BY DAVE CHOATE

In its 50th year, the Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair is bigger than ever.

Jolee Chase is a 4-H program associate for the county and she said the fair will be in full swing at the 4-H Youth Center in New Boston from Sept. 7 through 9. Fairgoers will have the chance to check out some of the familiar sights and sounds at the fair, including the live entertainment, giant pumpkin weigh and fireworks.

Chase said there will be a new event this year, as well. Potential riders can check out the new all-terrain vehicle class on Saturday at 4 p.m.

The fair should also satisfy anyone’s desire to see pulls, as Chase said there will be crowd favorite truck pulls, tractor pulls, horse pulls and ox pulls.

“There’s going to be lots of fun things for kids and adults, too. I’d like to remind anybody in Hillsborough County that they are welcome to bring vegetables, canned goods and sewing and knitting work to the fair.

They’ll be able to set those things up from 2 to 9 p.m. and receive ribbons for their work,” Chase said.

The culinary inclined can also participate in either the famous King Arthur Flour baking contest, the apple pie baking contest, and the new doughnut making contest, as well. Long- standing traditions such as the cowboy mounted shooters will return.

With all those events and more, it’s no wonder the 50th anniversary of the fair has taken nearly a full year to coordinate.

Chase said there are 17 fair board members and 30 superintendents in charge of departments of the fair who start scribbling plans in their notebooks as the fair is winding down.

“It takes 363 days to plan the fair, and what’s most amazing is that we have nothing but volunteers putting in the work,” she said.