Rockingham County Fair

A

Photos by Daniel Lin / DN-R

Seniors show their lambs at Monday’s market lamb show at the Rockingham County Fair. BELOW LEFT: A lamb looks out of its pen during the fair.

Sensory-friendly nights expands accessibility

By RHEAGAN NELSON Daily News-Record

The Rockingham County Fair will host a sensory-friendly “Sunshine Hour” for children and adults who become easily overstimulated but still want to enjoy the fun of carnival rides.

Rebecca Holloway, executive director of the fair, said the sensory-friendly time will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14.

“We call it the Sunshine Hour,” Holloway said. “And it’s [for] anyone with a disability that maybe doesn’t want to ride when it’s a big crowd, or when the lights or sounds are going on.”

Amy Russell Yun, an occupational therapist and professor at James Madison University, said that Sunshine Hour is “fabulous.”

“I think we’ve seen a rapid rise in the number of people being diagnosed with conditions that we could call neurodivergent,” Yun said. “With people on the autistic spectrum, we can start to think about some people with different kinds of learning-related divergency, as well as we can start to think about even some of our mental health conditions.”

Creating opportunities to normalize participation in things that other people do is just really great, according to Yun.

“There’s a lot of stimulation,” she said. “You start to think about the music, the sounds with some of the games, can be really loud. I think we don’t appreciate how busy our daily environments are, and the amount of noise and visual stimulation they provide. Just by making these small changes, it can create a more calming environment for people, and that can allow them to participate.”

Elsewhere, Kandi Lamb, a member of the Warren County Fair’s board of directors, said their fair hosted its second annual sensory night this year.

“I have worked in the Intellectual Disabilities Development Delays field for the last 20 years, and it’s near and dear to my heart,” Lamb said. “I’ve been wanting to do it for many, many years, and it just finally came into fruition last year.”

The Warren County Fair’s sensory day featured rides with their lights and

music turned off, just like the Rockingham County Fair, and also included a sensory garden where participants could touch and feel soft plants.

Deggeller Attractions provides the rides at the Rockingham County Fair, and the company also operates the Sunshine Hour for other fairs, according to Holloway.

“The Deggeller company will select the rides, and they’ll be marked with a sunshine [symbol] on them,” she said. “Not all rides will be operating, but roughly around 10 of the rides will be, and they pick them from their experience on what kids or adults with disabilities like to ride, and some of it may be which ones are easy to get on, which ones have less movement, less jarring, and so on.”

To attend, families must pre-register on the Rockingham County Fair website. Yun said the Sunshine Hour will be beneficial not only for the disabled family member but also for their whole family.

“I have some friends who have children who are now young adults, but they grew up on the autism spectrum, and the families limited what they were able to do,” Yun said. “And so, if you start to think about families who have more than one child [that are] restricted from going to events, that affects the whole family, socially and culturally.”

Lamb said that sensory nights are essential to the community.

“I love this community,” Lamb said. “I want everybody to be able to enjoy the fair.”

Prospect Power and Grid Works sponsor Sunshine Hour.

“Hopefully, it’ll allow them to enjoy the far,” Holloway said. “That’s my whole goal with this, just to include everyone. It allows them to come experience a ride, and it’s an opportunity for the parents or the families that want to come.”

Lamb said she hopes that one day every county in Virginia can have a sensory night.

“Those folks that can’t maybe come to the fair because they’ll get overstimu-

The lights and music will be turned off from the rides at the Sunshine Hour at Rockingham County Fair on Aug. 14.

lated, or for whatever reason,” she said. “So [with sensory nights,] they can feel like they get to have part of the fun too.”

“It’s not just people with neurodivergent conditions that are affected by these sensory events. It’s all of us,” Yun said. “Maybe having that understanding of other people’s perspectives, and even understanding how your own kind of brain and body [can] work a little bit better.”

Contact Rheagan Nelson at rnelson@ dnronline.com or 540-208-6258.

Courtesy of Malaina Ritchie

From humble beginnings, the county fair has soared

By LEE ZION Daily News-Record

The Rockingham County Fair has a fascinating history, dating back about 125 years. Not much is known about its beginnings, but the “First Annual County Fair at Rockingham” was held in 1891.

Dennis Cupp, the former general manager of the Rockingham County Fair, said that event offered “jousting, good music, and a Grand Balloon Ascension,” where two daredevils ascended to 8,000 feet, then parachuted back to earth in “the most daring and thrilling act ever undertaken by an aeronaut.”

