4-H Fair Offers Entertainment for All

COURT HOUSE — The Cape May County 4-H Fair opens at noon on Thurs., July 15, but it officially kicks off with the Grand Opening Parade that day at 4 p.m.
The Grand Marshalls of this year’s parade are a very special group of kids….They are the children from our U.S. Coast Guard Base in Cape May. All dependents of U.S. Coast Guard families have been invited to lead the parade. Representing their parents, the brave men and women of the U. S. Coast Guard who serve our nation, they will march with pride.
Our Grand Marshalls will be followed by 2010 Outstanding 4-Hers Kelsey Champion and Kylie Smith, marching 4-H clubs, the Cape May County String Band, a 4-H livestock float loaded with cute kids and critters, the Cape May County Herald’s mascot Truman the Dragon and 4-H riders on horseback led by the Moonlight Riders Mounted 4-H Drill Team.
The parade will wind around the fairgrounds, beginning at the horse show arena and ending at the main stage just in time for the fair’s Opening Ceremonies. Cat Country Radio’s 107 Days of Summer Tour will also be on hand that afternoon to cheer along the parade and entertain fair visitors.
Following the parade and opening ceremonies, the John Walters Community Band will take the stage from 6-7 p.m. Broadway Rhythms comes on at 7 p.m., and Thursday’s entertainment will conclude with the Atlantic County 4-H Cloggers, beginning at 8 p.m.
The Cape May County String Band kicks off Friday’s live entertainment at 5 p.m., followed by A Touch of Class at 6. The incredible Cantaffapella Rock & Roll Chorus returns by popular demand Saturday night with two performances at 4:30 and 7. The a capella youth group will be appearing at the Hard Rock Café in Atlantic City earlier in the day, the first stop in an 18-day, multi-state tour. Butch Hamer’s Karate Studio students will perform at 6 p.m.
The entertainment onstage is the perfect backdrop to the Cape May County Board of Agriculture’s Chicken Bar-B-Que, served all three evenings of the fair from 5-8 p.m. Friday’s menu adds a choice of delicious filet of fish. The cost of the dinner is $10 for adults and $6 for children. Tickets are available prior to the fair at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension office, at 355 Court House– South Dennis Rd. in Court House and during the event on the 4-H Fairgrounds at the Bar-B-Que Ticket Booth, beginning at 4 p.m. each evening.
In addition to live entertainment, there are many other activities to be found throughout the fairgrounds.
The Lockwood 4-H Youth Center will feature winning 4-H project displays and educational exhibits. Small animal, horse and livestock shows and exhibits will be ongoing at the rear of the fairgrounds. Wizards Festival of fun amusement rides will open Thursday and Friday from 5 until 9 p.m. and Saturday from 1-10 p.m. The 4-H fair’s bustling midway of commercial vendors, strolling entertainers, food booths, games and community organization booths will be open until 9:00 p.m. each night.
Public hours for the fair are noon to 9 p.m. each day. General admission to the fair is free, as is public parking and shuttle service to the 4-H fairgrounds, provided by Cape May County Fare Free Transportation. Official fair parking is at the Cape May County Technical High School, located at exit 11 on the east side of the Garden State Parkway on Moore Road. Shuttle buses run approximately every 15 minutes from noon through closing to transport fair goers to and from the event. Buses are fully handicapped accessible and air-conditioned.
There is also limited, premium parking available next door to the 4-H fairgrounds at Atlantic Cape Community College, at 355 Court House- South Dennis Rd., with a suggested $5 donation.
For a 2010 Cape May County 4-H Fair brochure and daily schedules of events, visit www.capemaycountygov.net, click on “Departments,” then “Rutgers Cooperative Extension.” For other questions, please call 609-465-5115, ext. 605.