35th annual Ag Days event coming to Washington County Fairgrounds
For several decades, Ag Days in Washington County have been keeping the public informed about the local agriculture industry.
This year, the two-day event will take place from 2 to 10 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Washington County Fairgrounds. Parking and admission are free, but there is a charge for carnival or trolley rides.
This is the third time the event has taken place at the fairgrounds, after several years at Washington Crown Center in North Franklin Township.
“We’ve been doing really well at the fairgrounds,” said Todd Richards, president of the Washington County Fair board and an Ag Days committee member. “There is a lot more flexibility to what we can do.”
There will be a show tent with a petting zoo of barnyard animals. The space at the fairgrounds allows for other forms of recreation, as well.
“Last year was the first time for carnival rides, so we’re going to bring that back,” Richards said. “There are going to be six to eight rides that are family friendly.”
However, Richards hopes the main draw will still be supporting youth agriculture programs such as 4-H and Future Farmers of America, and learning about agriculture in the community from local experts.
Ag Days began in 1988 when Don Gardner read about similar events in other counties and brought it up with his wife, Nadene.
“He said to Nadene, ‘We ought to do that,'” Richards said.
Richards is excited to be a part of Ag Days’ 35-year history, and said they are always planning the next event.
“It is a year-long project, it doesn’t happen overnight. We still have good support from the community. Our sponsors are the back bone here. Without our sponsors, it would be very tough to do.”
While Ag Days has featured square dancing in the past, Richards said they are changing it up with line dancing.
“It’s a new event. We hope to draw a great, big crowd for that,” Richards said.
Line dancing will begin at 7 p.m. Friday. For beginners, there will be a class at 6:30 p.m.