Putnam County residents will have no shortage of entertainment in the coming week as the Putnam County Fair rolls into town with the promise of dancing dogs, tractor pulls and a variety of musical acts.
The fair opens in Eleanor Saturday and ends July 16 with plenty of festivities in between.
Derek Casto, president of the fair board, said the truck and tractor pull, scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, and the mud run, set for 1 p.m. July 16, are always "huge events for the fair."
A sizable crowd is also expected during Wednesday evening's sanctioned Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association event, in which minor league professional bull riders will compete, Casto said.
When it comes to music, the Putnam County Fair has an assortment of country and gospel acts lined up.
It all kicks off with William Michael Morgan, a country musician known for his song "I Met a Girl." Morgan has received accolades from Grammy-nominated producer Scott Hendricks, who called Morgan "one of the very best singers I have ever recorded." The rising country star will take the stage at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Another up-and-coming country artist, Carter Winter, will close the week, performing songs like his single "Lipstick on My Bottle." Winter will perform at 8:30 p.m. July 16.
Gospel music will be represented well at the fair, with Tuesday set as gospel night and Thursday as Southern gospel night.
Offering, a group from Winfield Baptist Church will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Blackwood Brothers Quartet, The Guardians and The Tribe of Judah will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Those looking for family fun and entertainment won't want to miss Johnny Peers & The Muttville Comix, a slapstick humor show starring a pack of performing dogs. During his shows, Peers guides his four-legged friends through obstacles and challenges them with tasks like dancing and walking tightropes.
"The neat thing about his act is that all the dogs in it are shelter dogs," Casto said. "They're all dogs that he's adopted."
Casto said Peers has been in the circus business for more than 30 years, but this is his first time at the Putnam County Fair. Peers and his dogs will perform at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. each day from Monday to July 16 and an extra show at 1 p.m. July 16.
This year, the fair will offer a mixture of classes that are free and open to all fair-goers. Classes range from STEM workshops that teach participants how to build rockets to a healthy community program about nutrition and food preparation.
Tim Sayre, family and health agent for the Putnam County West Virginia University Extension Service, said these classes and programs are part of the university's efforts "to show what WVU can provide to the communities."
"We're just really excited to get this information out and to show that West Virginian communities are moving forward and that WVU is there to help them," Sayre said.
Throughout the week, 4-H and Future Farmers of America exhibitors will show animals from horses to heifers to hogs. The livestock sales will culminate with the annual livestock auction in the show arena at 6 p.m. Friday.
The carnival opens at noon Saturday and Sunday, at 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at noon July 16.
Sponsors for the fair include local businesses such as Meadows Body Shop and Putnam County Bank. Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Buffalo is sponsoring a number of events as part of its celebration of 20 years of operation in the state, Casto said.
"They [Toyota] have always been a big supporter of the fair," he said, "but they're putting a little extra behind it this year."
For a complete schedule of times and events, visit http://putnamcountyfairwv.com/schedule-of-events
Reach Jared Casto at
jared.casto@wvgazettemail.com,
304-348-4832 or follow
@JaredCasto on Twitter.