Then there was the 1915 fair. The fair organization distributed advertising fliers throughout the county recognizing the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Civil War. The flier was the size of a $100 Confederate bill, and one side was a reproduction of the $100 Confederate note. The other was an ad for the 1915 Rockingham County Fair, promising “Up-to-date Exhibits, New Novelties and the Best Fair Ever,” Cupp said.

Cupp, the keeper of fair history, doesn’t have a copy of the flier, he said.

There were other fairs over the years, hosted by various organizations, 4-H and the FFA. These were at a variety of sites in Harrisonburg, Lacey Springs, and Ed’s Park at Rawley Springs. Two other locations were the Whitesel-Sit lot — now the parking deck on Water Street — and at the present location of Memorial Stadium, at South High Street, at what was once Harrisonburg High School.

The fair as we know it today had its start in 1948. The not-for-profit organization held its first fair at the Linville-Edom High School, north of Harrisonburg, from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3, 1949.

According to a write-up in the Daily News-Record, a crowd of about 3,000 people came out one of those nights, and “the grandstand and surrounding grounds were packed with humanity as Sunshine Sue and her Old Dominion Barn Dance gang gave a program the type of which has made the troupe famous throughout the east.”

There was a midway with rides “and other forms of amusement.” Of particular note was Casper Hinkle, who built Hinkle’s Mechanical City, which the Daily News-Record said “has been an outstanding attraction at fairs for several years and an unforgettable treat for every child and grown person who has had the privilege of seeing it.”

There was also a talent competition, with 11 musicians and magicians. And thousands of people viewed the agricultural exhibits.

Charles Wampler Jr. was the fair’s first president, holding that position from 1948 to 1973, Cupp said. Wampler noted that this was the first year the fair was held since it was discontinued during World War II, the Daily News-Record reported.

ABOVE:

John Jarrels shows the grand champion heifer at the first Rockingham County Fair in Linville in 1949.

LEFT: The Rockingham County Fair was previously held at a venue on Kratzer Road. This picture is from the 1970s, before the fair changed locations.

Contributed photos

Established and up-and-coming musicians will perform

By LORI D’ANGELO Daily News-Record

The Rockingham County Fair’s musical lineup this year will feature both old favorites and new faces.

One of the performers who will be known to some residents is Jimmy Fortune. Fortune, who grew up in Nelson County, performed for 21 years with The Statler Brothers, a well-known country and Gospel group from Staunton that was formed in 1955. From 1964 to 1972, the band served as both the opening act and backup singers for Johnny Cash.

Fortune, 70, joined the band in 1982. Initially, he was intended to be a temporary replacement for Lew DeWitt, who had left the band due to health issues. However, by August 1982, Fortune had become a permanent addition to the band, which is now a member of both the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

When the musical group retired in 2002, Fortune wasn’t yet ready to call it quits, so he moved to Nashville in 2004 to begin his next act as a solo performer.

“When the Statler Brothers retired, I wanted to continue with songs about our faith and our family and our country, so that’s why I put a little bit of everything into my shows,” he said.

Fortune, who will be performing at this year’s fair both with the band Brothers of the Heart and as a solo performer, said, “We’ve been there many times before.”

Fortune said that when he plays with Brothers of the Heart, they will perform songs from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

“We try to pick up some of the biggest songs of those eras, and we try to bring them to life again as far as putting a little different freshness on them, but also paying respect to the songs,” he said. “We never want to try to change it so much that you can’t tell what it is. When people hear those songs, it takes them back to a time, and it just kind of lights a flame inside of them like ‘Hey, man, I remember the first time I heard it, and now I’m hearing it again all a little bit different for the first time in a long time.”

Fortune, who grew up playing in churches, said that Gospel music was his first love.

“That was kind of where I got my start,” he said. “Then I heard country

“We try to pick up some of the biggest songs of those eras (the 1950s through the 1970s), and we try to bring them to life again as far as putting a little different freshness on them, but also paying respect to the songs.

n Singer Jimmy Fortune

music for the first time when my dad bought a car.”

Fortune said he didn’t have a radio, a record player, or a TV in his house until he was about 6 years old, but when his Dad purchased a car, it had a radio.

“He turned the radio on, and I heard country music for the first time, and I fell in love with it,” Fortune said.

Fortune, who grew up in a large family, said he ended up listening to a wide range of music.

