The 103rd Fulton County Fair will be held July 20 – 23 at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Salem. The Fulton County Fair offers four days of fun and education to area residents. Presenting sponsors for the fair are FNBC Community Bankers, Bank of Salem, Hunt Plumbing and Drain, Powell Milling Company, and White River Now.
Pre-fair activities start on July 16 with Fulton County Fair Queen and Junior Fair Queen Pageants for girl age 14-21. Pageants will be open to the public at 7:00 pm. Private interviews will be held that afternoon and are closed to the public. The Youth Pageants will be held July 18 at 7:00 p.m. for age 4 months to 13 years. Pageants are sponsored by Carter’s Jewell Chest, Expressions by Dena, and Mary Hall, Independent Scentsy Consultant.
All Creative Arts exhibits including flowers, horticulture and baked items will check-in on Monday, July 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Entry tags will be available for pickup at check-in. Lunch will be provided for volunteers by Hillbilly U-Pump Convenience Store. All creative arts exhibits will be judged on Tuesday. Lunch for volunteers and judges will be provided by Fred’s Fish House at Mammoth Spring. The Exhibit Building will not be open to the public on Tuesday. Commercial vendors check in on Tuesday from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. All vendors must follow the rules and setup in the assigned spaces.
Wednesday, July 20 is FNBC Community Bankers Day at the Fair and the day will honor all veterans. FNBC, Salem VFW Post 9777, and fair officials invite all veterans and their spouses or caregivers to attend this special day for veterans. Guest speaker will be Master Sergeant (R) Michael Long, Arkansas Veterans Advisor of Little Rock. The program will start at 10:30 a.m. Registration will be at 10:00 am and the program will start at 10:30 p.m.NBC will provide a meal After the program there will be bingo and door prizes provided by Salem VFW Post 9777 Auxiliary.
Livestock and rabbits will check-in from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Wednesday. A livestock and Poultry Technician will be present to check health papers before exhibitors unload their animals. Judging will start on Thursday, July 21 at 8:00 am with the hog show. Rabbits will be judged at 10:00 am. and Sheep and Goats at 11:00 am. Cattle will be judged at 9:00 am on Friday.
Johnson Brothers Amusements will return to the Fulton County Fair and will be open Wednesday – Saturday from 6:00 to 10:00 pm each night. Armbands are now on sale and can be used any night but the armband isonly good for 1 night. Save $5 by purchasing armband tickets at FNBC Community Bank, Bank of Salem, Fulton County Fair Office or order online at www.fultoncountyfair.org. Armbands will be $30 if purchased on the midway.
Hall Rodeo, LLC returns to the Fulton County Fair with an ACA sanctioned rodeo on Wednesday and Thursday nights. K-Kountry 95 and E-Communications will be the rodeo Presenting Sponsor. Other sponsors are FNBC Community Bankers, Bank of Salem, Ultimate Ford, Southfork Health and Wellness, and Mark Martin Chevy, Buick, and GMC at Ash Flat. The rodeo starts at 8:00 pmeach night.
Thursday is Bank of Salem Day at the Fairand events start with Senior Day. This event is for all seniors, age 60 and older, and is sponsored by the Bank of Salem and White River Area Agency on Aging. Senior Day starts at 10:00 a.m. and will feature free admission, entertainment, a free BBQ lunch, games, and door prizes from area businesses. There will be a program on Fraud Prevention for Seniors from the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office. The medical community will showcase their services and have health screenings at Senior Day. The Bank of Salem would like for seniors to pre-register by calling the Bank of Salem at 870-895-2591 or Salem Senior Citizens Center at 870-895-3149.
Thursday is filled with a day of judging at the fair. Livestock judging will start at 8:00 a.m. with swine judging. Rabbit showmanship and judging will start at 10:00 a.m. and the Sheep and Goat show judging will start at 11:00 a.m. The 2nd night of the rodeo will start at 8:00 p.m. Livestock shows are sponsored by Mammoth Spring Dental Clinic, Leslie Drug, Salem Auto Supply, Grassroots Equipment, and Tractor Supply.
North Arkansas Electric and Barker Funeral Home will sponsor Kid’s Day on Friday and registration will start at 9:00 am and the program will start at 9:30 am. Kid’s Day activities include the famous Electrical Safety Magician Scott Davis, Survival Flight Helicopter, a drone presentation sponsored by Max Drone Service and Farmitude Agricultural Services. Salem VFW Post 9777 will do a program on Flag Etiquette and demonstrate proper Flag folding and North Arkansas Electric will serve a hot dog lunch and the day will conclude with door prizes.
The annual Fair Horse Show is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.Friday, July 22 in the arena. The Horse Show is sponsored by Shaver’s Plumbing and Hardware, South Fork Health and Wellness, Barker Funeral Home and North Arkansas Electric Cooperataive.
Lakeview Car Rentals, AllSteel and Mary Hall, Local Scentsy Consultant, will provide $750 added money for the 2nd Annual Fulton County Fair Corn Hole Tournament on Friday of the fair. The tournament will start at 6:00 p.m. and is open to anyone. The entry fee is $25/team with half of the fees going into prize money. The tournament will be ACO rules and it will be double elimination. In addition to cash awards, two of the sponsors, Lakeview Car Rentals and AllSteel, will provide custom made Corn Hole Boards to the winners.
Last year’s tournament drew teams from north central Arkansas and southern Missouri. The Salem Civic Center is located on the fairgrounds and is climate controlled so participants can be comfortable. There will be plenty of room for speactors who want to watch the competition. Half of the entry fees will go to the Fulton County Fair Scholarship program.. Pre-registration is suggested by calling 870-895-5565.
Saturday is Hill’s Auto Sales Day at the Fair. The Scholarship Presentations and Cookie Jar Auction will start at 4:00 pm followed by the Junior Livestock Auction in the show arena. Business owners and individuals are encouraged to support the youth involved in the fair by attending the sale and bidding. Persons who cannot attend the auctions can support the scholarship program and the Junior Livestock Program by making a cash donation. Contact the fair office or a member of the Fulton County Fair Livestock Committee for information. The Scholarship Auction and the Junior Premium Sale will be conducted by Perryman & Perryman Auction Company.
WW Promotions will bring the popular Intimidator Sled back to Salem for the annual fair truck pull on Saturday, July 23 at 7:00 p.m.. Thank you to our sponsors for helping us bring this sled back to our fair. Presenting sponsors are Hill’s Auto Sales, USbank, and B+S Electrical Heating and Air. Salem Auto Supply is also a sponsor of the truck pull.
Fair officials invite you to attend the Fulton County Fair July 20-23 in Salem Arkansas. Gate admission will cover all events except the carnival and games. Admission Wednesday – Fridayis $6.00 for teens and adults, $4.00 for youth age 6-12 and under. On Saturday admission is $7.00 for teens and adults. Under 6 is free. Parking is free. For more information on the Fulton County fair call 870-895-5565, visit www.fultoncountyfair.org or join the Fulton County Fair Facebook group.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current membership chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.