Full schedule and everything to know about the 2024 Manitowoc County Fair, which runs Aug. 21-25.

MANITOWOC – Manitowoc County Fair , one of the area's biggest summer events, opens its gates Aug. 21.

This year's theme is "Make a Bee Line for the Fair" and daily tickets are $10, which includes parking, unlimited carnival rides and entrance to grandstand entertainment.

Here's what you can expect.

Grandstand events

In addition to the exciting rides, delicious food and interesting exhibits, the grandstand events are a huge draw to the fair. Here's this year's schedule.

• Wednesday: Fireworks show at 9 p.m., preceded by the national anthem performed by Private Stock Quartet and a performance by the Manitowoc Lincoln High School.
• Friday: Tractor pull at 7 p.m., provided by Schnell Bros.
• Saturday: Modified truck and tractor pull at 5 p.m., provided by N.E.W. Motorsports.
• Sunday: Demo Derby at 1 p.m., provided by Hollywood Motorsports.

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Woman's Day event

The fourth annual Woman's Day event will be held noon-1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Ice Center. The doors will open at 11 a.m. and the first 100 attendees will receive a free tote bag with free items from the community.

This year's event will have a focus on educating women on health, beauty, finance and business.

The event will also feature the announcement of the winner of the Quilt Block Contest. Entries to the contest must have been registered on or before Aug. 5.

The 2024 winning quilt will be raffled off at next year's Woman's Day event.

Full fair schedule

Wednesday

• 8 a.m.: General admission gates open
• 8 a.m.: Swine judging — market and showmanship, Multi-purpose Building
• 9 a.m.-10 p.m.: Exhibition Building and Youth Art Exhibit open
• 10 a.m.-10 p.m.: Merchants Building open
• 11:15 a.m.: Market goats, Multi-purpose Building
• 11:30 a.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 11:30 a.m.: Junior Fair sheep - sheep showmanship - breed - market - wool/fleece, Multi-purpose Building
• Noon-4 p.m.: Norm's Polka Band, Variety Pavilion
• Noon-6 p.m.: AG Adventureland Tent open
• 1 p.m.: Children's Teeny Weeny Donut Contest
• 1-5 p.m.: Carnival rides open
• 1-7 p.m.: Clipper City Railroad open
• 1:30 p.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 2 p.m.: Sea Lion Show
• 3-5 p.m.: SWAT (Bearcat armored vehicle), Merchants Building
• 3:30 p.m.: Junior Fair beef cattle – beef showmanship judging, Multi-purpose Building
• 3:30 p.m.: Open Class beef cattle judging, Multi-purpose Building
• 5 p.m.: Sea Lion Show
• 5:30 p.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 6 p.m.: Special Olympics 2-mile walk
• 6-10 p.m.: Carnival rides open
• 6:30 p.m.: Blue Ribbon Brew competition awards
• 7 p.m.: Sea Lion show
• 7-11 p.m.: Nettle Hill, Rock Pavilion
• 7:30-11 p.m.: Smoke Road, Variety Pavilion
• 8:30 p.m.: Parade and fireworks at the Grandstand

Thursday

• 8 a.m.: General admission gates open
• 9 a.m.: Open Class dairy cattle judging, Ice Center Show Ring
• 9 a.m.: Junior Fair dairy cattle showmanship judging (follows Open Class), Ice Center Show Ring
• 9 a.m.: Junior Fair and Open Class rabbit judging – Junior Fair rabbit showmanship, Poultry & Rabbit Building
• 9 a.m.-10 p.m.: Exhibition Building and Youth Art Exhibit open
• 10 a.m.-10 p.m.: Merchants Building open
• 11:30 a.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• Noon: Sea Lion Show
• Noon-3 p.m.: Norm's Polka Band, Variety Pavilion
• Noon-6 p.m.: AG Adventureland Tent open
• 1 p.m.: Children's Teeny Weeny Donut Contest
• 1-5 p.m.: Carnival rides open
• 1-7 p.m.: Clipper City Railroad open
• 1:30 p.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 1:30 p.m.: Horse Pull, Horse Arena
• 2 p.m.: Sea Lion Show
• 2:30 p.m.: Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Contest, Rock Pavilion
• 3-5 p.m.: K9 Rocky, Sheriff's Merchants Building
• 5 p.m.: Sea Lion Show
• 5:30 p.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 6-10 p.m.: Carnival rides open
• 7 p.m.: Market animal sale, Multi-purpose Building
• 7 p.m.: Sea Lion Show
• 7-11 p.m.: Fire on High, Rock Pavilion
• 7-11 p.m.: Bacchus Lotus, Variety Pavilion

