2015 San Juan County Fair Guide

7/18/2019 2015 San Juan County Fair Guide

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2 2015 SAN JUAN COUNTY FAIR THE DAILY TIMES

On behalf of theSan Juan CountyFair Board, I

invite you to join us atthe 2015 San JuanCounty Fair.

This fair, the largestsingle county fair in thestate, continues to attractmore than 90,000 peopleevery year, who come to

check out the tradeshow, look at the ani-mals, enjoy the great fairfood, watch the specialevents and concerts andtake advantage of seeingold friends and makingnew ones.

The fair board puts incountless hours toensure the San JuanCounty Fair is family

friendly and a placewhere kids of all agescan have fun in a safeenvironment. An eventof this magnitude isnt

possible without thehundreds of volunteerswho give of their timeand talents to overseethe many departments,events, office needs andother duties asassigned, and the boardis grateful to each ofthem.

Our concerts this year

are among the bestweve offered, and wehope our fair family andfriends pack the concertarea to hear some of themost talented artists inthe country. Were proudto offer these concertsfree of charge, with justthe cost of admission, soeverybody has theopportunity to enjoy themusic.

The San Juan CountyFairs Junior LivestockSale continues to rivalthat of the New Mexico

State Fair in the moneythe sale brings in to ourexhibitors. Many of our

buyers have supportedthe fair for more yearsthan most of can count,and the number of 4-Hkids who have been ableto continue their educa-tion because of themoney earned through

the sale of their animalsto those buyers cant beoverstated or over-appreciated.

The San Juan CountyFair Board shouts outan All Aboard for thefair. We are confidentyoull have as much funat the fair as we didplanning it for you!

Sincerely,Billy HuishPresident of theSan Juan County

Fair Board

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32015 SAN JUAN COUNTY FAIRTHE DAILY TIMES

By Steve GarrisonThe Daily Times

This year, the San Juan CountyFair marks 131 years of fun for fam-ilies.

The first 100 years of the San JuanCounty Fair, from 1884 to 1984, weredocumented by Marilu Waybournand Vernetta Mickey in Meet Me atthe Fair: 100 Fairs in Our FairCounty.

Though several documents sup-port the fact that the regions firstfair was held in 1884, there are hintsthat a fair might have been held ear-lier.

Waybourn and Mickey note intheir history that Jual A. GouldMiller mentions in a letter that thefirst fair was held Sept. 20, 1880,only 12 years after the region wasfirst opened for settlement.

The San Juan Times stated inOctober 1895 that, The San Juan

County Fair being held atFarmington is by no means a recentinstitution. In the good old days anannual watermelon picnic washeld.

The fair partly served as a way tocelebrate the regions arable land,which by 1892 supported 73,000fruit trees, notably peach trees.

By 1890, San Juan County fruitbecame known far and wide for itssize, flavor and lack of worms,

Waybourn and Mickey write.The chicken pull became a pop-ular attraction at the fair during theturn of the century and would laterprovide the name for the Na-Ho-HiRodeo. Na-Ho-Hi means catchchicken in Navajo.

The San Juan Times described theactivity in a July 1896 article: They

bury the rooster in the ground, leav-ing his head and neck sticking out,

then race on their horses by therooster and see who can catch himby the head and pull him out.

The contestant with the roostermust then scramble to avoid his oppo-nents, who attempt to take the birdfrom him. The winner gets what atthat point likely is a dead rooster.

Equestrian events became popu-lar in the early 1900s. At the 1902fair, events included a horse judgingon Main Street to determine the

best-gaited saddle horse in San JuanCounty. There was also a five-milerelay race, completed in that year in12 minutes and 15 seconds.

The first San Juan County Queen Miss Lucille Markley wasselected at the 1903 fair. The fair thatyear also featured a relay horse race

between the Utes and the Navajos.The event drew upward of 5,000Indians, Waybourn and Mickeywrote.

A railroad built in 1905 to connect

Farmington and Durango, Colo.,had a significant impact on the 1906fair, with one paper stating it drewthe largest crowds ever in the his-tory of the county.

Aztec hosted a competing fairbeginning in 1911, which eventuallyled to the Farmington fairs discon-tinuation in 1921.

