Hickory American Legion Fair returns Wednesday

Aug. 26—Fun, games, rides and plenty of fair foods will return when the Hickory American Legion Fair opens Wednesday.

The 110th fair lasts through Labor Day, Sept. 4, near U.S. 70 at the American Legion Fairgrounds, located at 1 American Legion Ave., in Newton.

Plenty of work has gone into preparing for the fair opening that offers something for the entire family.

The 10 members of the event's organizing board have worked most weekdays and weekends for months to prepare the fairgrounds opening day.

"You don't start the week before the fair," said Gary Price, the fair board's president and a longtime member of American Legion Post 48. "A lot of them come over here when I'm not even here."

Butch McIntyre, a fair board member and a Legionnaire, is one of the 10 who worked to prepare this year.

McIntyre, a member of the Foothills Antique Power Association who attends its tractor shows, said that holds a place in his heart.

"I get more satisfaction out of the fair and watching the kids ... than I do out of the tractor club," he said on a recent Saturday while taking a break from working on the grounds.

Price agreed.

"It's a lot of work, but when you sit on this bench and see the kids come through, it's all worthwhile," Price said.

The fair is promised to deliver, with its midway lined with rides, operated by the James H. Drew Exhibition of Augusta, Georgia.

More than two dozen rides are planned, with new additions expected this year.

"There (will) probably be in the neighborhood of 25 to 30," Price said. "He mixes them up every year, so he doesn't bring the same rides every year."

Children's rides, such as a train running on a circular track, a swaying pirate ship or revolving airplanes, prove popular, but a longtime staple remains a highlight for children.

"A lot of kids like the merry-go-round," Price said.

Displays at the Craft Barn also are a draw, offering entrants the chance to vie for coveted blue first-place ribbons.

Eight categories of items can be entered that include fruits and vegetables; canned foods; culinary arts, which includes breads and desserts; flowers; homemade clothing; house furnishings, which range from antiques to homemade quilts to monogramming to crochet works; amateur arts and crafts; and field crops.

The arts and crafts, culinary arts, flower, and field crop contests each offer two divisions, one for children through age 15 and the other for adults and children ages 16 and 17.

Nearby will be a sawmill that uses antique equipment to cut tree trunks into usable boards, and near it, youngsters will show their prize hogs, cows, goats, chickens and lambs in the Livestock Barn.

The Exhibition Hall will feature displays by local businesses and groups. One of the highlights will be the Veterans Wall sponsored by Post 48.

Wide, tall display boards placed along two walls feature hundreds of 8-inch-by-10-inch photos of veterans from all services. Fair guests can submit an entry by mailing a photo of a veteran with his or her name, rank, service dates and branch of service to: American Legion Post 48; P.O. Box 505; Hickory, N.C., 28603.

The fair will also have live entertainment. Cycle Circus Live leads this year's program, offering "the largest FMX freestyle (motocross) entertainment show of its kind in the world today," according to the fair guide.

"You will be blown away by the combination of high-tech pyrotechnics, music and lighting," the book says. "You will be left sitting on the edge of your seat in disbelief at what you are witnessing."

Other entertainers include performer John Norris, Lew-E's Comedy Circus and, on Labor Day, The Little Roy and Lizzie Show.

The fair ends with a bang most nights, with fireworks shows set for Aug. 31 through Sept. 3.

The fair guidebook also emphasizes that the fair is a family-friendly and safe event. Law-enforcement officers and paramedics patrol the fairgrounds, and liquor, drugs and firearms are prohibited. Vehicles cannot be parked within the fairground fence.

Tickets, Entry

Gates open at 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and at 2 p.m. on Sept. 2 through Sept. 4, Price said.

Admission is $5 for everyone on opening day and for seniors ages 55 and older and military veterans on Sept. 1. On other days, admission is $10 for adults and children ages 13 to 17; $5 for children ages 7 to 12; and free through age 6.

Rides are priced separately, and each requires several tickets. Single tickets are $1.25. An unlimited ride package is available for $20 from 5 p.m. to close on Wednesday and Thursday; $25 from 5 p.m. to close on Friday; and $30 on Sept. 2 through Sept. 4.

Discounts also are available for large ticket purchases. They are: 120 tickets for $100, a $50 savings; 55 tickets for $50, an $18.75 savings; and 21 tickets for $20, a $6.25 savings.

More than a fairgrounds

When the fair closes and the rides are gone, the site is anything but empty and quiet for the rest of the year.

Local churches gave away backpacks filled with school supplies to students on Saturday, Aug. 18, Price said. After a storm whipped across Catawba County earlier in the month, Duke Energy trucks staged at the fairgrounds awaiting repair assignments.

Hinkel-Alley Field, a meticulously maintained diamond at the rear of the fairgrounds, hosts Post 48 and Catawba Valley Community College's home baseball games and high school Easter and post-season tournaments. Catawba County held a hazardous waste collection day there earlier in the year.

All these uses are allowed for free as community services, Price said.

Then, there is the ever-ongoing work at the site. Alongside Price and McIntyre, other fair board members include Dexter Sprouse, Zane Stilwell, Allen Caldwell, John Hardin, Gary LaFone, Danny Brittain, Dennis Huffman and Wilson Sigmon.

Their efforts include mowing the grounds, painting buildings, patching and striping pavement, and doing electrical and plumbing work in the weeks running up to the fair.

"You've constantly got maintenance going on," Price said.