Dodge County Fair returns Wednesday for 2021 run

After a year’s hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic Minnesota’s oldest county fair is ready to once again welcome visitors. The fair opens on Wednesday, July 14, and continues through Sunday, July 18, with many old favorites returning and a few new ones.
There will be at least three new food vendors this year, said Fair Board President Marilyn Lermon.
Rolling Roasters will be offering corn-on-the-cob as well as a variety of barbecue items. Tempo will be a new vendor offering ice cream cones, root beer floats, ice cream paninis, slushies and bottled drinks.
Tasty Potato Skins will be on the grounds offering, among other foods, loaded potatoes.
New at the grandstand will be Enduro racing featuring full size and compact cars. The racing begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Attendance at the car races should be big, Lermon said, and the demolition derby always draws a big crowd.
Also returning is the Dodge Mayhem Trailer Races on Sunday afternoon which drew a big crowd when they debuted at the 2019 fair. Bull riding will also be back but that show has been moved to Friday night in hopes of having a larger crowd, she said.
A new stage is being erected to handle the free entertainment available. The stage is being constructed locally, Lermon said, from a shipping container.
Activities on the entertainment stage include a cow milking contest, story times by the Dodge Center Library, a visit from Oxbow Park animals, performances by Greg the Great Magician, hotdish and pie competitions, longest beard contest, mini donut eating contest, and a Sunday morning church service. There will also be music throughout the week and the 4-H Fashion Review.
Bingo will be moving to a new location this year at the shelter located across from the 4-H building, Lermon said.
There will also be expanded activities for kids at the Little Farmer’s Barn. The barn was a big hit when it opened at the 2019 fair.
Special activities during the week include Daycare/Family Day on Thursday, Senior Citizen Day on Friday, Military/Public Service Day on Saturday and the Hall of Fame Program on Sunday.
The fair was cancelled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lermon said, and it is hard to predict how attendance will be this year.
While some people might still be skeptical of venturing out into large crowds because of the virus, Lermon said, on the other hand people may be counting down the days until the fair so they can get out and have some fun.
For more information on the 2021 Dodge County Free Fair see the B Section of this week’s Dodge County Independent.