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Fair looks to shift from the expected
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A new carnival company will provide midway rides and games at the Green County Fair this summer. (Times file photo)

Green County Fair: July 20 to 24

Grandstand highlights:

Wednesday, July 20: Cowboys and Clowns, 4:30 p.m.; Big Hat Rodeo, 6:30-10:30 p.m. Both free with admission to fair. Fireworks at 10 p.m.

Thursday, July 21: Badger State Tractor Pull, 7-10 p.m. $5 grandstand admission.

Friday, July 22: Badger State Tractor Pull, 7-10 p.m. $5 grandstand admission.

Saturday, July 23: Demo Derby, 7-10 p.m. $10 grandstand admission.

Sunday, July 24: Southern Raised Band, 3-5 p.m. Free with admission to fair.

MONROE - The Green County Fair is changing its routine for 2016 to accommodate a better schedule and create a more family-friendly atmosphere.

Green County Fair Board member Steve Mayer said the changes are a test run for suggestions made by fair-goers through the years.

"We're trying to do the best we can for the fair," Mayer said.

This year's fair will run July 20-24.

Schedule changes include a separate, second Badger State Truck and Tractor Pull on Friday night in addition to the long-standing Thursday evening pull. The Friday event will feature semi trailers. Mayer said "lots of people" asked for a pull on Friday night as well. Different classes are slated to compete each night.

Another crowd favorite, the Demo Derby, has been moved to Saturday night instead of Sunday afternoon.

"We spoke to the promoters and the promoters said they would be more than happy to do it," Mayer said. "It's a good, big attraction. I think it will do better on Saturday."

Musical shows include Precocious, the all-girl band based in Monroe, on Friday night. On Saturday, the Zac Matthews Band, headed by Wisconsin native Zach Moliter, will grace the stage. The final act on Sunday will be the Southern Raised Band, a Christian bluegrass group from Missouri that Mayer said impressed the board during an appearance in Madison.

Replacements have also been brought in. Big Hat Rodeo has been scheduled as a new commodity, with the Cowboys and Clowns comedy show for families in the afternoon in the grandstand.

"They brought a few more things to the show," Mayer said of Big Hat. "The rodeo is one of our best draws. We want to keep it a family event."

Another key factor for kids will be the slightly expanded carnival.

"We realized the carnival is a pretty big piece of the fair," Mayer said.

He added that last year, new and larger rides than in the past were given positive reviews. Through some tough searching, Mayer said the board found All Around Amusement, a carnival based in the Chicago area. He said the company requested more area than past carnivals to accommodate the rides it will be bringing, including a giant ferris wheel, a swinging spinning ride 60 feet in the air called "Freak Out" and family rides like the slow spinning "Dizzy Dragons" and a merry-go-round.

For information on this year's Green County Fair, see greencountyfair.net.