
By Tim Gardner
One of the North Carolina High Country’s most anticipated yearly events– the Avery County Agricultural and Horticultural (A&H) Fair will run from Wednesday, September 6 through Saturday, September 9 at Heritage Park (Avery County Fairgrounds), located at 661 Vale Road in Newland.
Various rides, music, exhibits, demonstrations, games for children, competitions, including a beauty pageant, and much more ensure there’s plenty for people of all ages and interests to enjoy at the Fair. Whether a person is an enthusiast of agriculture, arts and crafts, or traditional ways of living, the Fair is known to offer the county’s best in all categories, along with a few special events. And also from the thrilling rides and various games for kids to the alluring displays in the livestock and farm and home tents, the Avery A&H Fair has something for everyone. Additionally, various food and drink vendors will be set up throughout the fairgrounds to satisfy the appetites and thirsts of those attending.
The Fair will start at 5:00 p.m. and run until 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 6; Thursday September 7; and Friday, September 8. The Fair will begin at 1:00 p.m. and run until 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 9. Amusement Rides open at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. On Saturday, amusement rides will start at 1:00 p.m., and continue until 10:30 p.m.
And admission at the gate each day/evening/night of the Avery A&H Fair is free.
It will mark the fifth year that it will be hosted on the Heritage Park property since the completion of the county’s agriculture building headquarters on the site.
This year, the Fair is offering shuttle parking for all who wish to use it from the old Lowes Foods store in Newland to Heritage Park (one-and-a-half miles away) and back to the old Lowes Foods on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The shuttle service will operate several times each evening and night on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and on Saturday afternoon, evening, and night. There is no charge to use the shuttle service.
Amusement ride bracelets are: $15.00 for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday each if bought in advance at the Avery County Extension Service Office (661 Vale Road, Newland) until Tuesday, September 5 or $20.00 per day/night if purchased at the Fair.
Celebrating 30 years in existence in 2023, the Avery County Agricultural and Horticultural (A & H) Fair has been a mainstay among the most popular celebrations and festivities in the North Carolina Mountains. Thanks to the collaboration of the Avery County Government and the community members who volunteer to operate it, the Fair is a family-oriented event known for the preservation of the mountain heritage that has long been a way of life for the people of Avery County. Focused on the education and enjoyment of our children, the Avery A & H Fair also reminds county natives, residents, workers, and guests how agriculture and horticulture have played a major part in the county’s communities throughout generations and since the county was founded in 1911.
“I hope everyone who wants to, will attend this year’s Avery A&H Fair,” said its President, B.J. Beuttell. “There will be plenty of fun and enjoyment for all who do. The Avery A&H Fair truly is one of the best annual happenings in our county’s lush history.”
Beuttell estimated that “several thousand will attend the Fair over its four-day course” and that it annually “draws people from various surrounding counties and several states besides North Carolina.”
Many who attend enter their livestock, produce, crafts, quilts, woodworking, cakes, pies, and more for the chance to win prizes. Winner ribbons will be presented for the best canned goods, produce, flowers, arts, and crafts. Visitors can pick up the farm and home entry forms to enter the contests and to obtain a booth to set up at the Fair at the Avery County Cooperative Extension Center, located at Heritage Park.
Entries will be received at the Extension Service Office on the following dates and times:
Sunday, September 3 from 1:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Monday, September 4 from 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (includes cut flowers and other floral arrangements)
Wednesday, September 6 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (Culinary Arts Foods and Baked Goods Only).
Livestock Entries will be accepted by appointment only. Contact Michelle South by phone at (828) 387-5748 for more details.
All exhibits and entries must be picked up on Sunday, September 10 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. All items left after this deadline will be discarded. The facility has no storage available for items left on premises. Whoever cannot meet this deadline must make other pick-up arrangements prior to Sunday, September 10.
“The Fair is a wonderful opportunity to show off our community,” Beuttell proclaimed. “There will be a lot of different exhibits and many people like to come and see what so and so raised, how big they were, how much they weighed, and so on. The competition is open to anybody. People can bring their stuff out and participate and we judge just about anything. We have canned foods, cut flowers, baked goods, vegetables and fruits in various categories, woodworking, paintings, crocheting, knitting, sewing, and almost anything else you can name.
An annual highlight of the Avery A&H Fair’s activities is a long list of livestock shows and related events. This year’s schedule includes:
Wednesday, September 6
(5:00 p.m.– 10:30 p.m.)
Open Chicken Showmanship Show– 6:00 p.m.
High Country 4-H Chick-to-Chicken Show-6:30 p.m.
Livestock Patty Bingo– 7:00 p.m.
Open Rabbit Showmanship Show– 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 7
(5:00 p.m.– 10:30pm)
Beef Heifer Showmanship Show–6:30 p.m.
Dairy Heifer Showmanship Show – 7:00 p.m.
Livestock Patty Bingo– 7:00 p.m.
Friday, September 8
(5:00 p.m.– 10:30 p.m.)
Goat Showmanship Show – 6:00 p.m.
