The Tillman County Free Fair begins Thursday, September 4 and runs through Saturday, September 6, 2008. Tillman County fair goers have the opportunity to see old friends from across the county and enjoy the activities associated with the fair. Residents are encouraged to enter exhibits ranging from needlework, crafts, food, flowers and produce, to art work and photography. Categories are for all ages.

The Pie Contest was such a huge success last year; we will be looking forward to this year’s pie entries! Entries are due by 5:30pm on Friday, September 5 at the fair office. The contest will be a 6pm. The contest is open to all ages and there are four categories; fruit, pecan/nut, cream and any other kind. All entries need to be homemade and the pie needs to be baked in an aluminum foil pan and please include the recipe. The pies will not be returned, instead they will be used for a “pie tasting” event for all fair goers to enjoy.

Highlights of other important times and activities are: The tractor driving contest will be at 9am Thursday; all entries, except livestock, will be received from noon to 6pm on Thursday; 6pm will be kids events, pie eating, seed spitting, etc., Julie Hutson, the event coordinator, will certainly have fun activities planned. Livestock will be entered and weighed at 7:30pm on Thursday; this is a new time for weigh in. Friday morning the Farmhand Olympics will begin at 9am. The Mobile Dairy Classroom will be in place all day Friday for students and adults to visit. This is a great opportunity for schools to learn about milking and the dairy production process. The Livestock Judging Contest will begin at 1:30pm, this is another new event for 2008. The pie contest will be at 6pm, 7pm will mark the start of more fun for the kids. The diaper derby, stick horse race, frog and turtle races and the pet show always spark excitement for the kids and the crowd watching. Saturday morning judging will begin at 8am with the swine, followed by sheep, beef cattle and the dairy cattle. The goat show will start about 2:30pm, depending on the conclusion of the dairy show. The sheep and the goat show are anticipated to last several hours, probably 2-3 hours based on the numbers of entries. All inside entries will be released at 6pm on Saturday evening.

It is never too late to reserve a booth space at the fair. The 10 foot by 10 foot spaces are free and the fair board encourages residents and businesses to participate. Fair catalogues can be picked up at the Extension office and for more information call the office at 335-2515.