By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
CENTREVILLE — The St. Joseph County Grange Fair will celebrate a milestone year when this year’s fair starts this Saturday, Sept. 19.
The annual tradition in St. Joseph County celebrates its 175th anniversary with 2026’s fair, something newly-minted fair manager Regina Schinker said was an exciting time to be part of for her first fair in the role.
“I consider all of us to be stewards of the fair. I mean, for 175 years, we have been here,” Schinker said. “You think about the generations of stewards that came before us, this is our time to do what we can to make sure that our fair stays healthy, both fiscally, environmentally, and it’s a big responsibility because we want to make sure that we’re here for another 175 years.”
This year’s fair, which will run from Sept. 19-26, is headlined by the return of something Schinker said the community has been asking for a long time: the return of the Saturday night musical concert.
At 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, country music singer and Michigan native Josh Gracin will take to the grandstand stage. A former American Idol contestant who placed fourth on the show’s second season, Gracin has released three studio albums, an EP, and more than a dozen singles in his career. He has one No. 1 single, “Nothin’ to Lose,” from his 2004 debut album, as well as two more top-five hits in his career.
Schinker said having a concert again at the fair will be exciting for fairgoers this year.
“Our community’s really been requesting a concert. Our fair board, our committees and so forth worked hard to bring a Saturday evening concert back onto our schedule on our lineup, and that’s going to be Josh Gracin,” Schinker said. “We’re super excited about that, and there’s still tickets left, so we really want to make sure to encourage people to come out, then that means that we can do additional concerts moving forward.”
Tickets for the Josh Gracin performance are $15 for a grandstand seat and $20 for a spot to stand on the racetrack near the stage. A fair admission and concert grandstand seat combination ticket for the evening is also $20 and available until 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19.
A number of other grandstand events will also be taking place this year. On Saturday, Sept. 19 and Monday, Sept. 21, harness racing will take place at noon both days, with free admission. On Sunday, Sept. 20, the Farm Truck Pulls and Too Hot To Farm Tractor Pulls will take to the track at 3 p.m. Also on Monday, Sept. 21 will be the Farm Stock Tractors and Semi Pulls at 7 p.m. On Tuesday, Sept. 22, the SJO Motocross will race around beginning at 7 p.m.
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, grandstand events continue with the Unique Motorsports Bump-and-Run Demo Derby, beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24 will feature the return of the TK Pro Rodeo at 7 p.m., and Friday, Sept. 25 will have the free Antique Tractor Pulls at 9 a.m. and the NTPA Regional National Modified Truck and Tractor Pulls at 7 p.m.
Also new at this year’s fair will be the Steamers Thrill Show, which will be performing multiple free shows at Heritage Park. The steampunk-aesthetic show will feature acts such as balancing chairs, high-level acrobatics, performing dogs, rolla bolla, and the Wheel of Danger. Steamers Thrill Show will perform three times on Sunday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 26, then twice a day on Sept. 21 and Sept. 23-25. No shows are scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Along with Steamers, Heritage Park will also feature over 175 antique tractors and implements, as well as demonstrations of corn shelling, blacksmithing, and bucketmaking. It will also have the history of mint production in St. Joseph County, and chainsaw wood carvings by Tony Burroughs.
A number of other free daily events will also be available, most notably the return of the Tiny Tales Birthing Tent, Heritage Hall, Area 52, the Corteva Community Stage, and the Museum of the Horseless Carriage.
Tiny Tales will feature baby animals and the magic of live births during the fair north of Barn 35. Heritage Hall, located in Barn 49, continues its look at the history of different cities and villages in St. Joseph County, and will focus this year on Centreville. The Museum of the Horseless Carriage in Barn 52 showcases automobiles pre-1916. Area 52 will host the Blanket Wheel raffle and a number of kids’ activities.
