Whiteside County Fair office opens Aug. 4

The Whiteside County Fair office in Morrison will be open for business beginning Monday, Aug. 4, for the week before the 154th annual Whiteside County Fair.

The fair kicks off Aug. 12.

The office of the secretary and treasurer are in the building near the grandstand at the Whiteside County Fairgrounds in Morrison. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4, through Friday, Aug. 8.

The secretary’s office hours will be from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 9. During this time, they will be accepting hand-delivered entries; processing those received by mail; and selling reserved grandstand seating for the demo derby, season tickets and Mega Passes.

Mega Passes can be purchased for $65 from Monday, Aug. 4, through Monday, Aug. 11.

Once the fair starts, the Mega Pass price increases to $75, and the pass will need to be purchased from the carnival. This will let you ride any of the Wilson Family Rides when the carnival is open during the Whiteside County Fair.

Reserved grandstand seating for Saturday night’s demolition derby will go on sale at 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 4, in the secretary’s office for $10 a person.

The demo derby is the only show that has reserved seating available and is sold on a first-come, first-served basis with a limited number of seats available. Reserved seating can be purchased online beginning Tuesday, Aug. 5, at eventbrite.com. Saving seats by using blankets, etc. for general seating is not allowed. Any items used for saving seats will be removed by fair staff.

There are no entry fees for exhibits in the departments of agriculture, floriculture, horticulture, textiles, culinary and hobbies. However, adult exhibitors must purchase the $25 season membership ticket, and junior exhibitors who are 6 to 11 years old must purchase a $5 season ticket to enter into junior departments. That ticket allows the exhibitor to enter items in any of the departments listed above and provides unlimited admission to the fairgrounds throughout the fair’s five-day run.

Livestock exhibitors are required to pay exhibit fees and should consult the website for details.

All exhibitors are urged to refer to the website for details on the requirements to enter the various competitions, which this year offers over $119,000 in premiums, purses and prizes. Entries/premium information also can be downloaded from the fair website at whitesidecountyfair.org in the premium section.

Entries must be done online or in writing, with the applicable fees submitted by the appropriate deadlines as listed on the website. All entries close Saturday, Aug. 9.

The office will accommodate those wishing to buy season membership tickets, which allows the ticket holder unlimited admission to the fair. An adult season membership ticket costs $25 each, while a child’s weekly pass is $5. Tickets for both children and adults also can be purchased at the gate during the fair. Single adult daily admission for the fair is $10 for those ages 12 and older, and $2 for children ages 6 to 11. Children 5 and younger are free.

The fair officially starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12, with the pleasure horse show at the Alternative Ag Services Arena in the infield.