Now less than two months away, Kiwanis Club of Statesboro members are continuing preparations for the 62nd Annual Kiwanis Ogeechee Fair.
Set for October 14-19, the Fair attracts thousands of local and area residents as the main fundraising event for the Kiwanis Club.
“One of the goals of the Fair is making our community a better place to be a kid,” a release from the club stated. “This event raises many thousands of dollars each year, which is donated to a variety of community projects, including scholarships for graduating high school seniors, museum trips for elementary school students, wheelchair ramps for local residents, supplies for kids in foster care and many other worthy children’s organizations activities.”
While the parade will march through downtown at 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 14, the actual first Fair event is the Miss Kiwanis Ogeechee Fair Pageant, which is Sept. 28 in the Pittman Park Methodist Church Education Center, beginning at 10 a.m. Peighton White was crowned the 2023 Miss Kiwanis Ogeechee Fair, and went on to compete at the Miss Georgia / South Carolina Fairs Convention this past January.
If you are interested in entering the pageant, applications may be found at www.kiwanisogeecheefair.com
The 2023 Fair Parade had 134 entries and Kiwanis members hope for even more entries for the 2024 parade. Once again, Georgia Southern University will combine their Homecoming Parade with the Kiwanis parade.
For those who want to participate in the parade, go to www.kiwanisogeecheefair.com and fill out the parade application. Applicants will be notified by email about one week before the parade with their number and their staging location.
After the parade, Kiwanis Fair Chairman Bobby Turner will cut the ribbon to open the gates at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 14.
Along with the popular midway rides and games, there will be plenty of food choices, including funnel cakes, Italian sausages, candy apples and cotton candy will be there, and along Heritage Village local vendors will offer hotdogs, hamburgers, seafood, chili, chicken and rice and other mouthwatering treats.
The Heritage Village also includes an authentic farmhouse and barn, antique farm implements, an old general store, grist mill and bee exhibit. That is also the area where entertainment is held.
Live music for the 2024 Fair will include sets from The Tams, The Swingin’ Medallions, A1A, which is a Jimmy Buffett cover band, Abbey Road Live – a Beatles cover band and special shows from local favorites The Ripleys and Drew Wiggins and Friends.
The ever-popular Rosaires Royal Racers pig races, and several other live shows, all of which are free with admission, will also be on hand.
Fair hours for 2024: 6:30 p.m.-midnight Monday; 4 p.m. to midnight, Tuesday through Thursday; 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday; and noon to midnight to close the Fair on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Gate admission is $15, and advance tickets bought online at www.kiwanisogeecheefair.com are $12. Children age 5 and younger are admitted free.
“The Kiwanis Club of Statesboro, and the Fair Committee hope that you will join us in making this the most successful fair ever,” the release stated. “Kids need Kiwanis, and Kiwanis needs you. Together, we can make a difference.”