(Written by Joe Nelson)
DAYBROOK, W.Va. — The towns of Daybrook and Fariview are ready to celebrate the conclusion of the summer with the annual Clay District Fair.
The festivities will begin on Wednesday, August 7 in the southern side of Daybrook and will continue at the Clay District Fairgrounds in Fairview until Saturday, August 10. Clay District Fair Board Treasurer Ethan Moore encourages Monongalia County residents to come to the western end of the county to enjoy three days of food, fair rides, live music, and dozens of other activities, which will kick off with the annual Clay District Fair parade that starts at the Daybrook Methodist Church Wednesday night at 6:30 and leads to the fairgrounds.
“The parade steps off at 6:30, and it will march into the fairgrounds at around 7:30,” said Moore. “A full schedule of the week’s events are available at claydistricfair.org.”
This will be the 88th annual rendition of the Clay District Fair but will also be the first to try new amenities at the Clay District Fairgrounds. One of the most notable will be the expansion of public wi-fi on the fairgrounds, which will allow for each vendor, regardless of what they’re selling, to make credit card transactions if they so choose. Credit card payments will also be accepted for the annual baked steak dinner that will be hosted on Friday and the chicken roast dinner that will be hosted on Saturday. Moore added that the addition of wi-fi was part of an agreement between the fair board and a corporate partner.
“We’ve got a partnership with Westside Telecommunications, it’s going to let us have free wi-fi on the fairgrounds,” said Moore, detailing the partnership. “That’s enabled us to be able to accept credit cards, so we’ll be able to accept credit and debit cards in our concession stands and most of our stations,” he said.
Fair food concessions, or what is known to fairgoers as “The Eat Stand,” will also accept credit cards with a full menu of popular fair foods that will be offered throughout the week. Live entertainment will begin on Wednesday at 8 p.m. with country musician Josh Pantry scheduled to perform on the Clay District Fairground performance stage. He will be followed by gospel duo Jeff and Sheri Easter on Thursday, Jake Binegar on Friday, and former Little Texas member Brady Seals on Saturday. Fair rides will also be hosted throughout the week, with over half a dozen carnival-themed rides that will be located around the fairgrounds. This doesn’t include the dozens of local craft vendors, farmers, and community members who will participate in the contests that will take place from Friday through Saturday.
“Midways by M&J are going to have at least 8 or 9 rides set up for all ages and lots of activities,” said Moore. “We’ve got a pet show, a baby show, there’s something every night and all day on Saturday,” he said.
The popular baked steak dinner and chicken roast dinners will start at $12, and according to Moore, this is just a start of what kind of food will be served at the Clay District Fair, a popular aspect of the fair as a whole. Aside from the dinners that will be hosted by the Clay District Fair Association, “The Eat Stand” will serve pepperoni rolls, hotdogs, hamburgers, French fries, and Aumer’s steak and sausage sandwiches. A separate stand for lemonade, iced tea, and milkshakes is also scheduled to be open. Moore added that close to a half-dozen different homemade pies will also be available, a staple that has grown to stand out amongst fairgoers.
“We’re famous now for our homemade pies, and we’re back this year with four flavors of homemade pie, butterscotch, coconut cream, chocolate, and lemon merengue,” said Moore. “So there’s always good food on the fairgrounds, but our highlights are our homemade pies,” he said.
The Clay District Fair will also host their annual livestock contest on Thursday, with area farmers open to presenting their animals until Sunday. Contests for Miss Clay District and Teen Miss Clay District will also take place on Thursday, with a Tiny Miss, Little Miss, and Jr. Miss Clay District pageants scheduled to take place on Friday. Game themed contests for both adults and kids will take place on Saturday, with raffle drawings scheduled to take place nightly with a grand prize drawing set for Saturday. With members of the Clay District community ready to celebrate 88 years of their local fair, Moore encourages area residents to join in the fun.
“We’re very proud of our livestock exhibits, we’ve revamped our barn and done some remodeling, and we’re ready to show them off,” Moore said.