The Barnstable County Fair

by Vera Thornton

When: July 18 – 26

Friday, July 18 – Sunday, July 20: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Monday, July 21 – Thursday, July 24: 4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Friday, July 25 & Saturday, July 26 – 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
The Midway area is open until 11:30 p.m. daily

Where: County Fairgrounds, 1220 Nathan Ellis Highway (Route 151), East Falmouth

The Barnstable County Fair is one of the highlights of a Cape Cod summer, a tradition that has been going on for 164 years. People of all ages enjoy the old fashioned fun of this true county fair, with its prize-winning livestock, blue-ribbon pies and vegetables, 4-H demonstrations, petting zoos, arts & crafts, Midway rides and games - the Sizzler, the bumper cars, the Ferris wheel! Pop the balloon with a dart and win a giant stuffed animal! And of course, lots of fun fair food: peanuts, popcorn, curly fries! Cotton candy, corn dogs, lemonade! Entertainment of all kinds awaits you: championship bull-riding, the demolition derby, plenty of live music (the Village People at 7:30 p.m. on July 25th), and lots of animal shows with champion dogs, sheep, goats, and cows. I love the horse pull, where a team of two magnificent draft horses has been known to pull up to two tons of stone weight. This is a wholesome slice of Americana that ranks right up there with parades and fireworks, and the yearly attendance is a testament to the Fair’s popularity: over 85,000 people last year, with 90,000 expected in 2008. My only complaint about the Fair is that nobody gets to eat all those prize-winning pies; they just sit there being admired all week! Oh, for a scoop of ice cream and a fork.

As tickets for the rides can become expensive, parents take note of the following “Wristband Days” special, when you can ride all day for $15.

Friday, July 18, 2008 - 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Monday, July 21, 2008 - 4 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday, July 25, 2008 - 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

The Fair is produced annually by the non-profit Barnstable County Agricultural Society. It uses a portion of the proceeds to award $35,000 in scholarships to county-based students who pursue careers in agriculture, marine biology and home economics. Remaining proceeds are re-invested in the fairgrounds and donated to community groups.


Tickets for Admission: $10/adult, $8/Seniors, Children under 12/free with Paid Adult.
For information about advance tickets and special discount packages, please call (508) 563-3200, or visit: The Barnstable County Fair website ticket page.

For comfortable family-friendly lodging in the area, please visit the Seacrest Resort and the Shoreway Acres Inn.

Photo Credit:
Photos #1, #2, #3, and #5 courtesy of The Barnstable County Fair website.
Photo #4 courtesy of horsepullresults.com