Wahl Walkabout Tour with Clinton Anderson

Want to be the best rider that you can be? Like your horses to be safer and more respectful? Looking for new training techniques? Join world-renowned trainer and RFD-TV personality Clinton Anderson at a Wahl Walkabout Tour on August 22-23, 2009! Each of the tour stops is a non-stop, no-holds barred, two day learning packed equine extravaganza you won't want to miss. Tickets are available on his website http://www.downunderhorsemanship.com/index.cfm for $25 in advance!

Judges Sniff Out A Winner

Our first annual Odor Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest was a smelly success. A total of 12 kids signed up to participate in this event and all of them had very stinky shoes. The judges reluctantly took a big whiff and announced Mike Caswell the winner. Fifteen year old Mike told the crowd that his sneakers became rotten after working on a garbage truck. His mom also told the judges that his shoes have to ride in the trunk when they make car trips. Mike and his mom will travel to Vermont to compete in the National competition later this March. Thanks to all who participated, especially Odor Eaters and 97KICKS FM for sponsoring this event.

North Country Mercantile Barnyard Olympics

Eight contestants competed to see who was the best farm hand at the 2009 ND State Fair. To kick off the event was a wheel barrow race. Weaving in and out of six orange cones and coming out on top was Tyler Vollmer. Next up was a bale throw. Each person forked a bale of straw with a pick fork and chucked it as far as they could. It had to pass 10ft to be counted. Tyson Reiter picked his way into first with a 21ft 7in. throw. Oh then there was the animal calling contest where everyone drew an animal out of the hat and mimic that animal. We had everything from a rabbit to a pig to a duck! Also, bonus points were awarded if the contestants showed up in farmer joe attire. Congratulations to all that won and thanks for a good show!

1st Tyler Vollmer
2nd Dennis Burrer

3rd Mitchell Becker

Ranch Rodeo Championships

There was an amazing turnout at last nights Ranch Rodeo Championships presented by Dacotah Bank. The twelve teams competed in trailer loading, trailer rely race, team mugging, and yes even wild cow milking. Everyone was on the edge of their seat the whole time. Congrats to our winners!

Kid's Showdeo!!

The Kid's Showdeo started off with a bang as the stick horse racers gave it their all! The Showdeo is divided up into three age groups and each age group competes in six different events. An All Around Champion is crowned in each age division and they each receive a belt buckle. Great Job to all who participated!! Thanks for a great Showdeo :)

Tractor Pedal Pull

We had a good turn out this year at the Kid's Pedal Pull. There were 9 different age groups, from 4 to 12 years old and about 8 kids per group. All the kids did a great job pulling those heavy loads and man were they cute doing it! We found that sticking the tongue out and leaning from side to side was a popular strategy. The kids that won first, second, or third will be invited to the State Competition and from there they will have the opportunity to go to Nationals and Internationals. All the kids who participated received a ribbon and a frisbee donated by Cloverdale Meats.

Horse Pull

The BIG teams went up against each other again this year at the North Dakota State Fair's famous Horse Pull. There were two classes, Percentage and Overload, and 8 teams in each class. Jeremy Longie from Rolla, ND was 1st in Percentage and Rick Byrne's team from Canada took the Overload by pulling 11,000 lbs. Rick's team was also the heaviest team in the Pull, coming in at 4,431 lbs. Tony Reller commendably won the Teamster Award and overall all the pullers did very well. Paul Geray did a great job announcing the pull and kept the audience updated on the weights and scores.

Pony Pull

We had an awesome Pony Pull this year. 14 teams competed for the win and Harold Flick's team came out on top. Harold received the grand prize of $350 and a plaque for 1st place. The top 9 places recieved a cash prize and earned it respectfully. The bleachers in Heritage Hall were completely full during the event and people were lined up around the arena to try and get a closer look at the mini power houses. These little ponies practice often for the event and for some it all payed off.

During the event the announcer, Paul Geray, informed us that the padding used during the pull protects the horses and pulling does not harm them. In fact he says that if well cared for, these horses often pull up to 18 to 20 years of age.

Dodgeball Tournament

The Fair took off with a blast this morning with our annual Dodgeball Tournament. 12 teams entered the tournament, but only one could have the glory of winning first place. The Youngest Team Here amazed everyone when they came back during the championship to take the win! In 2nd place were newcomers to the tournament, the Multiple Scoregasms, and in 3rd place were our veterans the Average Joel's. The Minor Problem came dressed to impressed, so they took the Best Uniform award and the Sittin' Ducks lived up to there name when
they took the award for the first team eliminated.

DJ Joe Goldade kept the teams motivated with classic songs, like "Eye of the Tiger". We had a great turnout and raised over $700 for the Minot Community Foundation. It was an awesome event and we would like to thank all of our sponsors and our volunteers. Without them this event would not have been possible.The 2009 Dodgeball Tournament is sponsored by:
KMOT

The Vegas Hotel
Splashdown Superslides
Anytime Fitness
Minot Country Club
Roosevelt Park Zoo
Valley View Go-Carts

Ribbon Cutting 2009

The 2009 North Dakota State Fair officialiy began tonight with our annual Ribbon Cutting ceremony. The ceremony took place on the Fair grounds in front of an oil rig donated by Egale Well Services. They generously brought the rig in order for the people of North Dakota to become more educated about the booming oil industry. Bob Wagner, State Fair Manager, did introductions as Feddie the Flickertail stood close by for support. Stop by the state fair this week and see an oil rig up close and personnel, located in Machinery Row.

Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest

These judges are ready to sniff some stinky sneakers. The gift bags for all the contestants were filled this morning with Odor Eater goodies to help those feet stay nice and freash. If you have stinky sneakers and are between the ages of 5-15 years old come on down to the ND State Fair Saturday, August 1st. The contest will be held on the JukeBox Junkie stage at 4pm. The winner wins a free trip to VT and $200!!

Umbrellas Galore

As everyone was setting up their booth in the food court, we stopped to admire the brand new NDSF umbrellas. These umbrellas should help to provide extra shade for our Fair-goers and make eating at the food court a superior experience. Not to mention provide the Fair with a little extra flare.

First Lady's Pie Contest

Don't forget to make your pie for the 1st Annual First Lady's Pie Contest! 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners receive this one of a kind pie server along with a cash prize! Bring your favorite dessert pie to the lower atrium of the State Fair Center Saturday July, 25th starting 12:00 pm; judging by First Lady Mikey Hoeven will start at 2:00 pm. See you there!

1st Place: $300 2nd Place: $200 3rd Place: $100

- Any type of dessert pie is acceptable

- All participants must pay gate admission

- You can enter more than one of your favorite pies

For more information please contact the State Fair Office at (701) 857-7620

KMOT Party at Bootleggers

KMOT will be hosting a party at Bootleggers on Thursday, July 23rd at 6pm. Join this pre-Fair party and you will have a chance to win a prize package for Dierks Bentley. The package will include gate admission, tickets to the concert on July 31st, and backstage passes! Bootleggers will also have drink specials for all who attend.

Concerts, Here They Come!

Motley Crew, Taylor Swift, Dierks Bentley... they're on their way! The concerts are becoming a reality today as the Grandstand stage starts to take shape. In just two short weeks the Fair begins, so our grounds crew are working overtime to get everything set up just right. Stay tuned for more updates about all the exciting set up on the Fair grounds these next two weeks.