FREEHOLD — From opening-night fireworks to pie-eating contests, the annual Monmouth County Fair offers all the excitement of an old-fashioned fair with a modern flair. This year’s fair will take place from July 27-31 at the East Freehold Showgrounds on Kozloski Road in Freehold.
Organized and presented by the Monmouth County Park System in cooperation with the Monmouth County 4-H, the fair maintains the agricultural nature of a traditional county fair with its Home and Garden Competition and 4-H animal shows and exhibits.
Exciting acts and shows will include the High Flying Pages, Mutts Gone Nuts, Hilby the Skinny German Juggle Boy, Firefighter’s Competition, Robinson’s Racing Pigs and Bwana Jim’s Wildlife Show.
At the Home and Garden tent, see the county’s finest baked goods, vegetables, flowers and arts and craft pieces as residents compete for the honor of calling theirs the best. Fairgoers can also enjoy beekeeping, gardening and pottery demonstrations.
Once again, the FFA of Monmouth County will run a farm stand. Fairgoers can purchase local fruits, vegetables and cut flowers. Proceeds will fund FFA student activities.
“The Monmouth County Fair is a wonderful mid-summer tradition that showcases our deep roots in agriculture and continues the traditions of the past,” said Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the Park System and 4-H Association. “Families bake, grow and create blue ribbon entries and memories that will last a lifetime. Generations of families and visitors to the Jersey Shore can stay connected to a simpler time by attending this late July event.”
Those looking to learn more about the county’s agricultural heritage can stop by the Living History Tent and meet with staff from the Park System’s Historic Walnford in Upper Freehold and Historic Longstreet Farm in Holmdel. Each year, the Living History Tent highlights an aspect of life as it was in Monmouth County years ago.
This year’s tent will focus on leisure and recreation activities that were popular during the Victorian era. Fairgoers will have the chance to hear music from the 1890s and play old-fashioned lawn games and board games. Activities will include croquet, baseball and horseshoes.
Entertainment will include performances by The Amish Outlaws, Dr. Cheeko, Rockit! Count Basie Live, Jet Weston and His Atomic Ranch Hands and The Chuck Lambert Band.
Fair rides will be provided by Reithoffer Shows and feature a separate Kids Zone Ride Area for younger children. Ride wristbands will be available on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday for $25 per person and allow fairgoers to enjoy unlimited rides during their session. Rides will be available daily, weather permitting.
Fair hours are 5-11 p.m. July 27-29, 3-11 p.m. July 30 and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. July 31. Admission is $8 per person and free for children 12 and under. For more information, visit www.monmouthcountyfair.com or call 732-842-4000.