Clark County Fair & Rodeo celebrates family fun, agriculture
The Clark County Fair and Rodeo returns next week with a mixture of fan favorites and new attractions.
“People come back each year wanting to see their favorite parts of the fair,” says Kevin Willard, manager of the Clark County Fair & Rodeo. “Wouldn’t make much sense to get rid of them.”
The event, about 60 miles outside of Las Vegas in Logandale, opens April 8 and is slated to run until April 12. Visit www.ccfair.com for a schedule of activities and prices.
Like every year, people can expect a variety of carnival games, concessions and entertainment featuring country music stars such as Jerrod Niemann.
There also will be exhibits ranging from fine arts to horticulture.
Willard says about 75,000 people are expected to come through the event; they usually have about 4,500 people per night at the rodeo.
At its height, Willard says about 85,000 people have attended the event.
Each year, the fair aims to get bigger and better.
“We are part of the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs and other groups,” Willard says. “We attend conferences trying to get new ideas.”
One of the new ideas from last year was the zipline. It will return this year.
Meanwhile, the fair is adding a station that lets participants learn firsthand what it’s like to be a stuntman by teaching them how to jump off a tower into a safety bag.
The Clark County Fair’s history dates back to 1965, when it was known as the Moapa Valley Fair and held in the Overton Community Center.
It was decided to make the fair an annual event, bringing it back each year with new attractions.
The fair took place in different places each year. By 1981, the committee who put on the event wanted to find a permanent location.
Grant M. Bowler, who directed the fair at that time, obtained 190 acres in Logandale.
It took a grant from the state Legislature and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to begin construction on the fairgrounds.
In 1986, the name was officially changed to the Clark County Fair.
Since then, there have been several additions to the fairgrounds including a rodeo arena.
The fair changed its name again in 1997, this time to its current title, Clark County Fair & Rodeo.
Willard says Nevada is one of nine locations where the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association hosts events.
“I think it only makes sense that they added Nevada as a location,” he says. “We have other similar events like (National Finals Rodeo) or events at the South Point. A lot of the guys who are competing in NFR are also likely to attend this.”
Willard says the rodeo will include the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour. He adds this is the first year the tour will host the Championship Challenge, which takes the top 11 cowboys in each event and has them compete.
Whether it’s the rodeo or the carnival, fans always find something they like.
Fan-favorites include the Frisbee dog show, the kid pig races and the Mutton Bustin’, which features children 6 to 8 years old who ride sheep instead of bulls.
“They have to weigh less than 60 pounds,” Willard says. “Animal shows always draw a big crowd.”
He says on the entertainment side, people enjoy the hypnotist.
“I am not sure why that is a big draw, but people really love it,” he says.
Though he loves watching everyone enjoy the event, Willard says his favorite thing about having the fair around is introducing children to agriculture life.
“A lot of the schools will have field trips out here,” he says. “I love watching their reactions, especially Vegas kids who don’t usually have a chance to see stuff like this.”
The children not only get to see animals or experience rodeo life, Willard says it’s also a learning moment for them.
“They get to learn about agriculture,” he says. “They get to see that milk really does come from a cow and not 7-Eleven.”
Contact reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5201. Follow @mjlyle on Twitter.
Preview
What: Clark County Fair & Rodeo
When: 4-11 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m.-11 p.m. April 9; 10 a.m.-midnight April 10-11, and 10 a.m.-9 p.m. April 12
Where: Clark County Fairgrounds, 1301 W. Whipple Ave., Logandale via Interstate 15 North and state Route 169
Admission: $10 general admission; $8 for children age 5-12 and 60 and older; additional charges for the carnival, concerts and rodeo (888-876-3247; www.ccfair.com)
