173rd Butler County Fair opens Sunday: What to know

The Butler County Fair is one week away, and organizers are getting excited.

The fair runs from Sunday, July 23 through Saturday, July 29. Last year, the popular week-long event added three demolition derbies to its schedule, and they will return this year on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This year, the fair is also adding a free-with-admission concert.

Here’s your guide to the 2023 Butler County Fair.

What’s new this year?

Doug Turner, president of the fair board of directors, said he’s looking forward to the new Saturday night concert they’re adding to the event lineup. The concert will feature Crush Bon Jovi Experience, a popular Bon Jovi tribute band.

“They introduce themselves to us, and we hired them to to try and get something new and entertaining at the grandstands for Saturday night,” Turner said.

The band will perform at 6 p.m. July 29 with openers Justin Back and the Borrowed, a local group from Seven Mile. Unlike the other grandstand events throughout the week, the concert will be free with general admission tickets, no additional purchase necessary.

Even the most regular fairgoers will have something new to look forward to beyond the concert. Turner said the fair is also adding a slew of new vendors who have rented out tent space for the week.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Butler County Fair pay and parking

The fairgrounds are located at 1715 Fairgrove Ave in Hamilton. The parking entrance is off of North Fair Avenue, and the fair has a separate entrance to the north for anyone who wants to walk.

General daily admission to the fair is $10 per person, or $5 for children ages 6-12 accompanied by adults. Wednesday, July 26 is “Senior Citizen Day,” sponsored by the Butler County Veterans Commission, and on that day admission is free to both seniors (62 and older) and veterans.

If you’re going to the fair, you won’t have to worry about paying for parking, which is included in general admission. Special deals are available for anyone planning to go multiple days. A membership ticket costs $40, while a 7-day pass is $35 and a 4-day pass is $25.

The grandstand events include the demolition derbies, two tractor pulls on Sunday, the broken horn rodeo Tuesday and a tractor, semi and truck pull Thursday. Fairgoers can purchase a seating wristband good for the whole week for $30, or buy tickets to individual events for $8 to $10, with reduced prices for kids. Anyone who wants to experience the action up close can purchase a pit pass, which will cost $20 for the demolition derbies and $15 for all other events.

Credit: Nick Graham

The main events

Each day at the fair is different. Here are the main attractions you can expect for each day of the week. Each day also includes a number of contests from honey judging to horse shows. For a full schedule, look at the Butler County Fair’s online list of events.

Sunday - The first day of the fair is all about tractors. The garden tractor pull starts at 10 a.m., with an antique tractor pull later in the day at 5 p.m.

Monday - Monday’s main event is the first demolition derby of the week at 7 p.m. Earlier in the evening, the Future Farmers of America will hold its Agriscience Fair at 6 p.m. for middle and high school students doing research in agriculture and food science.

Tuesday - Pie lovers should plan their trip to the fair for Tuesday. Pie judging starts at 10:30 a.m., and the day wraps up with a pie and cake auction at 6 p.m., followed by the annual broken horn rodeo at 7 p.m.

Wednesday - Wednesday starts off with a series of junior fair shows including market beef, five separate goat shows and a rabbit show. The day will include a flower show at 11:30 a.m., and the main draw of the evening is another demolition derby at 7 p.m.

Thursday - Thursday’s big theme is baking, with the FCS bake in contest, the FCCLA Bake-A-Rama, open and junior cookie contests, and a men’s bake-off all in one day. The grandstand event at 7 p.m. will be a tractor and truck pull.

Friday - The last weekday of the fair includes a horse fun show at 9 a.m., a wood carving auction at 5 p.m., and the last demolition derby of the week at 7 p.m.

Saturday - The week of fun wraps up with the junior fair livestock sale, a beer and wine judging and tasting contest at 6:30 p.m., and the new Saturday night concert at 6 p.m. in the grandstands.