Arkansas-Oklahoma fair begins this week

FORT SMITH — A popular pastime for River Valley residents will make a comeback starting this week.

The Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair will be held every day from Friday to Oct. 2 at Kay Rodgers Park at 4400 Midland Blvd. in Fort Smith.

Residents will have an opportunity to take in a variety of activities, such as live music, pig races, games, traditional fair food, art exhibits, livestock competitions and rides provided by the Mighty Thomas Carnival, according to the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair website. Other events include a youth talent competition Sept. 25 and the Arkansas- Oklahoma State Fair pageant Oct. 2.

Kelly Clark, fair chairman, estimated the fair will have slightly more to offer people this year compared to its most recent outing in 2019. The 2020 fair was canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Clark said the fair extended the agreements it made with the entertainers scheduled to perform in 2020 into this year. An addition to the lineup that was made later was Rock and Roll Over, a Kiss tribute band.

“It’s just been a really hard year for a lot of the entertainment community, and we sure wanted to do our part in trying to support them,” Clark said. “So we fulfilled all of our commitments that we’d made back in late 2019 when we were planning for 2020.”

Clark said the fair will follow the covid-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although masks will be “highly suggested,” they will not be required for entry. The Mighty Thomas Carnival will employ additional procedures.

The state fair website states social distancing will also be encouraged where available.

Chad Jones, president and creative director for Rightmind Advertising, the fair’s ad agency and public relations firm of record, said attendance averages for the fair the past few years have been between 100,000 and 120,000 people.

Advance gate admissions and ride tickets can be purchased through the fair website. 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.

Thomas Saccente can be reached by email at [email protected].