“I’ve always thought it was important to not just pigeonhole myself in one genre of music,” he said. “I just love mu-

sic period, and I just feel like there’s been so much great music throughout the years that I have enjoyed, and so we try to put it in our shows, and I think it brings a lot of variety into our shows.”

While Fortune’s solo show includes a lot of music that he’s written, such as “Elizabeth,” “Too Much on My Heart,” and “More Than a Name on the Wall,” Brothers of the Heart often covers the songs of other artists such as Johnny Nash, The Eagles, Hank Williams, and The Temptations.

Brothers of the Heart is a quartet made up of Fortune, Bradley Walker,

Mike Rogers, and Ben Isaacs.

Fortune said that one thing that makes a Brothers of the Heart show special is that “it’s four different personalities out front that you’re hearing come together and in harmony,” he said.

Fortune has had many interesting experiences over the years, and he has recently written about them in a new book called “Stories of an American Dreamer.” Fortune will be selling copies of that book at the fair.

He said the book talks about “coming from Nelson County, simple background, simple life, and then all of a sudden finding myself up there traveling the world and singing for presidents and things like that.”

Fortune said that he sang for presidents such as President Reagan and President George H. W. Bush, as well as actors and actresses like Elizabeth Taylor.

He also got to meet some of his heroes, such as Gene Autry and Jimmy

See MUSIC , Page A8

Kris R. Orlowski

Jimmy Fortune returns to the Rockingham County Fair this year.

Stewart.

“Just about everybody who was in Hollywood in the 80s and 90s, I met and spent some time with,” he said.

He said that he also met many of the country music artists who are established now, such as Garth Brooks, Reba McIntyre, Vince Gill, and Ricky Skaggs, when they opened for the Statler Brothers.

Fortune has also released a new CD called “Songs of an American Dreamer,” which includes a DVD. The album, which was released on June 27, features many of the songs that Fortune has sung over the years.

Although Fortune no longer lives in Harrisonburg, he’s excited to return.

“I do miss these mountains,” he said. “I spent a lot of time in Harrisonburg through the years, playing all of Virginia quite a bit, playing music everywhere.”

Fortune said he has “a lot of great memories of Virginia and being in that area.”

He also said he enjoys performing at the fair.

“It’s always a great time to come up there, and it’s a great fair, and it’s an honor to get to play it and to get to be back with the home folks again,” he said.

Fortune will perform at the Rockingham County Fair at 6 p.m. on Aug. 10. The performance will also feature The Isaac Brothers and Brothers of the Heart, of which Fortune is a part.

While Jimmy Fortune is one of the established artists at the fair, the event will also feature some up-and-coming acts.

Several factors contribute to choosing performers for the fair, said Melissa Stum, the fair’s events coordinator.

“We look for new up-and-coming acts,” Stum said. “We look for acts that are within our price budget. We try to get acts that appeal to all ages and cover all those areas.”

One of the up-and-coming performers who will be featured at the fair this year is Drew Baldridge, 33, who will perform at the fair at 7 p.m. Aug. 11 with George Birge.

Baldridge, who grew up in the small town of Patoka, Illinois, moved to Nashville at 19 to pursue a career as a country singer.

He said that his background has had a strong influence on his music.

“You know, I grew up in a town of 500 people, a farm community,” he

Though that record did well enough for him to make another, when his record company closed and COVID hit, he had to take a less traditional path.

“I lost a record deal back in 2019 and had to play people’s backyards and start my own record company in 2023 to continue my career,” Baldridge said. It was through Baldridge’s label, Lyric Ridge Records, that Baldridge released his second album, “Country Born.”

“I had to work through a lot of tough times in the music industry to get to where I am today,” Baldridge said.

Those times inspired the song “Tough People.” Baldridge said that the song’s message, “hard work pays off, good beats evil, tough times make tough people,” has become a kind of motto for him. Others have also identified with the song, and it will be featured in commercials for St. Jude.

This summer, Baldridge will be playing at county fairs and touring with Bailey Zimmerman. On June 25, he released a new single, “Get Me Gone,” featuring Emily Ann Roberts, which will be part of a new album expected to be released next year.

Roberts, a finalist on season 9 of the reality show “The Voice,” has toured with Blake Shelton.

Baldridge is now working with BBR Music Group to put out that album. This concert will be Baldridge’s first one in Harrisonburg, and he said he is excited about it.

said. “My grandpa was a farmer, and I grew up out in the middle of nowhere. I learned to drive on a tractor. I still go back to that every time I sit down to write songs.”

