Carson City Fair needs volunteers and sponsors

The 2018 Carson City Fair is coming together, but organizers are still seeking sponsors and volunteers to help out during the event.

Lots of changes are planned for this year’s fair in Fuji Park, July 25-29.

“Some new and exciting things this year is an increase in live entertainment. We have acts lined up to provide live music and entertainment in the grassy area, but we also will have bands for our arena entertainment,” said Lindsay Chichester, extension educator, Carson City, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE). “A big need here is seeking sponsorships that would like to sponsor either the bands or help provide an honorarium to the performers.”

The fairgrounds arena will feature Journey Unlimited, the Las Vegas-based tribute band, performing the evening of July 27, and Comstock Cowboys, from Virginia City, on stage July 28.

Other live entertainment is planned all day, every day at the fair site and includes DJ Dalton mixing music; Cedric Williams, a Carson City singer who regularly performs at Living the Good Life Lounge; Robert Miller hosting karaoke; Gardnerville-based blues band, The Stone Crows NV; and Eagle Wings Pageant Dance Group, comprising 50 dancers in full costume performing sacred dances of the Washoe, Shoshone, and Paiute tribes.

Chichester said also new this year is traditional fair fun such as eating contests, pony rides, a hay contest, and free horseback events. The latter includes an 8-rider Mexican drill team which will highlight the grand opening ceremony and perform half-hour shows. The event won’t have a carnival this year.

All that’s in addition to the dog shows and livestock contests, which include categories for swine, sheep, goats, beef, dairy goats, and dairy cattle, and a one-day rabbit and poultry show.

The Northern Nevada Antique Tractor and Engine Club is bringing some Ford Model T and Ford Model A classic cars and hosting a free tractor pull for kids as well as putting on its tractor parade and pulls.

“We reworked the static portion of the fair book to make it a little more user friendly. We hope that the entire community really begins to embrace this, as there are a lot of classes for everyone to enter,” said Chichester.

The static contests, held in the exhibition hall, include entries for sewing, knitting, crochet, needlepoint, quilting, pottery, and more.

Parking for the event will be available in the parking lot of the Topsy Lane Wal Mart and two Jump Around Carson buses will be available to shuttle fairgoers between the fairground and parking lot.

The organizers are looking for sponsors, who will receive a variety of benefits depending on the level of sponsorship, from a full-page ad in the fair book and recognition during the grand opening to a listing on volunteer T-shirts.

The organizers are also seeking volunteers to assist during the four-day event with judging, assembling the livestock pens, and tearing it all down following the event, among other tasks.

The fair schedule and fair book for participants are available online at carsoncitynvfair.com.

For information on becoming a sponsor or a volunteer, call the UNCE office at 887-2252 or email Chichester at chichesterl@unce.unr.edu.