FORT SMITH -- A popular event for River Valley residents will make a comeback starting this week, after being canceled last year.
The Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair starts Friday and will run through Oct. 2 at Fort Smith's Kay Rodgers Park at 4400 Midland Blvd.
Activities will include live music, pig races, games, traditional fair food, art exhibits, livestock competitions and rides provided by the Mighty Thomas Carnival, according to the fair website. Other events will include a youth talent competition Saturday and the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair pageant Oct. 2.
Fair chairman Kelly Clark estimated that the fair will have slightly more to offer people this year as compared with 2019. The 2020 fair was canceled because of the covid-19 pandemic.
Clark said the fair extended the agreements it made with entertainers scheduled to perform in 2020 into this year. An addition to the lineup that was made later was Rock and Roll Over, a Kiss tribute band.
"It's just been a really hard year for a lot of the entertainment community, and we sure wanted to do our part in trying to support them," Clark said. "So, we fulfilled all of our commitments that we'd made back in late 2019 when we were planning for 2020."
Clark said the fair will follow covid-19 guidelines as set out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although masks will be "highly suggested," they will not be required for entry. The Mighty Thomas Carnival will employ additional procedures. Social distancing will also be encouraged.
Attendance averages for the fair for the past few years have been between 100,000 and 120,000 people, said Chad Jones, president and creative director for Rightmind Advertising, the fair's ad agency and public relations firm of record.
Advance gate admissions and ride tickets can be purchased through the fair website. Advance gate admission for adults is $8; for people 62 and older is $6 with valid identification; for youths ages 4-11 is $5; and children 3 and younger is free.