Braxton Citizens' News, Community

Aquatic Acrobatic Show to highlight this year’s Fairs/Festivals Celebration

The 2022 Braxton County Fairs & Festivals Celebration will be held August 2-6 at Holly Gray Park on Airport Road in Sutton.  The Fair Board has been working hard the last several months to provide a family friendly, affordable fair for people to enjoy. 

A highlight for the week is the Aquatic Acrobatic Show with 2 shows nightly and three shows on Saturday.  With a beautiful setup, computer sound system, a custom designed water stage, special-water effects, and more!  5 generations of the most talented performers, features springboard maneuvers, living mermaids, aqua bola feats, even a Jet Ski!

Myers Amusements will be returning to the Braxton County Fair and will provide fun rides for the whole family.  Wrist bands are required for the carnival and are included with paid admission.  Rides will operate from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 6:00 until 11:00 p.m. on Friday.  On Saturday, the carnival will be open from noon until 5:00 p.m. and from 6:00 through 11:00 p.m.  Food trailers, novelties, carnival games and a flea market with a variety of vendors will be available during the Braxton County Fair.
”Family Night” will be Tuesday, August 2nd.  Fair activities will kick off with American Legion Post 33 conducting the opening ceremony at 5:00 PM.  Bruno, Mirabel, CoComelon and the Story Booth Characters will be at the stage for a meet and greet and photos from 6-8:00 PM.  Moose, from the Sutton Moose Lodge 825 and Bobber the Water Safety Dog are also scheduled to be there.  The Best Dressed Livestock Contest is at 7:00 PM in the Barn.

 Wednesday, August 3rd, is the day for rabbit, poultry beef cattle and market hog shows at the barn.  Livestock shows kick off at 5:00 p.m.  On stage, Willie D & No Regrets will perform at 7:00 p.m. and Frank Conn and the Partners will close out the show at 8:30 p.m. 

Thursday, August 4th, will feature the Sheep and Goat shows in the barn beginning at 6:00 p.m.  Dixie Highway will perform two shows at 7:00 and 8:30 p.m.

Friday, August 5th, the Braxton County Fair has something for everyone.  4-H and FFA members will sell their livestock projects beginning at 7:00 PM.  Nate Barnes will be on stage at 7:30 p.m.   Quartz Hill Records newcomer Nate Barnes is a young, blue-collar power plant worker who writes and sings about the work and the everyday life he lived in the small town of South Haven, Michigan. Barnes sings about God, family, hard work, heartache, love, the simple life and its simple joys. He sings about getting by – and the blood, sweat and tears that get us there. The sincerity with which he sings the stories of every day, working-class Americans is genuine – because he’s one, too. 

The Friday lineup includes an action-packed Speed Pit with side-by-side truck races starting at 7:30 p.m.  Trucks will go head-to-head in the races adding to the excitement of the Speed Pit.

Closing out the night is the Demolition Derby.  The Speed Pit will follow TSMR rules, and the Demolition Derby is coordinated by Thomas Motorsports.

Saturday, August 6th, will provide a full day of fun and entertainment for the whole family.  Be sure to check out the Car, Truck, Tractor and Motorcycle Show at 10:00 a.m.  Registration for the Car Show starts at 9:00 a.m.  Mud Bog registration is from 10:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.; driver’s meeting at 12:45 p.m. and then at 1:00 p.m. the races start with a new class, “Drive it In.”  The “Drive it In” class is for street legal, licensed vehicles.  TSMR classes will be run during the Mud Bog.  Family fun, “Down on the Farm” is from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Barn. A variety of agriculture related events and activities will be going on throughout the afternoon.

Saturday evening’s stage entertainment will begin at 7:30 PM with a performance by Jake Worthington.  Hailing from La Porte, Texas, Jake Worthington is a traditionally influenced Country artist whose honky-tonk swagger first impressed fans as a finalist on Season 6 of NBC’s The Voice (2014). Following his time on the show, the singer-songwriter released a pair of EPs (2015’s Jake Worthington and 2017’s Hell of a Highway), which featured tracks like “How Do You Honky Tonk,” “Don’t Think Twice,” and “A Lot of Room to Talk,” amassing more than 8 million on-demand streams and more than 230,000 social-media followers while touring alongside Cody Johnson, Riley Green, Pat Green and more. Worthington is also featured with Ronnie Dunn and Jake Owen on “Jonesin’” from the HIXTAPE: Vol. 2 Country collaborations album.

Capping off Saturday’s events, The Kentucky Headhunters take the stage at 9:00 PM.  The Kentucky Headhunters, declared “the great American rock ‘n’ roll band” by Billboard magazine, began their professional journey in 1968 when brothers Fred and Richard Young and cousins Greg Martin and Anthony Kenney formed the Southern blues-rock band Itchy Brother. The band morphed into The Kentucky Headhunters in 1986. Their first album, 1989’s Pickin’ On Nashville, was released by Mercury Records and surprised the world, becoming a bona fide hit, selling over two million copies. The album won a Grammy Award, three Country Music Awards, an American Music Award and an Academy of Country Music Award. It spawned four consecutive Top 40 Country hits. Currently, the band is made up of Richard Young, Fred Young, Greg Martin and Doug Phelps.  Their songs include, “Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine,” “Dumas Walker,” and their biggest hit, “Oh, Lonesome Me.”

The 2022 Braxton County Fair will come to a loud and thrilling end with one of the largest fireworks displays in central WV.

There are a limited number of stage front reserved seats available for Saturday, $10 each.  So, reserve yours today by calling 304-765-2809.  Season tickets are now available at $35 each.  You can purchase season tickets until 4:00 PM on August 2nd from local Peoples Bank locations in Gassaway and Flatwoods.  You can also use PayPal for your season tickets – check out the Tickets tab on our website: braxtoncounty fairwv.com  The online option for tickets ends at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 29. Daily admission is $6 on Tuesday, $8 on Wednesday, $10 for Thursday, $12 Friday and $15 for Saturday.

For exhibitors of produce, baked goods, handiwork, photos and such, exhibit entry is on Monday, August 1 between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.   More information about exhibits is available on our website.  Fairgoers can check out all the exhibits from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Saturday from noon to 6:00 p.m.

Anyone interested in short-term employment, stop by Holly Gray Park near the stage on Saturday, July 30 at 10:00 a.m. to complete an application.