The first grandstand event for the 168th annual Bureau County Fair will be 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 23, with a dedicated tribute to Veterans at the fairgrounds, located at 811 W. Peru St. in Princeton.
All Veterans and a guest will be admitted to the fair for free on Wednesday and the program includes free admission for everyone.
The program will begin with the presentation of colors by the American Legion Color Guard and the National Anthem sung by Laurie Hite.
The guest speaker for the program will be Chief Navy Counselor Tanya R. Corbett, US Navy retired.
Corbett served from Aug. 1998 through June 2022 and retired as a Navy Command Career Counselor from the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group in Williamsburg, VA.
Ann Register will also speak about the history of the Flags of Freedom. She will be followed by patriotic music by the Princeton High School Band.
Terry Johnson will present about the Quilts of Valor program and introduce the latest awardees. Seamstresses have spent many hours to create the quilts that will be gifted to individuals who have served the country in the many branches of the military.
Examples of the quilts will also be on display in the fine arts building during each day of the upcoming fair.
The fair will run from Wednesday, Aug. 23 through Sunday, Aug. 27 and feature a variety of events each day.
Thursday will feature Josh Turner and Sara Evans in concert, Friday is the tractor and truck pull, Saturday is the demolition derby and Sunday is the figure 8 demolition derby. Livestock shows are also held during the fair with horse events on Saturday and Sunday.
For more information or for a full schedule, visit www.bureaucountyfair.com.