By Lisa Vail | Archuleta County Fair
You are invited to the 71st annual Archuleta County Fair, which will take place Aug. 4 to 7. It is always a party, so dust off your boots, break out your western wear and get ready to have a good time.
The gates open at 9 a.m. daily, closing around midnight on Friday and Saturday to ensure that you have the time to enjoy the festivities. The fair closes at 4 p.m. on Sunday for all exhibits.
The Archuleta County Fair is a longtime tradition, dating back to a meeting in 1951 of several local ranchers and the county extension agent at which the group decided to initiate a county fair. During the first meeting of the fair committee, Ray Macht was elected chairman and the fair was set for Sept. 28 and 29, 1951. The first fair schedule was geared toward providing a showplace for locally owned registered cattle and 4-H animals. The fair was deemed a competition and celebration of community, while offering a time to relax and share.
The mission of the Archuleta County Fair is to unite our community by preserving our history through building memories, encouraging cooperation, creating learning opportunities, providing entertainment, and developing healthy competition for Archuleta County 4-H exhibitors and Open Class competitors from anywhere in the world.
In addition to the 4-H competitions, the fair has grown through the years to include rodeos, live music, games, exhibits and demonstrations. Our 4-H members will show their animals including horses, dogs, rabbits, goats, steers, chickens, pigs and lambs during fair week. A petting farm for kids to enjoy will be open each day. During the fair, the exhibit hall will be filled with different projects created by 4-H youth and county residents including quilts, photographs, paintings, vegetables, flowers and baked goods. Vendors will sell delicious fair food throughout the weekend. A highlight of the fair is the 4-H Chuckwagon Dinner and Junior Livestock Auction Saturday evening.
The Archuleta County Fair is for the benefit of the entire community, townspeople, ranchers and visitors alike. Our theme of “Timeless Tradition” reflects the pattern of our growing county’s changing history while keeping true to some of the very same values held dear over 70 years ago. We hope to see you at the fair.
The fair is held at the fairgrounds just east of town on U.S. 84. Everyone is invited and general admission is free. Please note that activities and schedule are subject to change. For a full schedule of events, exhibit entry information and more, visit www.archuletacountyfair.com. Questions may be emailed to archuletacountyfair@gmail.com.