He said he returns to his memories of being on a farm, hunting, fishing, and riding dirt roads when he writes.

When he can, Baldridge tries to return home to visit his friends and family, including his brother, who still works on the farm.

However, now that Baldridge and his wife have a two-year-old son, he said traveling is a little more complicated than it used to be.

Baldridge said that when he was growing up, Josh Turner had a significant influence on him.

“Like ‘Long Black Train,’ they played on both the radio, country radio, and you could sing him in church,” he said.

Other musicians he admires are

Brooks & Dunn and Chris Young. He said that while Chris Young has had a significant influence on him vocally, the songwriter Tim Nichols, who has written songs for artists like Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Alan Jackson, has had a significant influence on him as a songwriter.

Many people know of Baldridge because of his song, “She’s Somebody’s Daughter,” which went viral and became the first self-released debut single to reach number one on the country charts.

“That’s a song that I wrote 100% after meeting my [then] girlfriend’s dad for the first time,” Baldridge said. “You know that girlfriend became my wife, and we’ve been married for 4 years now.”

Although Baldridge’s career started promisingly with his first record deal for “Dirt on Us” in 2016, it was derailed by unexpected circumstances.

“I love fairs,” he said. “You know, growing up in a small town, we always looked forward to the county fair. That was the big thing our county put on. The last time I played at a county fair, my little boy was at it. We got to walk out and ride the rides, eat some carnival food, maybe get a Lemon Shake-up. I’m looking forward to that.”

On Aug. 12 at 7 p.m., the group Ole 60 will play at the fair. Stum describes the band as “a different kind of country music, maybe new country.”

Tickets for the fair’s concerts can be purchased on the Rockingham County Fair website at rockinghamcountyfair. com or at the fair office, which is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“Ticket sales for all three nights of concerts are really, really good,” Stum said. “Everybody seems to like these groups.”

Contact Lori D’Angelo at ldangelo@ dnronline.com or 540-208-2623.

Jimmy Fortune, who was born and raised in Nelson County, performed with the Statler Brothers of Staunton for 21 years.

Visitors to the 2024 Rockingham County Fair walk through the midway.

2025 ROCKINGHAM COUNTY FAIR SCHEDULE

Monday | Aug. 11

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Horticulture, Flowers and Farm Crops Hours

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Poultry & Rabbits Building Poultry Industries Museum Hours

• 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Petting Zoo Hours

• Noon — Fair officially opens

• Noon to 10 p.m. — Ag Mechanics & Woodworking Hours

• Noon to 10 p.m. — Farm Heritage Museum Hours

• 1 p.m. — Poultry Showmanship

• 1 p.m. — Market Lamb Show (Ring B)

• 1 to 10 p.m. — Exhibit Halls Hours

• 4 p.m. — Antique Tractor Parade

• 4 to 8 p.m. — Demo: Homemaking Department (Exhibit Hall)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Coyote Clem (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Washboard Willie (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Bobby Morris & Grampy’s Petting Zoo (Roving)

• 4:30 p.m. — G&M Hoop/Highway Stage, Billy Lindsey as Elvis

• 4:30 to 9 p.m. — Ag-tivity Zone

• 5 p.m. — Rides 0pen

• 5 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 5 to 6 p.m. — Dairy Milking in the Valley Urgent Care Barn

• 5 to 8 p.m. — Construction Trades Skill Competition (Carpentry)

• 5:30 p.m. — Disc Connect K-9

• 5:30 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph Motorcycles of Harrisonburg Talent Pavilion: Willie and Company

• 6 p.m. — G&M Hoop/Highway Stage, Billy Lindsey as Elvis

• 6 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 6 to 9 p.m. — Mountain Heritage Cloggers (Roving)

• 6:15 p.m. — Pepsi Grandstand: Drew Baldridge and George Birge with Spencer Hatcher

• 6:30 p.m. — Harrisonburg Honda/ Hyundai Tent (Standing room only)

• 7 p.m. — Harrisonburg Ford Arena (Go Kart Racing)

• 7 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 7:30 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph Motorcycles of Harrisonburg Talent Pavilion: Willie and Company

• 7:30 p.m. — Disc Connect K-9

• 7:30 p.m. — Southland Dairy Milking Demonstration

• 8 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 8:15 p.m. — Harrisonburg Honda/ Hyundai Tent (Standing room only)