The three years of dual fairs andcontroversy took its toll on our set-tlers, Waybourn and Mickey wrote.

Neither city held a fair for the nexttwo years.The 1918 fair was cancelled due to

the Spanish Influenza epidemic,which closed most public places.

Between 1923 and 1934, variousfairs competed for attention in bothFarmington and Aztec, includingthe Na-Ho-Hi Rodeo.

Prizes suffered during the periodof The Great Depression, which hit

in 1930. A free-for-all boxing contestfor boys 14 and under held at theNa-Ho-Hi Rodeo in 1931 offered $1to the last one in the ring. It wasthe largest prize awarded at the fairthat year, which included eventsranging from a pie-eating contest toa potato-peeling contest that was forwomen only.

A Kangaroo Kourt was held indowntown Farmington the week

before the 1939 fai r. Men whos enecks were not covered by ahealthy crop of whiskers weredragged before the court to answerfor the offense.

A livestock auction, first held atAztecs county fair in the 1920s, con-tinued to grow in the 1940s, with anexhibit hall dedicated to the event.

In 1957, the fair moved to McGeePark, named for Cecil McGee, one ofthe fairs most devoted supporters.He was on the fair board for 17years, from 1946 to 1963, serving as

president for eight of those years.The new grounds allowed for

more exhibits, including a farm andgarden exhibit, crochet contest,hobby market and tropic fish.

One-hundred and thirty head oflivestock were auctioned at the

Junior Livestock sale in 1963, whichalso featured the Navajo TribalBand.

The 1972 fair featured the rebirthof the Old Time Fiddlers Contest,

reorganized under the direction ofC.A. Blassingame and KennethWoodrum. The fiddlers contestwould draw talent from as far asTexas and Arizona by the end of thedecade.

Construction on the indoor rodeofacility at McGee Park began in

January 1978. The $650,000 arenaseats 2,200 people and was dedicat-ed to Don Roberts, a strong support-er of the fair.

The fair parade had 104 entries in1982 and drew thousands of specta-tors. An event also featured a com-petition for girls, boys and womento show off the versatility of wool.

According to The Daily Timesarchives, The San Juan County Fairfeatured pig racing for the first timein 1988. Contestant names includedHambone Harry, Bunny Bacon andCool Ham Luke.

The Fiddlers Contest continued togrow. Five divisions, as well as a

twin fiddlers and an accompanistcategory, were offered in 1994.

Funds raised from a barbecuecontest at the 2004 San Juan CountyFair were used to purchase suppliesfor troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.The streets that year were also deco-rated to mimic the sights andsounds of Mardi Gras.

Today, the San Juan County Fairis the largest in the state, averaging90,000 attendees annually.

The history of the San Juan County FairSan Juan County celebrates 131 years of the best food and livestock

NFL ITEMS

DASH MATS

GRILL GUARDS

STEP BARS

FLOOR MATS

CUSTOM FIT

SEAT COVERS

B&W GOOSENECk

HITCHES

BUG SHIELDS

HEAVY DUTY

BUMPERS

TOOL BOXES

BED COVERS

893 NM Hwy. 516 Between Farmington & Aztec, NM( 3/4 of a Mile East of Flora Vista Stop Light Open: Mon-Sat )

505-334-3343

FULL LINE OF TRUCK ACCESSORIES


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4 2015 SAN JUAN COUNTY FAIR THE DAILY TIMES 52015 SANJUAN COUNTYFAIR

SUNDAYAUG. 9Livestock check-inAll buildings closed to public

7 a.m. to noon: Animals check in, beef,poultry,rabbit, goat, swine, lamb,horse and llama. Goats, beef, swineand lambs must check in at RV3/4south entrance.

8 a.m.: Open Horse Show,Memorial Coliseum

3 p.m.: 4D Barrel Racing,Memorial Coliseum

4:30 p.m.: Rabbit Showmanship Test,Rabbit Barn

5 to 8 p.m.: Carnival pay one price, $205 to10 p.m.: Carnival open8 p.m.: Grounds close

MONDAY, AUG. 10Kids Day

Kids 12 and under admitted into fair with twocanned food items for ECHO Food Bank. KidsCarnival Day (everyone is a kid) from 5 to 9p.m., $20 ride bracelet.

