The Monongalia County Fair debuts September 9–13 at its new permanent home.
If you’ve enjoyed the newly invigorated Monongalia County Fair over the past few years, you’re in for a treat: For the first time ever, this fall’s fair takes place at the new, permanent Monongalia County Fairgrounds, a couple miles west of the Star City bridge.
“It’s beautiful! And you couldn’t ask for a better location,” says Eric Finch, Mon County Fair Board treasurer and a longtime 4-Her and Future Farmers of America member from the western part of the county. “The sun rises on one side of the hill and sets on the other, and you can see the downtown Morgantown area from up there.”
The Monongalia County Fair Association has been busy building structures and getting utilities in place since Core Natural Resources deeded the 62 acres to the association early this year. So far, there’s a livestock barn and bleachers for the demolition derby and rodeo arena, Finch says, and additional permanent structures will follow in the coming years.
The Monongalia County Fair runs Wednesday–Sunday, September 9–13 this year, and every day is chock full of events. The rodeo is back, with loads of bull and bronc riding and barrel racing. “This will be the third year for the rodeo, and it’s easily our biggest event and what people love the most,” Finch says.
If you like your competitions motorized, you can get your fill of crash and bash at Wednesday’s demolition derby, then head back on Saturday for ATV dirt drag races. Live entertainment goes on every night, with contemporary country singer–songwriter Sam L. Smith headlining on TKTK.
Among the new attractions this year is a catch-and-release fishing tank. “It’s a ginormous tank for kids—they had it at the state fair last year,” Finch says. “I grew up very rural, to where fishing and hunting were an everyday way of life, but some kids in Morgantown might go a lot of their life and never fish, so this gives them the opportunity to try. We’ll have that every day.”
All of this runs alongside a full schedule of community exhibits, hot dog- and rib-eating competitions, wrestling, the tractor show, touch a truck, a drill team show, and the C&L Shows carnival, plus fireworks Saturday night.
$15 covers all events and rides, with free entry for military, retired military, and first responders on Friday, September 11, and for the first 300 kids age 10 and under on Sunday the 13th.
It all starts when the Monongalia County Fair Parade steps off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday the 8th at the top of High Street, and the fair kicks off at the new fairgrounds at 72 Adena Drive on Wednesday. “it’s just as close as Mylan Park,” Finch says, expressing the hope that people will be curious to see the new site. “It’s just not as much of a recognizable location as Mylan Park—not yet, at least.”
To see the full calendar of events, visit the Monongalia County Fair website.
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