for the next 25 to 30 years,” he said.

Whatever the upgrade, the building already looks dramatically different inside. The fair board replaced the entire lighting system with LED fixtures — 40 units total — giving the building three times the illumination it had before. “It is all lit up. It looks really nice,” Atkinson said. “Even during the daytime, it is bright, and that’s what we want.”

The livestock program itself is a cornerstone of the week. Judging begins Thursday and continues through Friday, with the 4-H swine show kicking off the competition schedule. Atkinson urged fairgoers to walk through the livestock building and talk to the young exhibitors. “If you see a kid, ask them: ‘Tell me about your animal.’ You’ll be surprised with the stories they tell you,” he said. “Those kids spend time with those animals just like you spend time with your pet dog.”

Saturday is billed as Kids Day — for all ages, Atkinson was quick to note. Along with open class shows drawing competitors for sheep, goats, swine, and beef, the day includes a popular Touch the Trucks display, antique tractor pulls (a 35-year fair tradition), mutton bustin’, and motorcycle drag races on the north side of Expo III. “These guys have bikes souped up to where they’re basically drag racing — hitting speeds up to 90 miles an hour on that short track,” Atkinson said.

A returning crowd favorite is the Kids Power Wheels racing event, set up in a NASCAR-style track outside Expo I, where children qualify and race in age groups. The event has developed a complication in recent years: parents. “We need to keep the adults out of it,” Atkinson said, grinning. “They all think that if we put four batteries in it instead of one, we can go faster. We’re having to work with a modified class now.”

Adults will have their own chance to compete in the returning Adult Pedal Pull, an event that disappeared for a few years before making its comeback this summer. “The big boys get on the little tractor,” Atkinson said. “They have a lot of fun with it.”

Friday night offers a uniquely Kansas form of entertainment: Cow Patty Bingo. “It’s the only place you can come out and gamble and have a good time and sit around and watch a cow go poop,” Atkinson said.

The week closes Sunday with Celebrity Showmanship before the Sale of Champions. In Celebrity Showmanship, community members and local business owners receive 30 minutes of coaching from 4-H members, then take to the arena to show pigs — in costume.

“It’s really comical,” Atkinson said. Last year’s event featured a judge who arrived with a robe and hair curlers as part of the fun. “By the time we get to Sunday, we need all the fun we can get, because we are exhausted.”

The Sale of Champions wraps up the fair.

For open class entry information, the full schedule, and vendor details, visit the Barton County Fair’s website, bartoncountyfair.com.