POCOMOKE—The Great Pocomoke Fair returns today with harness racing, livestock exhibits, tractor pulls and classic Eastern Shore fare at the southern end of Worcester County.
Festivities kick off at 5 p.m. at the festival grounds at 2003 Broad Street in Pocomoke City and continue through Saturday, drawing visitors by the thousands, said Festival Treasurer Gloria Smith.
“It’s a small, rural fair and it will give people a taste of the rural life,” Smith said.
Gates will be open from 5-10 p.m. today, Thursday. For $2 admission, which helps offset the cost of the fair, visitors have free range of the livestock barn open all evening as well as a host of demonstrations and contests.
Highlights include the Little Miss Great Pocomoke Fair Pageant on the grandstand stage at 7 p.m. followed by a performance by Blue Crab Crossing Bluegrass Band at 8 p.m.
Gates open again Friday from 5-10 p.m. with a karate school demonstration slated for 6 p.m. at the grandstand stage. Then at 7 p.m., rivaling teams return from Pocomoke’s Cypress Festival in June to compete in the tug-o-war contest on the tractor pull track. At 7:30 p.m., 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s cover band Audio Graffiti will perform live.
Tomorrow, the fair runs all day from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. with more livestock judging and the harness racing competition from 12:30-4 p.m.
Horses come from as far as New Jersey to compete in the event, one of the highlights of the annual fair.
“We’re the only fair in Maryland that has a single day of harness racing that is strictly for entertainment,” Smith said, meaning there’s no betting, although the top competitors in the races will take home prizes.
There will be a cake and pie auction between the dozen races follow by children’s activities at 1 p.m. There will be a greased pig contest open to the public at 1:30 p.m. Then at 5 p.m., the antique and classic tractor pull begins on the infield track.
“They pull a weighted sled. The object is to see how far they can pull it,” Smith said. “The further they go down the track, the closer the sled gets to the tractor, so the harder that sled is to pull.”
Tractors ranging from 3,000 to 8,000 pounds will compete in different weight divisions for trophies in the event.
The festival weekend wraps up at 10:15 p.m. with a fireworks show over the fairgrounds.
In addition to the traditional exhibits featuring locally grown vegetables and flowers and livestock ranging from goats and cattle to pigs, chickens and rabbits, there will be two new livestock divisions for adults this year, Smith said.
In all, more than 100 animals highlight the fair each year.
“We’re not a huge fair, but that’s a large number for us given the space that we have,” Smith said.
Visit www.thegreatpocomokefair.org or call the fairgrounds at 410-957-4486 for more information on that fair that has been an annual tradition since 1991.
Festivities kick off at 5 p.m. at the festival grounds at 2003 Broad Street in Pocomoke City and continue through Saturday, drawing visitors by the thousands, said Festival Treasurer Gloria Smith.
“It’s a small, rural fair and it will give people a taste of the rural life,” Smith said.
Gates will be open from 5-10 p.m. today, Thursday. For $2 admission, which helps offset the cost of the fair, visitors have free range of the livestock barn open all evening as well as a host of demonstrations and contests.
Highlights include the Little Miss Great Pocomoke Fair Pageant on the grandstand stage at 7 p.m. followed by a performance by Blue Crab Crossing Bluegrass Band at 8 p.m.
Gates open again Friday from 5-10 p.m. with a karate school demonstration slated for 6 p.m. at the grandstand stage. Then at 7 p.m., rivaling teams return from Pocomoke’s Cypress Festival in June to compete in the tug-o-war contest on the tractor pull track. At 7:30 p.m., 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s cover band Audio Graffiti will perform live.
Tomorrow, the fair runs all day from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. with more livestock judging and the harness racing competition from 12:30-4 p.m.
Horses come from as far as New Jersey to compete in the event, one of the highlights of the annual fair.
“We’re the only fair in Maryland that has a single day of harness racing that is strictly for entertainment,” Smith said, meaning there’s no betting, although the top competitors in the races will take home prizes.
There will be a cake and pie auction between the dozen races follow by children’s activities at 1 p.m. There will be a greased pig contest open to the public at 1:30 p.m. Then at 5 p.m., the antique and classic tractor pull begins on the infield track.
“They pull a weighted sled. The object is to see how far they can pull it,” Smith said. “The further they go down the track, the closer the sled gets to the tractor, so the harder that sled is to pull.”
Tractors ranging from 3,000 to 8,000 pounds will compete in different weight divisions for trophies in the event.
The festival weekend wraps up at 10:15 p.m. with a fireworks show over the fairgrounds.
In addition to the traditional exhibits featuring locally grown vegetables and flowers and livestock ranging from goats and cattle to pigs, chickens and rabbits, there will be two new livestock divisions for adults this year, Smith said.
In all, more than 100 animals highlight the fair each year.
“We’re not a huge fair, but that’s a large number for us given the space that we have,” Smith said.
Visit www.thegreatpocomokefair.org or call the fairgrounds at 410-957-4486 for more information on that fair that has been an annual tradition since 1991.
Great Pocomoke Fair event schedule
Thursday, July 31:
5 p.m. – Festival gates open
6 p.m. – Poultry judging, Livestock Barn
7 p.m. – Little Miss Great Pocomoke Fair Pageant, Grandstand Stage
7:30 p.m. – Rabbit judging, Livestock Barn
8 p.m. – Blue Crab Crossing Bluegrass Band,
Grandstand Stage
10 p.m. – Festival gates close
5 p.m. – Festival gates open
6 p.m. – Poultry judging, Livestock Barn
7 p.m. – Little Miss Great Pocomoke Fair Pageant, Grandstand Stage
7:30 p.m. – Rabbit judging, Livestock Barn
8 p.m. – Blue Crab Crossing Bluegrass Band,
Grandstand Stage
10 p.m. – Festival gates close
Friday, Aug. 1:
5 p.m. – Festival gates open
6 p.m. – Karate school demonstration,
Grandstand Stage
7 p.m. – Tug-o-war, Tractor Pull Track
7:30 p.m. – Audio Graffiti, Grandstand Stage
7 p.m. – Dairy cow judging, Livestock Barn
8 p.m.- Beef cattle judging, Livestock Barn
10 p.m. – Festival gates close
Saturday, Aug. 2:
10:30 a.m. – Festival gates open
10:30 a.m. – Meat goat judging, Livestock Barn
11:30 a.m. – Sheep judging, Livestock Barn
12:30 p.m. – Dairy goat judging, Livestock Barn
12:30 p.m. – Cake and pie auction
(between harness races)
12:30-4 p.m. – Harness Racing, Racetrack
1 p.m. – Children’s activities
1:30 p.m. – Greased pig contest
5 p.m. – Antique and Classic Tractor Pull, Infield Track
10:15 p.m. – Fireworks display
11 p.m. – Festival gates close