CLEARFIELD – It will be cheaper to visit the Clearfield County Fair this year.
Fair Manager Greg Hallstrom said after years of people complaining about the entry price, which included the cost of the carnival rides, the board has decided to go back to the one price entry fee of $5.
“So many people complained because they said they don’t ride any of the rides,” he said. “This should bring more people to the fairgrounds this year.”
This means there are additional costs if you do want to ride or if you want to attend any of the concerts, which this season features Tesla (Wednesday), Granger Smith & Cooper Alan (Friday) and Ted Nugent (Saturday).
The CS Pulling Promotions Truck & Tractor Pull will take place on Thursday and KOI Drag Racing on Saturday.
The entry fee still includes access to all the free entertainment at the David E. Litz Grove Stage and the plaza outside the Expo II building, he noted.
The plaza will have a few different attractions in 2023.
Instead of the racing pigs, there will be the Banana Derby, which is listed as “America’s Favorite Monkey Jockeys.” The monkeys will be riding dogs, which will race around the course.
The group got started after their owner, Philip Hendricks, noticed one of his monkeys, Bobo, riding his dog.
“The folks in the neighborhood said ‘wow! That’s neat. You oughta share this.’”
They then put together the Banana Derby.
He explains in a video on their Web site that his father-in-law was training the white-faced capuchin monkeys to assist handicapped people and ran out of funding.
He went back to Bulgaria leaving the monkeys with his daughter and Philip who has been training dogs for years.
“The combination of monkeys and dogs has real crowd appeal.”
He added that the monkeys, which are very intelligent, enjoy racing and people seem to enjoy watching them.
“Everywhere I go, people smile.”
Another attraction for animal lovers is the Goat Island Petting Zoo, which is not just a petting zoo.
It has a “one-of-a-kind” interactive exhibit with a 30-foot tower with swinging bridges, a crow’s nest and more.
The Urias Daredevil, Aerial and Acrobatic Thrill Show features the Urias family who built the first motorcycle globe in 1912, according to information supplied by the fair board.
Their globe is often called the “Globe of Death.”
This show also includes Duo Surnina or Olga and Mariya Surnina, who have been “performing acrobatics and aerial artistry together since they were little girls growing up in Kazakhstan and then showcasing their skills all around the world.
“They have created an incredibly original act, combining contortion, hand balancing and dance, and moving together as one, as only sisters could.”
The American Motor Drome Co. Wall of Death is also setting up shop at the Expo II Plaza.
This show “is a vintage live action thrill show featuring a silo-shaped wooden cylinder 30 feet in diameter,” it says on their Web site.
“Inside the dome motorcycle daredevils travel along the vertical wall performing trick, fancy and acrobatic riding.
“Nothing compares to seeing the show in person at the top of the 14-foot board wall, where you can smell the rubber burn and feel the wind as the motorcycles race just inches from you!”
The Grove Stage will have performances by Michael Griffin, who is an escape artist, D.J. Super Stew, the Josh Squared Band, the Moore Brothers and Brianna Blakenship.
And, of course, there is always the harness racing on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday (evening), and Wednesday.
The fair starts on July 30 and runs until Aug. 5 at the fairgrounds in Clearfield.
