HSC Fair packed full of events

The 2024 Hot Springs County Wild West Fair will kick off Thursday, July 25 with the 4-H .22 rifle and pistol shooting competition at the Bob Milek Range at 5 p.m. and Friday, July 26 there will be shotgun and muzzleloader competition also at 5 p.m., same location. 

All other scheduled events will be held at the Hot Springs County Fairgrounds.

On Saturday, July 27 beginning at 8 a.m. the pee wee horse show and the 4-H & FFA youth horse show will be held.

The Thermopolis FFA Alumni is sponsoring the ranch rodeo on Saturday, July 27, with the calcutta beginning at 4 p.m. followed by the rodeo. Events include team doctoring, wild cow milking, trailer loading and more. For more information see the ad on this page. 

Sunday, July 28 at 6 p.m. the dog show will held in the grassy area next to the multi-purpose building.

On Monday, July 29 beginning at 1 p.m. at the multi-purpose building, the shooting sports competition will be held which includes archery, air rifle and air pistol.

Tuesday, July 30 from 9 a.m.-noon will be open class, 4-H and FFA building exhibits need to be entered. At 1 p.m., the sheep and goat show will be held in the multi-purpose building.

Farm Bureau Day, Wednesday, July 31, starts off with a free breakfast for fair exhibitors and parents at 6:30 a.m. The swine show will be at 8 a.m. in the multi-purpose building. The fashion revue, hosted by the Red Dirt Master Gardeners, will be at 3 p.m. in the fair building. Family fun nite will begin at 6 p.m. There will be games, inflatables, food and more.

Thursday, August 1 at 9 a.m. the cat and rabbit shows will be held. The poultry show will be at 9:30 a.m. The breeding beef show will be at 4 p.m. Also, the chili cook off, sponsored by the Thermopolis FFA Alumni, will be in the multi-purpose building at 5 p.m. followed by the market beef show at 6 p.m.

Friday, August 2 at 10 a.m. will be the 4-H and FFA round robin show in the multi-purpose building. At 1 p.m. will be the parade of champions, sponsored by the Thermopolis FFA Alumni.

Also on August 2, the Judges’ Choice Silent Bake Sale will be on display in the multi-purpose building beginning at 5 p.m., followed by the Junior Livestock Auction starting at 7 p.m.

The fair building will be open for public viewing on Tuesday, July 30 from 4-8 p.m., Wednesday, July 31 and Thursday, August 1, from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Friday, August 2 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Parent group added events

A group of 4-H and FFA parents plan to offer additional activities this year during Hot Springs County Fair. They are sponsoring a Trail Ride Scavenger Hunt that will last throughout fair, beginning Saturday, July 27 at the horse show. Participants have the chance to win $100 in cash. The first task is to get the name of a horse show and dog show exhibitor along with the name of their animal. Turn in the name to Sadie E. or Linda M. by 8 p.m. July 28 for your chance to win. The second and third tasks will be Tuesday, July 30 and Wednesday, July 31. There will be ten stuffed animals hidden around the fairgrounds. If you turn in an animal, your name will be entered in the drawing for that day. Turn them in to Sadie E. or Linda M. from 8 am.-9 p.m. The fourth and final task will be Thursday, August 1. Take a picture of an exhibitor and their animal at the cat, rabbit, poultry and beef shows. The deadline to turn in photos is 10 p.m. that day. You can turn them into Sadie E. or Linda M. or up upload the photos to the HSC 4-H facebook page to be in the drawing for the $100. The Scavenger hunt is not open to 4-H or FFA members.

On Tuesday, July 30, group is sponsoring a tug-of-war competition and a cornhole tournament. Registration forms can be picked up at the Hot Springs County Extension office. The tug-of-war competition will start at 6 p.m. in the outdoor arena. There will be four age groups of 8 and under, youth 9-13, teen 14-18 and adults 18 and over. Teams can be six members or less and cost to enter is $60. Cornhole will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the grassy area east of the multi-purpose building. Teams of 2, coed and all ages allowed, with a $20 entry fee.

The evening will also include food trucks, music, entertainment and a beer garden.

On Thursday, August 1, the group is serving up free banana splits beginning at 3 p.m. in the grassy area east of the multi-purpose building.

For more information about these events, contact the HSC Extension office at 864-3421.