Tuesday | Aug. 12

• 8 a.m. — Dairy Show (Ring A)

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Horticulture, Flowers and Farm Crops Hours

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Poultry & Rabbits Building Poultry Industries Museum

• 10 a.m. — 4-H/FFA Market Goat Show (Ring B)

• 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Petting Zoo Hours

• Noon to 10 p.m. — Farm Heritage Museum Hours

• Noon to 10 p.m. — Ag Mechanics & Woodworking Hours

• 1 p.m. — Demo: Homemaking Department (Exhibit Hall)

• 1 to 10 p.m. — Exhibit Hall Hours

• 3 p.m. — Dairy Feeder Steer Show (Ring A)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Bobby Morris & Grampy’s Petting Zoo (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Coyote Clem (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Washboard Willie (Rov-

ing)

• 4:30 p.m. — G&M Hoop/Highway Stage: Billy Lindsay as Elvis

• 4:30 to 9 p.m. — Ag-tivity Zone

• 5 p.m. — Rides Open

• 5 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 5 to 6 p.m. — Dairy Milking in the Valley Urgent Care Barn

• 5 to 8 p.m. — Construction Trades Skill Competition (Electrical)

• 5:30 p.m. — Disc Connect K-9

• 5:30 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph Motorcycles of Hburg Talent Pavilion: Willie and Company

• 5:30 p.m. — Harrisonburg Ford Arena: Skid steer Rodeo

• 6 p.m. — G&M Hoop/Highway Stage: Billy Lindsey

• 6 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 6 to 9 p.m. — Mountain Heritage Cloggers (Roving)

• 6:30 p.m. — Harrisonburg Honda/ Hyundai Tent: Spencer Hatcher & The Ol Son Gang

• 6:30 p.m. — Southland Dairy Milking Demonstration

See SCHEDULE, Page A12

dscott@fmbankva.com

owightman@fmbankva.com

• 7 p.m. — Pepsi Grandstand: Ole 60 with Special Guest

• 7 p.m. — G&M/Helmuth Stage: Junior Rabbit Showmanship

• 7 p.m. — Shepards Lead line and Costume Contest: Farm Credit Showring B

• 7 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 7:30 p.m. — Disc Connect K-9

• 7:30 p.m. — Southland Dairy Milking Demonstration

• 7:30 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph Motorcycles of Hburg Talent Pavilion: Willie and Company

• 8 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 8:15 p.m. — Harrisonburg Honda/Hyundai Tent: Spencer Hatcher & The Ol Son Gang

Wednesday | Aug. 13

• 9 a.m. — Market Steer Show (Ring A)

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Poultry & Rabbits Building Poultry Industries Museum Hours

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Horticulture, Flowers and Farm Crops Hours

• 10 a.m. — Breeding Sheep Show (Ring B)

• 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Petting Zoo Hours

• Noon to 10 p.m. — Farm Heritage Museum Hours

• Noon to 10 p.m. — Ag Mechanics & Woodworking Hours

• 1 to 10 p.m. — Exhibit Hall Hours

• 2 p.m. — Demo: Homemaking Department (Exhibit Hall)

• 4 p.m. — Demo: Homemaking Department (Exhibit Hall)

• 4 p.m. — Rides Open

• 4 p.m. — Antique Tractor Parade

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Bobby Morris & Grampy’s Petting Zoo (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Coyote Clem (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Washboard Willie (Roving)

• 4 to 7 p.m. — Harrisonburg Ford Arena: Touch a Tractor

• 4:30 p.m. — G&M Hoop/Highway Motors Stage: Billy Lindsey as Elvis

• 4:30 to 9 p.m. — Ag-tivity Zone

• 5 p.m. — Market Hog Show (Ring A)

• 5 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 5 to 6 p.m. — Dairy Milking in the Valley Urgent Care Barn

• 5 to 8 p.m. — Construction Trades Skill Competition (HVAC)

• 5 to 9 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 5:30 p.m. — Disc Connect K-9s

• 5:30 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph Motorcycles of Hburg Talent Pavilion: Willie and Company

• 6 p.m. — Demo: Homemaking Department (Exhibit Hall)

• 6 p.m. — G&M Hoop/Highway Stage — Billy Lindsey

• 6 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 6 p.m. — Harrisonburg Ford Arena: Touch a Tractor

• 6 to 9 p.m. — Twirling Medallions (Roving)

