"Find Your Happy" At the McKenzie County Fair

This year’s McKenzie County Fair has many opportunities for you to “find your happy”, the 2017 fair theme. The fair begins on Thursday, July 6th, and runs through Saturday, July 8th, at the McKenzie County Fairgrounds, in Watford City.

The Fair officially begins with the Fair parade down Main Street in Watford City at 4:00 on Thursday, July 6th. Join the community for a free beef barbeque at the multi-purpose building at 5:30, served by the cattlewomen. Be sure to wear your fair button!

A staple of all county fairs, the 4-H livestock shows will be going on beginning at 9:00 on Thursday in the Livestock Show Arena. The shows include swine, goat, sheep, beef breeding, market beef, and round robin showmanship. The livestock sale will take place at 2:00 on Friday in the Show Arena.

At 6:30 on Thursday, the annual Olaf Leiseth Jr. Memorial Draft Horse Competition will take place in the rodeo arena. In this competition, named after a member of the Long X Wagon Team, draft horses will complete a timed obstacle course. Registration for the event closes at 5:30.

If you’ve got an old vehicle in the back forty, register for the Demolition Derby at 2:00 on Friday at the North Entrance to the fairgrounds. Registration closes at 5:15, and inspections close at 5:30. Beginning at 6:00, all approved vehicles will enter the Rodeo Arena to smash into opponents, until only one running vehicle remains. Adult tickets are $10, youth tickets, for ages 6-13, are $5, and ages 6 and under are free.

Saturday is the day for all things rodeo! The 27th Annual Youth Rodeo begins at 9:00 at the Indoor Arena. Young cowboys and cowgirls from ages 8 to 15 will participate in barrel racing, pole bending, breakaway roping, goat tying, a flag race and steer riding, dressed in full western attire. For the younger crowd, ages three to five years, the Lil’ Buckaroo Rodeo will take place at 2:00 in the Livestock Show Arena. Lil’ Buckaroos will compete for prizes in stick horse barrel racing, steer roping a dummy steer, and goat tail untying. The professionals begin at 6:00 in the Rodeo Arena at the North Dakota Rodeo Association annual rodeo. Adult tickets are $10, youth tickets, for ages 6-13, are $5, and ages 6 and under are free.

On both Friday and Saturday, wrap up your evening with music by Jeremiah James and the Prairie Drifters, a country band based out of Bismarck.

Visit the North Star Amusements carnival to test your luck at the midway games, grab some carnival grub, and take a ride on a few of the amusement rides. Rides are available for both children and adults. The carnival will be open Thursday evening, and again at 2:00 on both Friday and Saturday. Ride tickets and passes can be purchased from North Star on the midway.

If carnival games aren’t high-stakes enough, Freddie Prez will be on a 45-foot stage throughout the weekend, offering fair-goers a chance to win $10,000 by tossing a Frisbee or playing Blackout Bingo! Let the kids play in the shade at Curly’s Funtastic Kids Zone, opening at 11:00 daily. The Kids Zone features many different interactive activities for children.

Other exciting events include Keith Raymond, a strolling magician, who will be roaming the fairgrounds throughout the weekend; face painting, old time photos, the National Wild Turkey Federation Shooting Booth, and a cake walk at 4PM on Saturday.

You’ll be sure to “find your happy” at any of the exciting events planned for the McKenzie County Fair! Tickets for all events and fair buttons are available at the financial institutions in Watford City. Fair buttons are $5, and are good for all 3 days of the fair. Children 6 and under are admitted free.

For information about the fair, contact Carolyn Levang at 701-770-6938. For information about the youth Rodeo, contact Kadie Sorenson at 701-570-6407.