8 a.m.: Fairgrounds open8 a.m.: Goat Show, Jeanette NicholsShow Ring, Lamb Barn8 a.m.: Rabbit Show, Rabbit Barn.

Rabbit Showmanship will begin oneand a half hours after the completionof the rabbit show at Jeanette NicholsShow Ring, Lamb Barn.

9 a.m.: Poultry Judging,Stark Poultry Barn

10 a.m.: Convention Center opens2 to 9 p.m.: Free flu shots by Walgreens

Convention Center,must be 7 years or older

5 to 8 p.m.: Carnival pay one price, $205 to 11 p.m.: Carnival open6 to 9 p.m.: Karaoke Show Hosted by

iHeartRadio , Small Patio6 p.m.: Outhouse Race check in6:30 p.m.: Outhouse Race,

behind Food Concessions7 p.m.: Island Style, Open Air Pavilion,

Food Midway10 p.m.: All buildings close11 p.m.: Fairgrounds close

TUESDAY, AUG. 11

Two for TuesdayTwo get into the fair for $5. Twocarnivalride bracelets for $25 from 5 to 8 p.m.Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and leaders inuniform admitted into the fair free.

8 a.m.: Fairgrounds open8 a.m.: Lamb Show, Jeanette NicholsShow Ring, Lamb Barn8 a.m.: Open Rabbit Show, Rabbit Barn9 a.m.: Poultry Judging,

Stark Poultry Barn10 a.m.: Convention Center opensNoon: Dog Show, Memorial Coliseum2 to 9 p.m.: Free flu shots by Walgreens


5 to 8 p.m.: Carnival pay one price, $205 to 11p.m.: Carnival open6 to 8 p.m.: Tractor Games6 to 9 p.m.: Karaoke Show Hosted by

iHeartRadio , Small Patio6:30 p.m.: Barnyard Olympics,

Memorial Coliseum

7 p.m.: Midnight Crises,Open Air Pavilion, Food Midway10 p.m.: All buildings close11 p.m.: Fairgrounds close

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12Gospel Night, Special Needs Day andSenior Citizens DaySenior Citizens and citizens with specialneeds admitted into the fair for free.

8 a.m.: Fairgrounds open8 a.m.: Swine Show,

Jerry Connelly Show Ring10 a.m.: Convention Center opens2 to 9 p.m.: Free flu shots by Walgreens


2 p.m.: Special Equestrian Horse Show,Memorial Coliseum

4 p.m.: Crazy Chicken Chase,Memorial Coliseum

5 to 11 p.m.: Carnival open6 to 9 p.m.: Karaoke Show Hosted by

iHeartRadio , Small Patio6:30 p.m.: Memorial Coliseum dedication7:30 p.m.: Gospel Night, Susie McEntire,

Open Air Pavilion, Food Midway10 p.m.: All buildings close11p.m.: Fairgrounds close

THURSDAYAUG. 13Lions DayKids 12 and under admitted free with an oldpair of eye glasses that will be donated to theFarmington Evening Lions Club.

8 a.m.: Fairgrounds open8 a.m.: 4-H/FFAHorse Show,

Memorial Coliseum10 a.m.: Breeding Beef Show, Beef

Barn Show Ring. Market Beef Showwill begin 15 minutes after thecompletion of the Breeding Show.

10 a.m.: Convention Center Opens1 to 4 p.m.: All pulls from the sale

due in the Fair Office

2 to 9 p.m.: Free flu shots by WalgreensConvention Center,must be 7 years or older

5 to 11 p.m.: Carnival open6 to 9 p.m.: Karaoke Show Hosted by

iHeartRadio , Small Patio6:30 p.m.: 4-H Rodeo,

Memorial Coliseum7 p.m.: Goat Costume Contest,

Jerry Connelly Show Ring8 p.m.: Tate Stevens, winner of

The X Factor, Open Air Pavilion,Food Midway

10 p.m.: All buildings close11 p.m.: Fairgrounds close

FRIDAY, AUG. 148 a.m.: Fairgrounds open10 a.m.: Convention Center opens11:30 a.m.: Knowledge Bowl entries

due in the fair office1 p.m.: Rabbit Catch-it entries

due in Rabbit Barn

2 to 9 p.m.: Free flu shots by WalgreensConvention Center,must be 7 years or older