Club Lamb Showmanship Show – 6:30 p.m.
Livestock Patty Bingo– 7:00 p.m.
Pee Wee Goat Tag Competition-7:00 p.m.
Goat Sorting Competition—7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 9
(9:30 a.m.– 11:00 p.m.)
Livestock Patty Bingo– 2:00 p.m.
On Ground Team Roping Competition– 2:00 p.m.
Horse Pee Wee Lead Line Show– 4:00 p.m.
Halter Horse Showmanship Show– 5:00 p.m.
In Hand Obstacle Course-6:00 p.m.
Livestock Patty Bingo (Another Round) –7:00 p.m.
Musical entertainment will also be provided at the Avery A&H Fair. Its line-up includes:
Wednesday, September 6
Harmony Singers — 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Tasha Ann– 7:30 p.m.-until 10:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 7
Avery JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians) — 5:30 p.m. until 6:15 p.m.
Avery County Community Band–6:15 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
Best In Show Talent Show– 7:30 p.m. until ?
The entry fee for this talent show is $20.00. Age Groups include: 5-9; 10-15; 16-20; and 20-plus (Groups of 3 or more). Each age division has first, second, and third place awards winners and one over-all winner from all age divisions).
Friday, September 8
Erica McKinney and Band–7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 9
Blue Ridge Performing Arts–1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
Chrissy Campbell and Avery County Cloggers– 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Another highly-popular event at the Avery A&H Fair is its beauty pageant–The Fairest of The Fair. It will be held on Friday, September 8 at 6:00 p.m. on Heritage Park’s Outdoor Entertainment Stage.
The divisions with seven Queens and one King being crowned include:
Wee Miss Avery A&H Fair Age-Birth-2
Tiny Miss Avery A&H Fair-Age 3-5
Little Miss Avery A&H Fair-Age-6-10
Junior Miss Avery A&H Fair-Age-11-15
Miss Avery A&H Fair-Age 16-21
Mister Avery A&H Fair-Age-Birth-12
Miss Confidence-Any age with disabilities
Miss Avery A&H Fair-Chosen from Little Miss, Junior Miss, and Miss
The entry fee is $30.00 for Wee, Tiny, and Mister Divisions and $40.00 for Little, Junior, Miss, and Miss Confidence Divisions. Contestants can register at the Avery County Extension Office. Tuesday, September 5 at 4:30 p.m. is the deadline to register.
For further information about musical entertainment, the talent shows, and beauty pageant, call Chrissy Campbell at (828) 387-6488.
On Friday, September 8 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., a special celebrity guest will be featured at the Fair—J.B. Rader from The Discovery Channel’s Hit Television Show “Moonshiners” that was filmed in the Appalachian Mountains. On the show Rader is “Popcorn” Sutton’s right-hand man. Rader will be available to greet those attending the Fair and sign autographs.
Additionally, the Avery A&H Fair will host its third annual car (vehicle) show on Saturday, September 9 from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. There is a $10.00 entry fee. Car (vehicle) show awards given will include Best Car, Best Truck, Best Motorcycle, and Best Over-All. For more details about the car (vehicle show, call Claude Buchanan at (828) 733-3558 or Adam McKinney at (828) 387-1158.
The Avery County H&A Fair has been operating with the help of the local N.C. Cooperative Extension throughout its existence. Its proceeds provide funding for the Lindsay Beuttell and Avery A&H Fair Scholarships given to local students as well as to cover the operating costs for the annual event.
“The Avery A&H Fair is a bonafide North Carolina Department of Agriculture (NCDA) Fair and it’s put on by a group of volunteers who come together and then work collectively for a common, goodwill cause,” remarked Jerry Moody, Avery County Fair Manager and Extension Service Director. “The extension office helps as our staff, the Avery A&H Fair Board members, and many others provide the necessary support and other forms of resources to help put on the Fair each year. It’s primarily held so we can raise money to offer scholarships to deserving students, which has been done since the Fair first opened in 1993. It’s also an opportunity for us to show off Avery County’s rich cultural and agricultural history, of which our county takes great pride.”
Beuttell noted that the Fair needs more volunteers: “It takes a lot of meticulous preparation and much hard work to pull the Fair off,” she said. “And we can always use volunteers, because there’s always more work to be done than we have time or people for. So anyone who wants to come out and help is encouraged to do so.”
Besides Beuttell and Jerry Moody, the Avery A & H Fair Board of Directors consists of the following members with the specific function each oversees listed in parenthesis: Lisa Moody (Treasurer); Katie Toney (Vendors); Michelle South (Livestock); Chrissy Campbell (Entertainment); Kara Taylor (Social Media); Debbie Smith (Artwork); Aneda Johnson (Heritage); and Tim Buchanan (General Member).
For more general information about the Avery H&A Fair, call the Avery County Fair at (828) 387-6870 or the Avery Cooperative Extension Service office at (828) 733-8270 and/or log onto its Internet web site (averyahfair.com) or its Social Media Facebook page at: facebook.com/AveryAHFair.
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