All’s Fair

Today, pie-eaters, canners, crafters, foodies and the competitively hirsute head back to the Denver County Fair. With fourteen indoor pavilions, this year’s fair is a marathon of weird, old-fashioned fun, with performances, rides and competitions that anoint everything from the best beard to the best cake. Kids, geeks, drag queens,...

By Laura Bond

August 9, 2012

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Today, pie-eaters, canners, crafters, foodies and the competitively hirsute head back to the Denver County Fair. With fourteen indoor pavilions, this year’s fair is a marathon of weird, old-fashioned fun, with performances, rides and competitions that anoint everything from the best beard to the best cake. Kids, geeks, drag queens, parents, animal lovers, yogis, farmers and robots: Everyone is welcome at the summer’s most eclectic festival.

Hailed as a hipster circus when it launched last year, the fair reflects the sweet vision of Dana Cain and her team, including gallery owner Tracy Weil and artist/collector Andrew Novick. “We’re determined to stay edgy while still celebrating the county-fair traditions,” says Cain. “We’re emerging as a true celebration of all things Denver -- and that includes urban agriculture, cheeseburgers, drag queens, speed-texting, all of it. Our creative team has really been able to just explode. We’re just having a blast.”

The Denver County Fair runs at the National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt Street, today and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day; Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For tickets, $10 per day, and daily schedules, visit www.denvercountyfair.org.
Aug. 10-12, 2012

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.