The fair will be held daily from Sept. 23 through Oct. 1 at Kay Rodgers Park in Fort Smith.

Fairgoers will be able to take in a variety of activities such as live music, motocross, bull riding, monster trucks, magic shows, livestock competitions, a youth talent competition and the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair Pageant, according to the fair website.

There will also be games, traditional fair food and educational and creative arts exhibits. And, of course, rides provided by the Mighty Thomas Carnival.

Kelly Clark, chairman of the fair, says he doesn’t believe the covid-19 pandemic will impact the number of people who will attend the nine-day event. The 2020 fair was canceled after the pandemic hit the country that year, although the event was revived for 2021.

Clark says the Arkansas-Oklahoma Regional Education and Promotion Association, the nonprofit organization sponsoring the fair, held two events — the Old Fort Days Rodeo and Old Fort Days Futurity — at Kay Rodgers Park earlier this year that both had “outstanding attendance.” Clark expects the fair will have the same outcome.

Clark says he fully expects this year’s event to outperform the fair that was held before the pandemic in 2019. It may rival 2021’s attendance numbers given its lineup of entertainment, he says.

“Last year was incredible,” Clark says. “It was kind of that first entry to get back out after folks had been cooped up, so we had an outstanding year last year.”

Chad Jones, president and creative director of Rightmind Advertising and the fair’s advertising chairman, says 125,000 to 130,000 people attended the 2021 Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair over nine days. The event had an average attendance of about 100,000 per year before the pandemic.

Denny Flynn, executive director of Kay Rodgers Park, likewise says he thinks more people will come out for the fair this year due to the general public being better educated on how to take care of themselves during the ongoing pandemic, as well as receiving covid-19 vaccinations and booster shots.

The fair will still have covid-19 protocols, according to the event’s website. People are encouraged, but not required, to wear face masks, as well as practice social distancing where available. Hand sanitizing stations also will be offered throughout the park, touch points will be regularly disinfected, ticket stations will be spaced out, and more than 98% of the carnival staff will be fully vaccinated.

This year’s fair will also feature more nights of booked entertainment than previous ones, according to Clark. He says he tried to “get outside the box” when looking for entertainment to give the event a broader appeal, drawing inspiration from other, larger fairs. This can be seen in the inclusion of motocross and monster trucks, among other features.

“There’s just a whole host of things that goes along with that for kids and adults alike to interact with those much, much better than some of the traditional bands and stuff that we’ve had,” Clark says.

Clark says the proceeds from the fair go back to the Arkansas-Oklahoma Regional Education and Promotion Association to ensure the event remains self-sustaining, although the association does make money.

Clark says the fair’s livestock exhibits give children a platform to showcase their skills and hard work.

“I love the fact that it’s Arkansas-Oklahoma,” Clark says. “We have as many kids coming in from Oklahoma and showing, probably, as we do Arkansas, so it’s just a good, bi-state collaboration to where all of our kids get to showcase their efforts for the year.”

Steve Weaver, the fair’s livestock chairman, says its livestock competitions will have slightly fewer entries this year compared to last year, although he couldn’t provide a specific number. Weaver attributes this to the pandemic, with the fair usually having between 1,500 and 1,800 entries total.

“I’m proud that we’ve got what we’ve got because of all the circumstances we’ve been through the last two years, and right now, the inflation is killing the farmers and the feed prices and all that,” Weaver says.

“Most kids think it comes out of the refrigerator or comes out of a grocery store, but it actually comes from cows and animals that produce all of that, and they can learn and educate themselves about that,” Flynn says.

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FYI

Fair Tickets

Advance gate admissions and ride tickets to the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair may be purchased on the website through Sept. 22. Advance gate admission for adults costs $8; seniors 62 and older, $6 with valid identification; youth between 4 and 11, $5; and children 3 and younger get in free.

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What Do YOU Think??

Vote for your favorite fair foods at: nwaonline.com/911rvfairfood/

Organizers for the 2022 Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair expect a solid turnout this year despite the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.

