ROBERTSDALE, Alabama – Neither rain, nor heat, nor providing shelter from a hurricane will stop the 67th annual Baldwin County Fair from beginning Tuesday, Sept. 19 at the Baldwin County Fairgrounds, 19477 Fairground Road, behind Robertsdale High School.

“This is definitely the closest we’ve ever been to not having a fair,” said Fair Manager A.B. “Sonny” Hankins, “We’ve had some near misses before, but I really thought this would be the one. God blessed us again and the storm went East and I’m so proud of our County Commission for allowing us to help folks. That is really what this facility was designed for.”

With the threat of Hurricane Irma looming the Baldwin County Commission held an emergency meeting on Thursday, Sept. 7 and voted to open the Baldwin County Coliseum as a storm shelter for evacuees from Florida and Georgia. The 38,000-square-foot building, which can accommodate up to 1,900 people long term, served more than 400 storm victims through Tuesday, Hankins said.

“They really only needed about half of the auditorium space and we can use both lobby areas and upstairs areas if necessary,” Hankins said. “We’ll have crews coming in on Thursday to clean up and we’ll start bringing in the exhibits on Friday. And we’ll be ready to open the fair as scheduled on Tuesday.”

Established in 1948, the Baldwin County Fair is the longest running county fair in the state. Hankins, whose father was a founding member of the Baldwin County Cattle and Fair Association, has served on the board since 1958 and has served as fair manager since 2004.

After beginning life in Silverhill, the fair moved to Robertsdale in the early 1950s, where it operated from the same location on Palmer Street for more than 50 years. In 2007, the fair moved to the current 50-acre facility with a 78,000-square-foot, 2,200-seat arena. In 2008, the transition was completed with the opening of the Baldwin County Coliseum.

The fair draws thousands of residents from throughout Baldwin County and the surrounding area each year, and this year organizers hope for bigger and better crowds with a wide variety of activities.

This year’s fair kicks off at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19 with an FFA Agriculture Education Day with education workshops held throughout the day for Baldwin County agriculture students.

Judging for the exhibits both inside the Coliseum and outside at the entrance to the arena also begins on Tuesday with a total of $21 in premiums awarded in each category.

“This is our bread and butter,” said Melinda Hankins, who coordinates all of the exhibits. “Without the exhibits we wouldn’t have a fair.”

Last year, the fair featured more than 1,200 competitive exhibits, including antiques, art, crafts and hobbies, environmental art, scrapbooking, sewing, food preparation and preservation, horticulture and agronomy, photography and livestock exhibits, along with environmental exhibits, featuring schools and civic organizations.

This year, more than $20,000 in premiums will be awarded, Melinda Hankins said.

The midway, run again this year by Arnold Amusement, opens at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

In addition to numerous exhibits inside the coliseum, there will also be Baldwin County museum exhibits and a Pysanky Egg exhibit inside the Coliseum, as well as livestock exhibits, a duck pond and baby chick exhibit and South Alabama Antique Tractor & Engine Club exhibit outside.

Daily features also include the Pony Express pony rides and petting zoo, a Teeny Weeny Circus with shows daily, food, and Tim Brown Entertainment will be providing daily street fair music outside the Coliseum.

An FCCLA Sweet Potato Contest begins at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and the annual Bo Campbell Rodeo beginning at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the arena. “Alabama Cowgirl” Victoria Ann Wood will perform trick riding during the rodeo and there will be a calf scramble each day at 8:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, for $12 admission, all rides and entertainment are offered free of charge for all over 36 inches tall. Thursday, all seniors, military personnel and veterans are admitted free from 4 to 5 p.m. General admission on Friday and Saturday is $7 for adults. Admission is free every day for children under 12.

Friday night is midnight madness with $20 arm bands for unlimited midway rides from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Rides from 5 to 10 p.m. are with tickets only. Saturday features $15 arm bands for unlimited rides from 1 to 5 p.m. and rides with tickets only from 5 p.m. to closing at 1 a.m.

Youth livestock shows begin at 9 a.m. Saturday in the arena, featuring poultry, goats and livestock and a pee wee goat show for children under 6.

Information about these and other items of interest are provided in the Baldwin County Fair special section, which was inserted in the Sept. 8 edition of the Baldwin Times are also available at fair offices and inside the Coliseum on fair days.

For more information call the fair office at 251-947-3247, call 251-747-2082 or visit the fair website, baldcofair.com.