Cattaraugus County Fair Arrives for 2023
Cattaraugus County Fair Arrives for 2023
The Cattaraugus County Fair is Back for It’s 180th Year
If you’ve never been to a pig race, you’re in for a treat! Swifty and his friends run as fast as their little legs can carry them, all for an Oreo cookie at the finish line. Photos / Cattaraugus County Fair
It’s that bittersweet time of year again. The end of summer is near and school will be back in session before we know it, but that’s no reason to slow down. There’s still plenty of time left to enjoy the warm weather and take part in some fantastic, outdoor events. Speaking of, the Cattaraugus County Fair is back for its 180th year. Running from Sunday, July 30th through Saturday, August 5th, it promises to be another fun-filled memory maker for the books!
The Cattaraugus County Fair is a hometown, family-friendly, all-around fun fair! The organizers pride themselves on staying affordable in an ever-changing world. The fair has a HUGE free grounds entertainment package that is included in the cost of admission. With three to four shows daily for the Sea Lion Splash, Swifty Swine Racing Pigs and more, there's sure to be a great show taking place during your visit. Not to mention the traditional games and awesome midway rides, and in between all of that, the fair offers a wide array of livestock, horses, rabbits, and poultry to visit as well as almost one hundred vendors - both food and non-food!
Nell Fellows, Cattaraugus County Fair Secretary, said that there would be a lot of new things for people to enjoy at this year’s fair. Two new ground shows, Xtreme Strongman and Arestov’s Acrobatic Extravaganza are sure to keep the crowd’s attention. The grandstand is adding “Half Car Races” (this means literally half a car that people will be attempting to drive) to their line-up, with the annual Figure 8 Races, demolition derby and the ever popular Monster Truck show. That’s sure to be pretty entertaining for everyone. And of course, the live grandstand concerts.
“Patrons always support our country music concerts,” Nell said “On Wednesday, Chase Matthew with special guest Kidd G will perform. On Thursday, Jake Owen with special guest Tyler Booth will perform. Track tickets (general admission - no assigned seating) and grandstand seats are still available and will be right up until showtime.”
Games and rides are being brought to the fair by Powers & Thomas Amusements. (The Midway opens daily at 1:00pm.) They offer a variety of clean, safe, family-friendly rides for all ages - toddlers to adults. Patrons are sure to find their fair favorites along the midway, including darts, ring toss, the ferris wheel, the UFO and more. Also, be on the lookout for something new, because the company always has special surprises that they bring in each year.
Don’t forget one of the most important parts of the fair… The food! There is always a great variety to be enjoyed and this year is no different. Carson’s chicken barbecue, Goode’s famous roast beef, Fowler’s taffy (they also make tasty cotton candy), and Campi pizza are always popular. And there will be a bunch of local groups as well, like Franklin’s Kettle Corn, Larry Zimbardi’s Food Wagon, 4H Snack Shack, Napoli United Methodist Church ice cream, Jim Johnson’s Concessions and the Little Valley Fire Department’s curly fries. (This is food heaven people!)
For everyone who wants the grandstand event schedule, it is as follows:
• Sunday - Broken B Rodeo (bull riding, barrel racing, featuring Dave "Showtime" Meyer)
• Monday - Demolition Derby
• Tuesday - Figure 8 and Half Car Races
• Wednesday & Thursday - Concerts (see above)
• Friday - Monster Truck show featuring Overkill Evolution, Higher Education, Taurus, War Wizard, Black Stallion and Stomper. Also a tough trucks competition.
• Saturday - Monster Truck show (afternoon; same trucks as the Friday night show); Big Rig Truck Pull (evening)
We’d be remiss if we left out the cost of admission. It is $15 for general admission for everyone ages 2 and up. (You pay one price which incudes unlimited midway rides.) Tickets for the grandstand shows are all assigned seating and are available at the Fair office and online at ETIX.com. (Etix.com is their only authorized ticket outlet.) Nell said, “Patrons have been very happy with this option because they are able to choose the section and seat they prefer. Patrons have more time to visit the midway, food stands, vendors, etc. before going up into the grandstand to a seat already reserved for them.”
Nell also wanted everyone to know why they think the fair makes families want to come back year after year. "We offer family friendly, high quality entertainment all on one beautiful, well-kept fairgrounds in the center of the county seat. As a pay-one-price fair, patrons do not have to pay extra for midway rides, which can get pretty costly if you have a large family. All included. There is a charge for a seat on the grandstand for the majority of our shows but those with small children who will be held on the lap do not have to buy the child a seat. Where else can you get this much entertainment for one price?”
That’s true. There’s a lot of entertainment included in admission. Free ground shows (3 to 4 shows daily) are as follows:
• Super Dogs
• Magic of Lance Gifford
• Sea Lion Splash
• Chainsaw Artist
• Horses, Horses, Horses
• Xtreme Strongman Show (New this year)
• Arestov’s Acrobatic Extravaganza Show (New this year)
Fair organizers would also like to remind everyone that their dairy and livestock shows (goats, sheep, swine, beef) are scheduled throughout the week and there are horse shows every day. Arts and crafts, flowers, vegetables, painting, drawing, sewing, antiques, collections and baking displays can be found in the 4H building as well as in the domestic building just off the midway. They have a record amount of vendors coming this year. Patrons will find jewelry, handmade soaps, homemade beef jerky, clothing, fudge, home products, blankets, Cutco knives, lawn and yard tractors, etc. The 4H Market animal sale will start at 1:30pm on Saturday. Just about something for everyone!
In addition, they are sponsoring a Christmas in July toy drive on the first few days of the fair (July 30th-31st). Guests are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy for donation to one of several area holiday cheer groups. They will then be entered to receive a variety of prizes offered throughout the week.
So that’s a lot of fun to still be had before summer is over. Get the family together and make sure to visit the Cattaraugus County Fair, the little fair with big value! For more details or pre-sale tickets, visit cattarauguscofair.com. The fair is sponsored by many amazing businesses such as Indigo Productions and Wright Beverage Distributing. The full sponsor list can be found on the website.
