By Julie Johansen
The 2023 Emery County Fair, “A Reunion for the Ages,” began on Tuesday, July 25 by accepting exhibits and offering free swim at the aquatic center, where diving prizes were awarded. On Wednesday, perishable exhibits, flowers, baked goods and fresh produce were brought to the recreation center to also be displayed.
On Thursday, animal exhibits arrived at the Blue Sage Indoor Arena and were on display for the rest of the week. A free senior citizens lunch followed by bingo was hosted by the county under the pavilion. At this same time, a car show could be viewed at the skate park and all exhibits were open for public viewing.
Thursday was also Frontier Days, designed by the Emery County Archives Department. That evening, a special film screening of the Castle Valley Pageant was shown at the Emery High auditorium. This 2008 professional recording of the pageant was on the big screen for the viewing. At this event, the annual Historical Preservation award was presented to Kathryn Seeley for her contributions to history books of the pageant and Emery County.
Friday’s activities began at Cheddar Field with a home run derby contest. A baby/toddler contest took place at the pavilion along with a pet show. At noon, Emery County’s Got Talent featured talent from all ages, who were awarded Fair Bucks to be spent at the various vendors in the park.
Hypno Hick and the Maddie Wilson Band finished the afternoon at the park. The biggest hit with the most attendees was the Cowboy’s Memorial Rodeo. Following the rodeo, Teen Night at Armory featured laser tag, music, an outdoor movie and yard games.
A pickleball tournament and 5K run began early on Saturday morning. The parade down Castle Dale’s Main Street had an added attraction this year. Blue and Gold Riding Club alumni, both junior and senior members, were invited to be part of both the parade and the grand entry at the rodeo. Almost 75 members were either on horseback or the float for the clubs.
The grand marshals of the parade were the four living past mayors and present mayor of Castle Dale and their wives. This included Bill and May Jorgensen, Roger and Mary Lou Warner, Neal and Gwen Peacock, and current mayor Danny van Wagoner and wife Kate.
The rest of the day was spent at the fairgrounds park and pavilion with pie and doughnut eating contests, a horseshoe tournament, the Voice of Emery singing contest, and Hypno Hick. $1,000 Bingo, sponsored by Emery Telcom, took place at 4 p.m. for those ages 10 and up, wrapping up the activities before the second night of the Cowboy’s Memorial Rodeo. The crowd was so large that seating became unavailable. The Kelsey Hart concert and fireworks concluded fair week.
