A Fair of the Heart is back.
The 36th annual Jefferson County Fair and Rodeo opens Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the Jefferson County Recreation Park, a half-mile south of Boulder.
Free admission to the fairgrounds includes live music, exhibits, an in-county Wrangler Roundup, and kids activities. Parking is just $2.
Among the highlights will be Thursday evening’s Fun Pianos, featuring two pianos and lots of audience interaction. Proceeds help fund insulation of the Boulder Carousel building.
On Friday, kids get their own horse show, a parade down Boulder’s Main Street, and a rodeo. Starting at 4 pm, local cowboys and cowgirls compete at events like team-penning and team-roping in the Wrangler Roundup. There is no admission fee.
Saturday’s rodeo parade in Boulder starts at 1 pm. Then comes the NRA Rodeo, hosted by the Jefferson County Rodeo Association, starting at 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for kids. At 7:30 pm, baked goods are auctioned in a lively contest that sees pies and cakes going for hundreds of dollars. A real barn dance with live music by the Insufficient Funds Band caps the evening.
On Saturday and Sunday, inflatable slides and other playground equipment and the Boulder Carousel will keep kids entertained. The Jefferson High School Music Department will serve up home-cooked beef barbecue Saturday from 3-6 p.m. And the Boulder Carousel sponsors a sausage, gravy and eggs breakfast on Sunday.
Sunday begins with a kids’ stick horse rodeo and treasure hunt, followed by a puppet show by Toni Person. And the NRA Rodeo returns for a second day’s action, starting at 2 pm.
