Up-and-coming country artist, bull riding are main attractions at 75th annual Franklin County Fair
Published at
IDAHO FALLS – The Franklin County Fair Board is gearing up for the 75th annual fair in Preston next week.
It’s happening August 15-19 at 186 West 2nd North, and the board’s marketing director Cody Traveller tells EastIdahoNews.com there are a variety of events people are excited about this year.
One of them is a free concert happening on Tuesday. Mark Mackay, an up-and-coming country musician from California, will be performing in the arena at 7 p.m.
Mackay’s performed alongside Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, REO Speedwagon and others, but he’s become a crowd favorite in the last several years as he’s “built his audience from the ground up” headlining concerts across the U.S.
“Big shows, small shows, and all shows in between,” Mackay says on his website. “When I started out, I thought all the cool shows would be in Hollywood, New York, and Miami. They’re not – they’re in Minot, North Dakota; Billings, Montana … or Huber Heights, Ohio.”
Other events include a barn dance on Wednesday night, and on Thursday is a family circus and the Octane Addiction motocross event. Hypnotist Carrie J and magician Ben Hart featured on “America’s Got Talent” will headline an arena event on Friday.
There will also be a cornhole tournament in the livestock pavilion on Saturday afternoon.
But the fair’s biggest event, and the one Traveller is most excited about, is the Bull Bonanza on Saturday night.
“It’s (like a rodeo) with just the bull riding all the way through,” Traveller explains. “We have mini bull riding and there’s sheep riding for the little kids. We do a wild cow milking (contest), but it’s focused on the 30 or so bull riders (that will be featured).”
Tickets for the Bull Bonanza are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under.
Traveller is also looking forward to the return of the 4-H stock shows and animal sales, which are always a hit.
The Franklin County Fair got started in 1958. With the exception of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been held every year since.
Traveller is anticipating a huge turnout, and he’s inviting everyone in surrounding communities to attend.
See the flyer below for a schedule of events. Visit the Facebook page for more information.
