HANCOCK — The Houghton County Fair is pleased to announce that the fair was awarded a grant for $25,800 from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development toward replacing the floor in the main exhibit building with concrete and replacing the end sliding doors with overhead doors. The total project will cost approximately $90,000. The floor work was awarded to DP Construction and will be done in September, after the 2021 Houghton County Fair.

Registration for fair exhibitors is open online at houghtoncountyfair.com and exhibitors that are able are encouraged to register online. This year there is the opportunity to pay registration fees online through the Blue Ribbon Entry Program for premium paying classes that have fees. Exhibitors from Houghton or Keweenaw Counties are eligible to show still exhibits, and the livestock open class shows are open to Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga and Ontonagon Counties. The open horse shows, farm tractor pull, and horse pull competitions are open to anyone. The Youth Talent Show on Saturday is also open to all youth, with no residence restrictions.

There is a form online to order 4-day passes by mail or by calling the fair office at 482-6200, and they will be mailed to you. Superior National Bank branches in Houghton County are also selling 4 day passes at the reduced rate of $20 for adults and $14 for youth aged 7 to 15 until August 25th. Megabands for the Skerbeck Entertainment Group Carnival are available online at skerbeck.com or in the fair office during office hours (cash or check only), which are Monday and Wednesday from noon to 3 p.m. The last day to register animals without a late fee is Aug. 16 (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and to register still exhibits is Aug. 18 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

Vendors interested in having indoor or outdoor booths can download forms from houghtoncountyfair.com. There are some exclusions for duplicate food vendors so please call the office if you wish to be a food vendor at the fair.