BoCo Fair brings old-fashioned country fun to Sandpoint

By Reader Staff

The annual Bonner County Fair will take over the fairgrounds (4203 North Boyer Rd.) from Tuesday, Aug. 18 to Saturday, Aug. 22 with myriad booths, animals and activities for classic entertainment you won’t find anywhere else. The festivities will run from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The free, community get-together includes family-friendly entertainment of all kinds, like bounce houses, hay bale mazes, caricatures, educational booths, vendors, food and several public events like the tractor-driving and ice cream-eating competitions and the beard, mustache and mullet contest. All the while, local 4-H members and area farmers will be presenting and selling their animals, which range from cows and pigs to chickens and rabbits. Panhandle Community Radio, KRFY 88.5 FM, will be broadcasting live from the fairgrounds, announcing competition winners and chatting with fairgoers.

Anyone can attend the three free main events, beginning Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. with the Stock Dog Fun Day, where ranch dogs will show off their speed, smarts and camaraderie as they herd livestock. Wednesday, Aug. 19 features competitive barrel racing, where riders will guide their horses around a series of obstacles beginning at 7 p.m. The final free main event, ranch sorting, sees riders moving cattle into pens while on horseback, beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20.

Friday, Aug. 21’s ticketed show is Ranch Bronc Riding, a rodeo staple beginning at 7 p.m. where participants try to stay on bucking broncos, bulls or — for the youngest riders — sheep. Finally, the fair ends with the Bonner County Brawl Demolition Derby at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22. Tickets for both shows are $26 each at bonnercountyfair.com.