Plans have already been made for this year’s Montgomery County Fair, which is scheduled for July 21-25.

The fair even came up with a new slogan, “Stars, Stripes and Summer Nights.” It was submitted by county resident Michelle Maskey during a theme contest that was run in October. Maskey’s slogan was one of 62 submissions that were forwarded to the Junior Fairboard for review.

“This year, the fair committee chose to introduce a theme contest as a new initiative,” fair secretary Chasity Lichtenberg said. “This was the first time the fair has utilized this approach, with the intention of gathering input from the community and generating fresh ideas, as developing new themes without repeating recent ones can be challenging.”

Fair officials hope this year’s fair will be successful like the one in 2025. Last year’s fair, which had the theme, “Welcome to Fairadise,” held a livestock auction that had 215 exhibitors and sold a record $638,027. The fair had a strong turnout at the gates despite weather conditions.

“Last year’s fair presented its share of challenges, including rain on three evenings and the cancellation of all major events on Friday due to weather conditions,” Lichtenberg said. “Despite these setbacks, the fair was still considered a success. Attendance remained strong, the grounds were filled with smiling faces and happy children, and the livestock auction proved to be exceptional and truly one for the record books.”

One of the major events that was cancelled in last year’s fair was the tractor pull at the Grandstands. The muddy conditions allowed mud football and mud kickball to be played at the Grandstands.

Lichtenberg said fair officials are in the process of developing a schedule for events for the 2026 fair and will be released soon.

“The committee is exploring the addition of new and unique attractions, and further details will be announced as plans are finalized,” Lichtenberg said.

Lichtenberg said planning for the fair is an ongoing process. The mission for fair officials is to have contracts finalized by the end of January, allowing them to prepare promotional materials and announcements later in the winter.

“In many ways, we never stop planning, as the committee is always considering new ideas and opportunities that could be implemented in future years,” Lichtenberg said. “Once the fair concludes in July, we take a short break until Old Threshers, where we assist with the food stand. After that, planning efforts resume in earnest, including exploring new events, communicating with promoters and working on contracts.”

Fair officials came up with something new to help plan for the fair – an exhibitor meeting. It is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Jan. 27 at the Montgomery City Public Library.

Lichtenberg said the goal for the meeting is to make sure exhibitors and families are prepared for the 2026 fair.

“For 2026, the committee decided to streamline this process by offering a single, centralized exhibitor meeting,” the secretary said. “This meeting is open to anyone interested in participating in the fair. Much of the information being shared is similar to what was covered last year, and it primarily applies to new exhibitors, so holding one meeting was a more efficient way to provide the necessary information without requiring multiple club visits.”

The Junior Fair Board is holding its annual Blacklight Bingo and Taco Bar on Feb. 20 and 21. The Feb. 21 session was sold out on Jan. 1.

“We are very pleased with how quickly the Blacklight Bingo and Taco Bar Saturday session sold out,” Lichtenberg said. “With it being a two-day event, there is always some uncertainty about how quickly tickets will sell, so it is encouraging to see such strong support. As expected, Saturday reached capacity very quickly, while Friday still has a few tables available for purchase. Overall, we are extremely happy with the sales.”