5 p.m. to midnight: Carnival open6 p.m.: Rabbit Catch-it Contest, JerryConnelly Show Ring6 to 9 p.m.: Karaoke Show Hosted by

iHeartRadio , Small Patio6:30 p.m.: 4-H Rodeo,

Memorial Coliseum7 p.m.: Round Robin Showmanship,

Beef Barn Show Ring8 p.m.: Exile with special guest Juice

Newton Concert, Open Air Pavilion,Food Midway

11 p.m.: All buildings closeMidnight: Fairgrounds close

SATURDAY, AUG. 15Junior Livestock Sale and PublicSafety and Military Appreciation Day7 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Horseshoe Tournament,

Outdoor Arena8 a.m.: Fairgrounds open9 a.m.: Rooster Crowing Contest,

Stark Poultry Barn9:30 to 11:30 a.m.: Tractor Pulls,

Memorial Coliseum10 a.m.: Convention Center Opens10 a.m. to 9 p.m.: Free flu shots by

Walgreens Convention Center,must be 7 years or older

10 to 10:45 a.m.: Entries for Open/JuniorBaking Contest Accepted,

Convention Center11 a.m.: Open Junior & Senior Baking

Contest, Convention Center11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Buyers

Luncheon, Coliseum Pavilion11 a.m.: Stick Horse Race,

Beef Barn Show Ring1 p.m.: Junior Livestock Sale,

Jerry Connelly2 p.m. to midnight: Carnival open5 to 8 p.m.: Carnival pay one price, $206 p.m.: 4 Corners Kart Club Race,

Memorial Coliseum6 to 8 p.m.: Karaoke Show Hosted by

iHeartRadio, Small Patio6:30 p.m.: Salsa Contest,

Convention Center set up at 5:308 p.m.: Special Evening with

Wade Hayes & Bryan White,Open Air Pavilion

11 p.m.: All building closeMidnight: Fairgrounds close

SUNDAY, AUG. 16Check out DayFairgrounds closed

7 a.m. to noon: Livestock check out8 a.m.: Booths dismantle10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Exhibits check out

2015 SAN JUAN COUNTY FAIR SCHEDULE

Racine Eavenson, 17, of Aztec, goes in to kiss one of her pigs on Aug. 5 at her home in Aztec. Alexa Rogals/The Daily Times

Warming to swine

Despite initially thinking they were gross, teenager

is now entering fifth year of raising swine for fairFARMINGTON Racine

Eavenson wasnt interested whenher brothers began showing pigs inthe San Juan County Fair severalyears ago.

Pigs were gross, she said,recalling that time.

But then she saw their babies,which she thought were cute, andshe warmed to swine. This year,she is raising 20 pigs, many ofwhich were born in February andnow weigh more than 200 pounds.To qualify for the fair, her pigsmust weigh between 200 and 270pounds.

She plans to show 14 or 15 of

them in the fair, which starts Aug.10. This year, as in the previousfour years she competed, Eaven-son named the pigs based onmovie themes. This years themewas the Pixar film Cars. TheresLightning McQueen, Mater, Sally,Doc and Sheriff, among others.

Despite their cutesy names,Eavenson said the pigs are marketswine projects, and she hopes tosell them.

You get attached, but youknow, thats what youre raisingthem for, she said. Itsstill hardtaking them to the butcher, butwho doesnt like bacon, right?

Eavenson, who lives north ofAztec, will be one of many youthentering animals in this years fair.

Contestants check in their ani-mals the day before the fair starts.Categories include beef, poultry,rabbit, goat, swine, lamb, horseand llama.

The fair also offers other ani-mal contests. People can dress upgoats for a costume contest, chasechickens and see if their roostercan crow for the longest time.

Several years ago, Eavensonwon Champion of Breed in thefair for her big, white, pointy-earedYorkshire pig.

Thats one of the fairs manybreed categories, which aredefined by colors, stripes or spots,and ears.

Chester Whites, for example,are like Yorkshires but with floppyears. Hampshire are black, white-belted and pointy-eared. Spots arespotted and floppy eared. Berk-shires contain five or six whitespots and erect ears. And PolandChina pigs are like Berkshires butwith floppy ears.

