It’s that time again.
Families will be able to try out dozens of carnival rides, eat loads of food on a stick and even watch the births of piglets and calves as the 61st annual Montgomery County Agricultural Fair rolls into town.
The fair, billed as the largest one in Maryland and one of the larger agricultural fairs east of the Mississippi, opens its gates Friday for an eight-day run.
In the past, as many as 200,000 people have attended the fair from as far away as West Virginia, and organizers expect the turnout to remain high.
Martin Svrcek, executive director of the Agricultural Center, which puts on the fair, said, one major difference, though, is a new entrance system that will help get visitors inside quicker.
“It’s an eight turnpike-style payment area that looks like those at King’s Dominion,” he said. “People can check out like at the grocery store.”
Longtime fairgoers can expect other additions. Svrcek said the rides, new for the first time in 18 years, are “bigger, better and badder than ever,” and bingo is back, for which the public was clamoring.
In terms of food, the selection will range from sit-down fare in an air-conditioned tent to staples like hot dogs and funnel cake.
Featured entertainment is a separate $10 charge each day. Some of the standouts are a tractor pull, a demolition derby between area DJs, and a show involving a transformer that changes into a 30-foot-tall, car-eating dinosaur, Svrcek said.
As always, the event’s bread and butter will be live animal displays.
“We bring in some mothers who are about to give birth, and then there are baby watchers literally waiting for the mother to birth her offspring,” Svrcek said.
Contrary to the fair’s name, it is not officially affiliated with or funded by Montgomery County. Since it began in the 1940s, the fair has been supported by the Agricultural Center, a nonprofit organization committed to showcasing 4-H member projects and promoting agriculture to the community.
If You Go
What: Montgomery County Fair
When: Friday through Saturday, Aug. 19; open 10 a.m. to midnight all days except opening day, when the hours are 3 p.m. to midnight
Where: Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg
Price: $7 for adults, $3 for children ages 2 to 7
More information: Call 301-926-3100 or visit www.mcagfair.com
