The Rockingham County Fair & Other Local Fairs

One of my very favorite end-of-summer activities is taking my family to the county fair!  Because we live in Harrisonburg, our family always attends the Rockingham County Fair at the Fairgrounds just outside Harrisonburg but we have visited other local fairs also!  Each year, we look forward to seeing the animals (the chickens are my favorite!) and riding the carnival rides!  But there is so much more to do and see!  From concerts and the demolition derby, to all the FOOD and the animals showings, you don’t want to miss this fun event!  I have been incredibly impressed each year with watching local youth show their animals!  Their dedication and the care they show is amazing.

Rockingham County Fair: August 12-17, 2024

• Website
• Location: Rockingham County Fairgrounds 
• Concerts:  Mac Powell with special guest Cochren & CO (Sun, Aug 11), Dylan Scott with Special Guest Tyler Farr (Mon, Aug 12), Twitty & Lynn with special guest Jack & Davis Reid Music (Tue, Aug 13)

Special dates to pay attention to:

• Mon, Aug 12 – Veterans, First Responders, Teachers and School Staff get in free with an ID
• Wednesday, Aug 14 – Youth Day – kids 12 & under get in free
• Thursday, Aug 15 – Senior citizen discount (60 years old or older gets in for $2)

If you have children who want to ride the rides, be sure to pay attention to these dates:

• Monday- $2 Day-All Rides 2 credits each,
• Tuesday- Buddy Night; 2 armbands for $30
• Wednesday- $25 Armband
• Thursday- $25 Armband
• Friday- $27 Armband
• Saturday- $30 Armband

Be sure to check out the Rockingham County Fair information page to get ALL the details.

Page County Fair: August 17-24, 2024

• Website
• Location: Page County Fair Grounds
• Information: Opens at 4pm on Monday Aug 22 through Saturday Aug 27^th.
• Admission fees:  Adults: $10.00, Children (6-12): $5.00, Under 6: Free
• Monday August 19th – Kids’ Night – All school age children admitted FREE!
• Free admission for the following: Senior Citizens over 60, Military Personal (Active, Retired, and Veterans), and First Responders
• “Fair festivities commence with our Scholarship Pageant on August 12th, New Grandstand entertainment includes the Gospel Harmony Boys, included in your gate admission, and Gospel contemporary christian singer Anne Wilson, finishing out the week we welcome True Grit Rodeo. Fan favorites like the horse show, the truck and tractor pull and the demolition derby remain unchanged. The bustling midway offers amusement rides, pavilion acts, axe throwing, Grace the donkey, and even LIVE dinosaurs!”  (info found here)

Shenandoah County Fair: August 25-31, 2024

• Website
• Location: Woodstock, Virginia
• Concerts: Zach Williams on Friday August 30th at 7:30pm
• Information: Fair opens at 10am each day.  Carnival begins at 5pm each day.
• Admission Fees: $7 in advance, $8 at the gate

Special Events:

• Truck and Tractor Pull on Sunday Aug 25
• Demolition Derby on Tuesday Aug 27
• Cooper Alan performing on Thursday Aug 29
• Zach Williams performing on Friday Aug 30
• Pricilla Block performing on Saturday Aug 31
• Demolition Derby: Aug 29 and Aug 30

There are so many fun options in our area!  I hope that you and your family are able to make it to at least one of these local fairs.  You’ll find my family and I at the Rockingham County Fair!   And I have a (slightly embarrassing) confession to make… after 15+ years of attending the Rockingham County Fair, it wasn’t until last year that I discovered the sheep barn!  Somehow, in all these years, I had never seen it and didn’t know it was there.

So whether you live in Harrisonburg/Rockingham County or beyond, be sure to mark your calendars for these fun fairs!

Are you looking for a fall sport for your kids?   Check out this post about gymnastics!