Country and gospel singer Susie McEntire will headline the opening day of a heroic Kosciusko County Community Fair this July. McEntire, younger sister of Reba McEntire, will perform at 8 p.m. July 8 immediately following the “Salute to Heroes” themed grand opening of fair week. The 6:30 p.m. grand opening will feature special guests and other surprises, according to fair entertainment director Mike Loher. Grandstand seats for the McEntire concert are by freewill donation. Reserved track seating is available for $15 starting May 18 at 8 a.m. at the fair box office. Community members are invited to submit photos of their heroes to be part of the opening program, Loher said. The photos will be shown during a slideshow presentation on the concert stage. Pictures can be emailed to fairoffice@kcfair.org or non-returnable photographs can be dropped off at the fair office weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The deadline is June 1. Though soldiers are a big part of the heroes theme, Loher noted, the program is meant to be all-encompassing. “We don’t want to leave anybody out,” he said. “It’s not geared toward military, fire and police. If your mom’s your hero, you can include her.” Sponsors and volunteers for the program are also being accepted, he added. Additional concerts are set for July 9 and 10, with bands expected to be named next month, and truck pulls will be held July 12 and 13. The Show and Shine truck show will be July 13. Ongoing acts during fair week will include the motorcycle stunt performer Galaxy Girl, who rides on a sway pole more than 120 feet in the air. And just before the fair kicks off, the grandstand will be open to view Winona Lake fireworks July 5 around dusk, and there will be a parade July 6 going from Winona Lake to the fairgrounds. July 6 is also free fair day, with food, animals and other displays set up; rides will start operating July 7. Other upcoming events at the fairgrounds include an Easter egg hunt March 30. For the free event, 16,000 presealed, candy-filled eggs – 4,000 more than last year – will be hidden for kids ages 1 to 12 to find. The Easter Bunny will also be there. The hunt for 1- and 2-year-olds starts at 1 p.m.; for 3- to 5-year-olds, 1:10 p.m.; for ages 6-9, 1:20 p.m.; and for ages 10-12 at 1:30 p.m. KOI Dirt Drags will be at 6 p.m. April 26 at the grandstand. And the annual Test and Tune day for truck pull preparation will be April 27, with a regular pull with payout that evening. Also that day is an antique tractor auction, a lawn and garden Test Drag Day and the 4-H Fish Fry. Loher added as well that the fair board is already looking forward to the fair’s 100th anniversary in 2016. A special fund has been set up with the Kosciusko County Community Foundation that is now accepting contributions. For more details on upcoming events, visit www.kcfair.org
