Portage County Fair — Amherst opens July 16
Left to right: The Portage County Fair — Amherst offers a wide variety of exhibits and activities for all ages from a vintage tractor display to a fundraising fish fry from the Peterson family to the market animal sale to truck and tractor pulls.
By Brent Frankenhoff
The Portage County Fair — Amherst returns to the Amherst Fairgrounds July 16-19. In addition to the many regular attractions are a number of new or expanded items for another year of fun for all ages.
Speaking of those new items, Amherst Fair Board Vice President Mike Sankey told the Spirit, “We probably have more changes going on for this year’s fair than we have for the last 30 years. These include the newly constructed Wysocki Family Farms Entertainment Center, a new covered pavilion, a new Demo Derby promoter, additional parking, and the Mike Biadasz Pedal Tractor Race changing to a pedal tractor pull and expanding to ages 3-12.
“Probably our biggest change is that we will now accept debit and credit cards at many locations on the grounds. Previously, we were cash-only with an ATM on site.
“We’re building on the success of last year, and all of this is for the good of the Fair.”
Track expands for its events. The first two nights of the Fair feature truck and tractor pulls on the track at 6:30 p.m. each night with various classes of both types of vehicles. On Saturday afternoon, the annual Demolition Derby, now expanded from 30 cars to approximately 100, is held at 3 p.m. Sankey said, “We have a new promoter, Uttecht Derby Industries from Rosholt. We’ve also created a bigger, wider track to get more cars into action at the same time and added more tractors and end loaders to clear away the cars as they’re taken out of action. The show will go on rain or shine. There are big cash payouts for the drivers.” To accommodate the larger crowds, the Fair Board rented additional large bleachers to provide more seating.
Several bands are scheduled to play in the new Entertainment Center and Sankey said that the new building is on higher ground to prevent flooding of the building and bar in case of heavy rains. Each evening, different bands will perform with Around Town Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m., followed by Spicy Tie on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night features Through Crimson at 5 p.m. and returning favorite, Blame It on Waylan, at 9 p.m., “returning for their final performance ever,” Sankey said.
Exhibits for everyone. Friday and Saturday mornings are taken up with judging of the many exhibits that members of local 4-H clubs, FFA chapters, and other youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have worked on throughout the year. From showing animals to cake decorating to photography to model building to woodworking and more, there’s something for everyone to see and learn about around the fairgrounds.
Fair Board President Tim Pederson said, “We allow any youth organization to participate as we’re not a state-funded fair. Premiums come out of the Fair Board’s account, not state funds.”
Sheep, Swine, and Goats Barn Superintendent Lissa Danforth, who is also a superintendent for the beef animals in the Dairy Barn, said that she’s seen the animal exhibits grow significantly over the more than 30 years that she’s been involved with the Fair. “My kids showed at the Fair way back,” she said. “They showed outside with no fencing and nothing to contain the animals. There were just rickety pens in the building. The Fair Board took it upon themselves to upgrade all the buildings and make things user- and exhibitor-friendly.”
While Danforth’s own children have long since finished showing animals, she continues to work at the Fair because of the young exhibitors. “Portage County has the best kids in the whole wide world,” she added. “They work hard to get their projects looking great and put their hearts into their projects. The Amherst Fair supports the kids very, very well.”
A live cake auction selling the confections created by the youth exhibitors is held on Friday, starting at 7 p.m. in the Ruth Otto Building. Potential bidders simply show up and bid on the offerings.
Outside of the exhibit buildings, the Fair features a Commercial Building with displays from area businesses and organizations to showcase their products and services. Further south on the Fairgrounds is the ever-popular midway with rides and games for all ages by A&P Enterprise Shows from Polonia.
Fans of antique tractors can view a selection displayed by a collector group from the Marion area.
Food and beverages. Funds from concession sales, from such organizations as the Portage County Holstein Association (cheese curds and malts), Tomorrow River Conservation Club (burgers and Fries), and the VFW (popcorn), along with food stands run by the Portage County 4-H families and the local FFA chapter, help these organizations grow and offer more to the community.
In addition to the usual Fair vendors, Friday’s food offerings include the return of Dale Peterson’s fish fry near the grandstand with all profits going to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Sankey said, “Dale has added four new fryers for a bigger and better fish fry. And, we have nice shaded seating nearby in the new pavilion.”
Sunday morning, Ambrosia Pub and Grill caters an all-you-can-eat breakfast.
Line up for the parade! The Fair holds a parade through downtown Amherst on Saturday with this year’s event having a Christmas in July theme. In addition to the many floats and groups walking the parade route, the Fair uses the opportunity to recognize the Persons and Business of the Year selected by the Spirit. You can find forms at amherstfair.org to enter a float online or by mail. For more information, please contact Tara Ambrose at (715) 572-8471 or taraambrose13@gmail.com.
Ag Olympics for all ages. One of many attendees’ favorite events is the Ag Olympics, held on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Ag-themed events include gunnysack races, water transfer races, balloon toss, wheelbarrow race, and, new for this year, a hay bale toss. Youth teams and older adult teams compete in the event. Pederson said that his favorite game is the gunnysack race and added, “Lissa does a great job with those events.”
Market Animal Sale adds still more stock. The Market Animal Sale, held on Sunday at Noon, includes beef, pigs, turkeys, and sheep raised by 4-H and FFA members for sale. Bidding is open to anyone as long as they register before the auction with Fair staff under the tent near the Sheep & Swine Building.
Danforth said that the sale started with a limit of 20 hogs and has now grown to more than 100 animals. “When our kids showed, they had 4 or 5 in the sale,” she added. “Now there are more than 40 in each area.”
Fair history. The Fair’s first 48 years of operation occurred between 1869 and 1917. A restart of the Fair in 1949 after a more than 30-year absence makes this year’s show the 77th under the Portage County Fair Association and the 125th overall.
Of course, a fair doesn’t have this sort of longevity without the work and planning of a governing board and Pederson recognized his fellow Fair Board members when he said, “Our fair board has changed over the years, and we have increased membership by adding younger members now. This has helped us out by being more progressive in improving our fair.”
For those children considering a project for the Fair, Danforth said, “Open your heart to learning about agriculture and our community. Go out there and learn and have fun. Any of the animal projects are a great family activity as it makes mom, dad, and the kids work together. Be open to learning new things and have a good time.”
Volunteers appreciated and needed. Pederson said that the improvements to the fairgrounds and the Fair itself could not happen without the help of so many volunteers. “We are always looking for volunteers to help us out. We need help on Friday morning in the exhibit building starting at 8:30 a.m. If you are interested, contact me at (715) 572-2620 or contact a Fair Board member,” he said. “Other areas of need are selling tickets at the gates and bartending. Check our website for more information.”
He added that volunteers receive coupons for food and beverages as well as passes to the Fair.
Have fun! Danforth summed up the Fair Board’s feelings about the event when she said, “Amherst Fair is the Family Fun Fair! It truly is a fun fair. It’s the family fair with kids and families, and we have the most fun. It’s relaxed and laid back and it doesn’t have the pressure of the other fairs.”
More information on the Fair can be found at its website at amherstfair.org and in the flyer inserted in the July 2026 issue of the Spirit.