Eavenson spends a lot of timeraising her pigs, and when shesells one of them, she said, it feelsgood.


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6 2015 SAN JUAN COUNTY FAIR THE DAILY TIMES

Hobby and BonnieFrazer moved toFarmington, along withtheir daughter, Tobi, inJuly 1956 to run the 7-2-11food store on 20th Streetfor Jack Hughes.

Farmington was boom-ing, and there was noplace to live. According toBonnie, the family livedin a renovated chickenhouse the first sixmonths. In that time, theyhad a house built inSunset Heights. Theirson, Mark, was born inJanuary 1957, and Alanwas born in April 1958.

Hobby loved the con-venience store business,and soon Hughes askedHobby to be his partner.Working with Hughes,Hobby began adding newlocations.

He and his crew spentmany hours building

shelving and counters foreach new store, as well asmanaging the stores dur-ing the day. Through theyears, the conveniencestore business has takenmany turns from rentingTVs, VCRs and movies toselling blocks of ice andeventually selling gaso-line.

Besides being in the

convenience stores, thecouple also had a BurgerHouse behind the 7-2-11on 20th Street, and, in1973, Hobby built his firstlaundry.

At first, Bonnie did notwork in the business andstayed home to take careof the couples children.She was supportive ofHobby and was the per-

fect wife for all the hoursit took to get a businessgoing to make it success-ful. As the children grew,

Bonnie began working inthe office. She went towork after dropping thekids off at school andcame home when theschool day was over. AsTobi, Mark and Alan got

older, they worked in thebusiness aft er school ,summers and many holi-days. It was definitely afamily affair. Hobby andBonnie were a great teamand worked togetherclosely.

In 1965, Hughes passedaway. His wife, Dorothy,was not interested inkeeping their share of the

stores, so Hobby andBonnie bought her out.In Novembe r 1984,

Hobby passed away at

the age of 66. Bonnie hadworked alongside Hobbyand knew a lot about thebusiness . She cal led ameeting with DerrellPitts, the general manag-er, and her children and

mapped out a plan tomove forward. In the next30 years, Bonnie ran thecompany with Derrell,Mark and Alan. Becauseof raising her childrenand living in Bayfield,Colo., Tobi worked in apart-time capacity untilthe last 10 years when shewas full-time.

The company has

expanded and addedstorage facilities andplazas. Bonnie wasalways involved in every

project and loved everyminute of it. She andMark worked in the officewith the bookkeeping,and she worked closelywith Derrell and Alan inthe day-to-day operations

of the company.Bonnie worked in theoffice every day until shewas 84 years old, whenshe broke her hip.

After that, even thoughshe did not come to theoffice every day, she wasstill interested in whatwas going on and waskept updated. Bonnienever forgot the man-

agers, office crew, mainte-nance, laundry attendantsor cashiers.

Hobby and Bonnie

loved their children. Inthe midst of running abusiness, they always hadtime for church, mealsaround the table, vaca-tions, ball games, movies,graduations, weddingsand other outings. Then,of course, the grandchil-dren came along, and thatwas a whole new story.Bonnie loved starting allover again and gettinginvolved with all of theiractivities, too.

Hobby and Bonnie alsoloved their company fam-ily. They had many barbe-cues at their house withhomemade ice cream,fireworks and cards.

Each year, they hostedan Employee ChristmasParty.

This was an importantevent for Bonnie, whowanted it to be special forthe employees. Every year

at the Christmas party,Bonnie told her employees,Our company is doinggreat because our employ-ees are the best!

Hobby and Bonnieloved Farmington. Theirgenerous hearts flowed tothe events of the commu-nity, especially for chil-dren. They loved helpingwith school events, sum-

mer baseball, the ConnieMack World Series, thetheater and the list goeson. One of the highlightsof Bonnies year wasattending the San JuanCounty Fair 4-H Auction.She loved the meal andgetting to meet the kids,as well as the excitementof bidding.

Bonnie passed away

Oct. 12, 2014, at age 90.She was buried besideHobby on Oct. 16, theirwedding anniversary.

Fair board honors Hobby and Bonnie Frazer with coliseum dedication

Hobby and Bonnie Frazer Courtesy Photo


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2015 San Juan County Fair Guide

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