Thousands Attend First Day of El Paso County Fair

CALHAN, Colo. (KRDO) - Saturday was the first day of The El Paso County fair and thousands flocked to the event.

Fair organizers told KRDO they're expecting a larger turnout this year because they have expanded hours and added more events like races, laser shows and live music.

The fair will be open from 10 am to 11 pm on weekends and 11 am to 11 pm on weekdays.

"We really aligned our hours to make sure that things were open all day and it wasn't such a staggered experience," Fair organizer Alashanda Aljets said. "Especially on weeknights [so] that people can come out after work."

The fair features free entertainment like an acrobatics group, a kid's zone and livestock showing. The fair tries to combine the original spirit of celebrating and honoring agriculture, while providing a once-a-year summer experience.

"It's really bringing two things together - the agricultural tradition and history and the programs and the animals ... and then bringing in those new entertainments and those old fan favorites .. making it [an] experience our entire county [can] come out and celebrate."

The fair is independently funded. Last year, they made over $300,000 in revenue and $25,000 in attendance. None of the cost of the event comes from county or state taxes.

This year, attendees can buy a ticket online to save time getting in.