• 6:30 p.m. — Harrisonburg Honda/Hyundai Tent: Jack & Davis Reid

• 6:30 p.m. — Southland Dairy Milking Demonstra-

tion

• 7 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 7 p.m. — Pepsi Grandstand: Dragon Motorsports Tractor & Truck Pull

• 7:30 p.m. — Disc Connect K-9

• 7:30 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph Motorcycles of Hburg Talent Pavilion: Willie and Company

• 7:30 p.m. — Southland Dairy Milking Demonstration

• 8 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 8:15 p.m. — Harrisonburg Honda/Hyundai Tent: Jack & Davis Reid

Thursday | Aug. 14

• 9 a.m. — Open Beef Show (Ring A)

• 9 a.m. — Sunshine & Seniors Day

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Horticulture, Flowers and Farm Crops Hours

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Poultry & Rabbits Building Poultry Industries Museum Hours

• 9:30 to 11 a.m. — G&M Hoop/Highway Stage: Washboard Willie, Billy Lindsey as Elvis

• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Sensory Friendly Day

• 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Petting Zoo Hours

• 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Farm Heritage Museum Hours

• 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Ag Mechanics & Woodworking Hours

• 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Exhibit Hall Hours

• 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Open Goat show — Ring B

• 11:15 a.m. to noon — Disc Connect K-9

• 12:15 to 1 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph motorcycles Harrisonburg Talent Pavilion: William and Company

• 1 p.m. — Rides open for Senior Participants Only

• 1:30 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 2 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 2:30 p.m. — Southland Dairy Milking Demo

• 3 p.m. — Harrisonburg Ford Arena: Antique Tractor Pull

• 4 to 8 p .m. — Demo: Homemaking Department (Exhibit Hall)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Bobby Morris & Grampy’s Petting

Matt Morris, of Penn Laird, left, cuts off John Grogg, of Singers Glen during a demolition derby at 2023 Rockingham County Fair.

Zoo (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Washboard Willie (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Coyote Clem (Roving)

• 4:30 p.m. — G & M Hoop Barn Highway Motors Stage: Billy Lindsay as Elvis

• 4:30 to 9 p.m. — Ag-tivity Zone

• 5 p.m. — Rides Open

• 5 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 5 to 6 p.m. — Dairy Milking Valley Urgent Care Barn

• 5 to 8 p.m. — Construction Trades Skill Competition (Masonry)

• 5 to 9 p.m. — Washboard Willie (Roving)

• 5 to 9 p.m. — Coyote Clem (Roving)

• 5:30 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph motorcycles Harrisonburg Talent Pavilion: William and Company

• 5:30 p.m. — Disk Connect K-9

• 6 p.m. — Sunshine Goat Class (Ring B)

• 6 p.m. — Master Showmanship (Ring A)

• 6 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 6 p.m. — G&M Hoop/Highway Stage: Billy Lindsey as Elvis

• 6:30 p.m. — Dairy Pee Wee Show (Ring B)

• 6:30 p.m. — Harrisonburg Honda/Hyundai Tent: James Tamelcoff

• 7 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 7 p.m. — Pepsi Grandstand: Rodeo

• 7:30 p.m. — Disc Connect K-9’s

• 7:30 p.m. — Southland Dairy Milking Demo in Educational Area

• 7:30 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph Motorcycles of Hburg Talent Pavilion: Willie and Company

• 8 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 8:15 p.m. — Harrisonburg Honda/Hyundai Tent: James Tamelcoff

Friday | Aug. 15

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Horticulture, Flowers, and Farm Crops Hours

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Poultry & Rabbits Building Poultry Industries Museum Hours

• 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Petting Zoo Hours

• 11 a.m. — 4-H & FFA Market Animal Sale (Steers, Lambs, Dairy Steers, Goats, Hogs)

• Noon to 10 p.m. — Farm Heritage Museum Hours

• Noon to 10 p.m. — Ag Mechanics & Woodworking Hours

• 1 to 10 p.m. — Exhibit Hall Hours: Commercial Exhibits, Homemaking, Art & Photography

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Bobby Morris & Grampy’s Petting Zoo (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Coyote Clem (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Washboard Willie (Roving)

• 4:30 p.m. — G&M Hoop Barn/Highway Motors Stage: Billy Lindsey as Elvis

• 4:30 to 9 p.m. — Ag-tivity Zone

• 5 p.m. — Rides Open

• 5 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 5 to 6 p.m. — Dairy Milking Valley Urgent Care Building

