“The fair went amazing,” said Fair Manager Heather Stewart. “We had great weather and good attendance. The attractions were good and the entertainment was amazing. The grandstand was packed every night.”

The fair was held July 17-21 at the fairgrounds south of Fort Dodge.

While admission to the fair is free and uncounted, Stewart said the board felt that attendance was up from past years.

“We had a packed house Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,” said Stewart. “It was amazing.”

The Kids Zone was a popular stop at the fair this year. Stewart said families loved the foam pit, bouncy houses, face painting, and spin art.

The Stingray Encounter and The Steamers Thrill Show were also big crowd pleasers.

“People loved the stingrays,” said Stewart. “They loved that they could touch the stingrays and feed them, and people got to see Nemo, the baby shark. People loved The Steamers entertainment, and this was just their third performance stop. They were brand new this year.”

The 2024 fair was also the public’s first opportunity to take in the many updates made by the board to the livestock arena, including new steel on the exterior of the building, spray foam in the ceiling, ceiling fans, lights, windows, and overhead doors, as well as updates to the livestock office.

According to Stewart, she heard many positive comments from 4-H and FFA families about the arena renovations. The bathrooms and kitchens are next on the construction list, though the board is awaiting funding or donations to do so.

The 2025 Webster County Fair will be held July 16-20, and the fair board is already booking entertainment for the Kids Zone.

“One of our big attractions for next year is Wolves of the Wild,” said Stewart. “We’ll start announcing our different free entertainment acts soon too.”