118th El Paso County Fair begins Saturday in Calhan
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- "A Summer to Remember" is the theme of the upcoming county fair, starting Saturday and continuing through next weekend at the county fairgrounds.
Along with the traditional agricultural and livestock exhibits which have been the backbone of the fair since 1905, visitors can choose from other entertainment such as a laser light show, a live butterfly exhibit, a bubble show and a performance by an African-themed acrobatics and dance team team.
The butterfly exhibit is from Florida and is called The Butterfly Encounter; it fits with the fair's agricultural focus by showing people how butterflies pollinate to benefit flowers and crops.
"We do a release of 200 Monarch butterflies at the end of the event, so they'll help pollinate out here, as well," said guide David Tominus. "Yep, it's a beautiful thing."
As usual, carnival rides will be available at the fair; organizers said that this is the second straight year a California amusement company has provided them.
'It's getting harder to find carnivals because 60% of them went out of business during the pandemic," said fair supervisor Andschana Aljets. "We were lucky to get this one."
Live music, a rodeo, a car show, the always-popular demolition derby, and a variety of food and product vendors will be on hand at the fair.
Aljets said that she expects attendance this year to reach the average number of 25,000.
This year's fair is special for Aneka Normandie, the fair queen who will soon begin studying communications at Colorado State University.
"I grew up in Peyton and have been in 4H every year since I was eight years old," she said. "I looked up to the queen, and kind of wanted to be that for the other kids. So, that was really a big goal and a big dream of mine."
The fair also will offer days with special discounts and free admission for certain groups; for more information, visit: https://www.elpasocountyfair.com/.