As for the Community Stage, a plethora of events will be on tap this year, including several musical acts, free make-and-take crafts, Bingo, the crowning of Home Maker of the Year, and demonstrations from Meeks Mill Garden Club, River Trade Brewing Company, Anglemyer’s Tae Kwon Do, and a simple sourdough class.
Country music singer DeWayne Spaw will also pop up from time to time daily throughout the week with pop-up country songs.
The 4-H events will also be out in full force throughout the week. Here’s a list of which 4-H events are on tap on each day, aside from the Cat Show, which happened Thursday. Each one is at the Henningsen Show Arena unless otherwise listed.
- Saturday, Sept. 19: 4-H Dog Show (8:30 a.m.)
- Sunday, Sept. 20: 4-H Horse Show Day 1 (8:30 a.m., Horse Show Arena), 4-H Rabbit Show (9 a.m.), 4-H Poultry Show (10 a.m.)
- Monday, Sept. 21: 4-H Horse Show Day 2 (8:30 a.m., Horse Show Arena), 4-H Swine Show (9:30 a.m.), 4-H Goat Show (10 a.m., following Open Class Goat Show)
- Tuesday, Sept. 22: 4-H Horse Show Day 3 (8:30 a.m., Horse Show Arena), 4-H and Open Class Beef Cattle Show (9 a.m.), 4-H Dairy Feeder Steer Show (9 a.m.), 4-H Sheep Show (4 p.m.), 4-H Horse and Pony Costume Class (6:30 p.m., Horse Show Arena)
- Wednesday, Sept. 23: 4-H Horse Show Day 4 (10 a.m., Horse Show Arena), 4-H and Open Class Dairy Cattle Show (10 a.m.), 4-H Animal Project Demonstrations (3 p.m., Barn 44), 4-H Demonstrations, Performances, Public Speaking and Illustrated Talks (3 p.m., Barn 44), 4-H Style Revue (6:45 p.m., Barn 44)
- Thursday, Sept 24: 4-H Small Animal Sale (10 a.m.), 4-H Large Animal Sale (10:30 a.m.)
- Friday, Sept 25: 4-H Sweepstakes Showmanship Contest (7 p.m.)
- Saturday, Sept 26: 4-H Still Exhibit Auction (4 p.m., Barn 44)
“4-H is obviously such a huge part of our fair,” Schinker said. “Our relationship with 4-H is stronger than ever and we are excited to support them. We’re excited to have them here. 4-H is so intertwined with our history and with our success.”
Schinker said commercial vendor barns are full, with a waiting list, for this year’s fair, and said the fair has worked hard to bring new food vendors and outdoor vendors. As for the midway, Schinker said they have continued their partnership with Skerbeck Entertainment Group for this year’s midway, which will officially open on Monday.
Gate prices for the fair are regularly priced at $10 for adults, $5 for kids 11-16 years old, and free for children 10 and under. Parking is free. Special admission prices are $5 for adults and free for people 17 and under on Sunday’s Opening Day, free for kids on Monday for Kids Day, $5 for firefighters, police, EMT, dispatch, victim services and medical personnel on Tuesday for Hometown Heroes Day, $5 for seniors 62 and older on Wednesday for Seniors Day, $5 for all ladies on Thursday for Ladies Day, and $5 for veterans and their spouses on Friday for Veterans Day.
Single-Day ride wristbands are $28 for Monday through Wednesday, $30 for Thursday and Friday, and $35 for Saturday. Mega Bands for unlimited rides on every day of the carnival Monday through Saturday are $125 before 5 p.m. on Sept. 20 and will not be sold during fair week. Wristbands can be purchased at sjcgfair.com, skerbeck.com, or at the Fair Office.
Overall, Schinker said there’s plenty to look forward to for this year’s fair.
“This is our county fair. And if anybody is on the fence about whether or not they want to come in, this is the year to come in to kind of relive the past, walk through the barns, see the animals, look at the kids showing their animals, enjoying the open class exhibits that community members have brought in,” Schinker said. “We’re really trying to build upon our 175 years to make us strong for another 175 years.”
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