• 5:30 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph Motorcycles of Hburg Talent Pavilion: Willie and Company

• 5:30 p.m. — Disc Connect K-9’s

• 6 p.m. — G&M Hoop Barn/Highway Stage: Billy Lindsay

• 6 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 6:30 p.m. — Harrisonburg Honda/Hyundai Tent: Dry River Band

• 6:30 p.m. — Demo: Homemaking Department (Exhibit Hall)

• 6:30 p.m. — Southland Dairy Milking Demo in Ed-

History FROM PAGE A4

According to a story told by Wampler, the commercial exhibit chairman had the commercial exhibit booth partitions nailed to the Linville-Edom gym floor — to the horror of the school principal, Paul G. Kline.

That first fair made a profit of about $130 — about $1,800 today — and, as reported in the Daily News-Record, 5,000 people attended.

“They were very proud that they made money,” Cupp said.

Cupp didn’t know if the repairs to the gym floor ate into the fair’s profit.

“Charlie Wampler could have paid it himself, and it could have been there was no fee. I assume the latter,” Cupp said. “There were holes in the floor, I’m sure.”

In 1950 and 1951, the Rockingham County Fair was four days long. Then it grew to five days from 1952 to 1963. Since 1964, the fair has run for six days. The fair is held in August each year.

In 1953, the Fair Association purchased 22 acres of land from Sam Geil on Kratzer Road. In 1967, Geil sold

ucational Area

• 7 p.m. — Harrisonburg Ford Arena: SVTPA Garden Tractor Pull

• 7 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 7:30 p.m. — Disc Connect K-9’s

• 7:30 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph Motorcycles of Hburg Talent Pavilion: Willie and Company

• 7:30 p.m. — Southland Dairy Milking Demo in Educational Area

• 8 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 8 p.m. — Pepsi Grandstand: Demolition Derby

• 8:15 p.m. — Harrisonburg Honda/Hyundai Tent: Dry River Band

Saturday | Aug. 16

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Horticulture, Flowers and Farm Crops Hours

• 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Poultry & Rabbits Building Poultry Industries Museum Hours

• 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. — Petting Zoo Hours

• Noon to 10 p.m. — Ag Mechanics & Woodworking Hours

• Noon to 10 p.m. — Farm Heritage Museum Hours

• 1 p.m. — Rides Open

• 1 to 10 p.m. — Commercial Exhibits, Homemaking, Art & Photography Hours (Exhibit Hall)

• 2:15 p.m. — Disc Connected K-9’s

• 3 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 3 p.m. — Pepsi Grandstand: Farm Tractor Pull

• 3:15 p.m. — Wonderland Circus

• 4 p.m. — Southland Dairy Milking Demo in Educational Area

the association the remainder of his farm, for a total of 140 acres. In 1979 that property was sold to R. R. Donnelley for $1.5 million, and 111 acres were purchased from Hazel Wenger and Dennis Early.

The new property is a half-mile south of Harrisonburg, and several buildings were moved from the existing fairgrounds, while new ones were built.

In 1980, the first fair was conducted at the new site, which included a 21,000-square-foot exhibit hall; a barn complex with more than 80,000 square feet providing space for hundreds of hogs, sheep, goats, beef and dairy cattle; a farm museum; a building for horticulture, flowers and farm crop displays; and numerous food concession buildings operated by local civic organizations.

A 3,200-square-foot Virginia Poultry Industry Center including a museum and animal display facility have been added to the assets of the property.

In 2024, the fair had 86,000 people and brought in $300,000 profit.

Contact Lee Zion at lzion@dnronline. com or 540-208-3174.

• 4 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph Motorcycles of H’burg Talent Pavilion: Willie and Company

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Bobby Morris & Grampy’s Petting Zoo (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Coyote Clem (Roving)

• 4 to 9 p.m. — Washboard Willie (Roving)

• 4:30 p.m. — G&M Hoop/Highway Motor Stage: Billy Lindsay as Elvis

• 5 p.m. — The Amazing Bubble Factory

• 5 p.m. — Pedal Tractor Pull-Farm Credit Show Ring

• 5:30 p.m. — Swartz Auto Sales/Triumph Motorcycles of Hburg Talent Pavilion: Willie & Company

• 5:30 p.m. — Disc Connect K-9’s