The fair will be held daily from Sept. 23 through Oct. 1 at Kay Rodgers Park in Fort Smith.

Fairgoers will be able to take in a variety of activities such as live music, motocross, bull riding, monster trucks, magic shows, livestock competitions, a youth talent competition and the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair Pageant, according to the fair website.

There will also be games, traditional fair food and educational and creative arts exhibits. And, of course, rides provided by the Mighty Thomas Carnival.

Kelly Clark, chairman of the fair, says he doesn’t believe the covid-19 pandemic will impact the number of people who will attend the nine-day event. The 2020 fair was canceled after the pandemic hit the country that year, although the event was revived for 2021.

Clark says the Arkansas-Oklahoma Regional Education and Promotion Association, the nonprofit organization sponsoring the fair, held two events — the Old Fort Days Rodeo and Old Fort Days Futurity — at Kay Rodgers Park earlier this year that both had “outstanding attendance.” Clark expects the fair will have the same outcome.

Clark says he fully expects this year’s event to outperform the fair that was held before the pandemic in 2019. It may rival 2021’s attendance numbers given its lineup of entertainment, he says.

“Last year was incredible,” Clark says. “It was kind of that first entry to get back out after folks had been cooped up, so we had an outstanding year last year.”

Chad Jones, president and creative director of Rightmind Advertising and the fair’s advertising chairman, says 125,000 to 130,000 people attended the 2021 Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair over nine days. The event had an average attendance of about 100,000 per year before the pandemic.

Denny Flynn, executive director of Kay Rodgers Park, likewise says he thinks more people will come out for the fair this year due to the general public being better educated on how to take care of themselves during the ongoing pandemic, as well as receiving covid-19 vaccinations and booster shots.

The fair will still have covid-19 protocols, according to the event’s website. People are encouraged, but not required, to wear face masks, as well as practice social distancing where available. Hand sanitizing stations also will be offered throughout the park, touch points will be regularly disinfected, ticket stations will be spaced out, and more than 98% of the carnival staff will be fully vaccinated.

This year’s fair will also feature more nights of booked entertainment than previous ones, according to Clark. He says he tried to “get outside the box” when looking for entertainment to give the event a broader appeal, drawing inspiration from other, larger fairs. This can be seen in the inclusion of motocross and monster trucks, among other features.

“There’s just a whole host of things that goes along with that for kids and adults alike to interact with those much, much better than some of the traditional bands and stuff that we’ve had,” Clark says.

Clark says the proceeds from the fair go back to the Arkansas-Oklahoma Regional Education and Promotion Association to ensure the event remains self-sustaining, although the association does make money.

Clark says the fair’s livestock exhibits give children a platform to showcase their skills and hard work.

“I love the fact that it’s Arkansas-Oklahoma,” Clark says. “We have as many kids coming in from Oklahoma and showing, probably, as we do Arkansas, so it’s just a good, bi-state collaboration to where all of our kids get to showcase their efforts for the year.”

Steve Weaver, the fair’s livestock chairman, says its livestock competitions will have slightly fewer entries this year compared to last year, although he couldn’t provide a specific number. Weaver attributes this to the pandemic, with the fair usually having between 1,500 and 1,800 entries total.

“I’m proud that we’ve got what we’ve got because of all the circumstances we’ve been through the last two years, and right now, the inflation is killing the farmers and the feed prices and all that,” Weaver says.

“Most kids think it comes out of the refrigerator or comes out of a grocery store, but it actually comes from cows and animals that produce all of that, and they can learn and educate themselves about that,” Flynn says.

__

FYI

Fair Tickets

Advance gate admissions and ride tickets to the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair may be purchased on the website through Sept. 22. Advance gate admission for adults costs $8; seniors 62 and older, $6 with valid identification; youth between 4 and 11, $5; and children 3 and younger get in free.

__

What Do YOU Think??

Vote for your favorite fair foods at: nwaonline.com/911rvfairfood/