101st Colfax Free Fair starts Thursday
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — The 101st Colfax Free Fair starts Thursday, June 17, and runs through Sunday, June 20.
If it were not for the fair being postponed last year because of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, this year would be the 102nd fair.
Wristbands are $18 per person this year.
Three new features at the fair are a cake auction at 6 p.m. Thursday, the Outlaw Farms Petting Zoo from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and a magician at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Thursday
Thursday’s fair schedule begins with the judging of rabbit and poultry exhibits at 12:30 p.m., arts and crafts exhibits at 1 p.m., and carcass/ultrasound judging of animal exhibits at 2 p.m.
Carnival rides open at 4 p.m. Thursday with wristbands from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
At 6 p.m Thursday is the cake auction.
Thursday evening at 8 p.m., there will be trivia in the American Legion beer garden, which will be open until midnight.
Friday
Friday morning, the Colfax Free Fair begins with swine judging at 9 a.m., followed by goats, dairy, beef and sheep.
Wristbands will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, or regular prices for carnival rides.
From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Derek Westholm, music and band instructor at Colfax High School, will perform on the free stage.
At 7 p.m. Friday on the free stage, there will be an awards ceremony for grand champion and reserve champion winners and for those achieving awards of excellence. The sports teams also will be recognized.
From 8 p.m. until midnight Friday in the American Legion Beer garden, Ranger Rudy & the Swinging Wingtips will perform.
Friday night fireworks will begin at 10 p.m.
Saturday
The carnival will feature two wristband sessions on Saturday from 12 noon until 4 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
A new wristband is required for each session.
The Dunn County Dairy Open Show will began at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The Dunn County Dairy Open Show has been held at the Colfax Free Fair for more than 30 years.
The Outlaw Farms Petting Zoo will be open Saturday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Probable Cause will perform in the American Legion beer garden from 8 p.m. until midnight Saturday.
Sunday
The Colfax Free Fair opens Sunday with a non-denominational church service at 11 a.m.
The Holden Lutheran Church chicken dinner will begin at noon.
The carnival also opens at noon on Sunday with wristbands from noon until 4 p.m., or regular prices for carnival rides.
At 1 p.m. Sunday, the Colfax FFA Alumni Meat Animal Auction will begin.
The magician, Truly Remarkable Loon, will perform at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Commercial building
Something new in the commercial building this year will be a joint booth operated by the Colfax Municipal Building Restoration Group and the Colfax Elevator Commission.
The Colfax Elevator Commission is working with Cedar Corporation on preliminary plans for the elevator project that would include an elevator to serve all three floors of the municipal building, along with restrooms on each floor and renovation of the basement into a useable space.
Since last fall, the elevator commission has been running the “$22 for 22 Steps” fundraiser for the elevator project. So far, 22 Steps has raised nearly $8,200.
The fundraiser is called “$22 for 22 Steps” because there are 22 steps going from the third floor where the auditorium is located to the main level.
When the elevator is installed in the building, the 22 steps will be taken out.
The CMBRG and elevator commission fair booth will include one-page donation sheet handouts with a tear-off bottom as well as a four-page information packet that goes into more detail about the elevator project and includes a drawing of the proposed work.
In addition, Walmart Distribution has donated prizes for the fair booth, such as a large screen television and a tablet, that will be auctioned off in a silent auction format.
Raffle baskets will be featured as well.
Visitors to the fair booth can buy tickets and then “bid” on the baskets by placing tickets in a jar by each basket.
The booth also will feature a children’s coloring contest, based on a coloring page of the Colfax Municipal Building.
The child who colors the winning page will win art supplies.