Friday

• 8 a.m.: General admission gates open
• 9 a.m.: Junior Fair dairy cattle judging, Ice Center Show Ring
• 9 a.m.: Junior Fair poultry and showmanship judging, Poultry & Rabbit Building
• 9 a.m.-10 p.m.: Exhibition Building and Youth Art Exhibit open
• 10 a.m.-10 p.m.: Merchants Building open
• 11 a.m.-7 p.m.: Clipper City Railroad open
• 11:30 a.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• Noon: Sea Lion Show
• Noon-3 p.m.: Norm's Polka Band, Rock Pavilion
• Noon-6 p.m.: AG Adventureland Tent open
• 1 p.m.: Children's Teeny Weeny Donut Contest
• 1-5 p.m.: Carnival rides open
• 1:30 p.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 2 p.m.: Sea Lion Show
• 3 p.m.: Junior Fair llamas and alpacas judging, Multi-purpose Building
• 3-5 p.m.: Drone team members, Sheriff's Merchant's Building
• 4 p.m.: Rabbit hopping judging, Ice Center Show Ring
• 4-8 p.m.: Miss Wisconsin Mandi Genord
• 5 p.m.: Sea Lion Show
• 5 p.m.: Junior Fair cats, cavies and bird judging, Ice Center Show Ring
• 5:30 p.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 6-11 p.m.: Carnival rides open
• 7 p.m.: Tractor pull at the Grandstand
• 7-10 p.m.: Estrella Latina, Hispanic Pavilion
• 7:30-11:30 p.m.: The Glam Band, Variety Pavilion
• 8-11:30 p.m.: Sons of Sconnie, Rock Pavilion

Saturday

• 8 a.m.: General admission gates open
• 9 a.m.: Junior Fair and Open Class Horse Show, Horse Arena
• 9 a.m.: Junior Fair and Open Class dairy goat judging, Multi-purpose Building
• 9 a.m.-10 p.m.: Exhibition Building and Youth Art Exhibit open
• 10 a.m.-10 p.m.: Merchants Building open
• 11 a.m.-7 p.m.: Clipper City Railroad open
• 11:30 a.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• Noon: Sea Lion Show
• Noon-1:30 p.m.: Woman's Day Event, Ice Center
• Noon-3 p.m.: Norm's Polka Band, Rock Pavilion
• Noon-6 p.m.: AG Adventureland Tent open
• 1 p.m.: Children's Teeny Weeny Donut Contest
• 1-5 p.m.: Carnival rides open
• 1:30 p.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 2 p.m.: Sea Lion Show
• 5 p.m.: Sea Lion Show
• 5 p.m.: Fairest of the Fair contest, Ice Center Show Ring
• 5 p.m.: Modified truck and tractor pull at the Grandstand
• 5:30 p.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 7-10 p.m.: Packete 7, Hispanic Pavilion
• 6-11 p.m.: Carnival rides open
• 7 p.m.: Sea Lion Show
• 7 p.m.: Manitowoc Culvers Futurity, Ice Center Show Ring
• 7:30-10:45 p.m.: Rebel Grace, Rock Pavilion
• 7:30-11:30 p.m.: Johnny Wad, Variety Pavilion

Sunday

• 8 a.m.: General admission gates open
• 9:30 a.m.: Wels Lutheran Congregations of Manitowoc, Ice Center
• 10 a.m.-6 p.m.: Exhibition Building and Youth Art Exhibit open
• 11 a.m.: Announcement of Herd Builder award and Outstanding Dairy Cattle Youth Exhibitor award winners and Dairy Herdsmanship results, Ice Center Show Ring
• 11 a.m.-4 p.m.: AG Adventureland Tent open
• 11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Clipper City Railroad open
• 11 a.m.-6 p.m.: Carnival rides open
• 11:30 a.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 11:30 a.m.: Farm Bureau Jr. Kiddie Showmanship, Ice Center Show Ring
• Noon: Open Class Fun Show, Horse Arena
• Noon: Sea Lion Show
• 1 p.m.: Children's Teeny Weeny Donut Contest
• 1 p.m.: Demo Derby at the Grandstand
• 1-5 p.m.: Buffalo Joe, Rock Pavilion
• 1-5 p.m.: Classic Friends, Variety Pavilion
• 1:30 p.m.: King Arthur Baking Contest, Exhibition Building
• 1:30 p.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 2 p.m.: Sea Lion Show
• 3:30 p.m.: Lew-E's Comedy Circus
• 4 p.m.: Sea Lion Show

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Parking

Four areas are reserved for parking during the Manitowoc County Fair. The main parking lot is at the corner of South Rapids Road and Crawford Boulevard, with overflow parking behind Van Horn Automotive. A free bus shuttle service will be available at the overflow parking lot.

The Expo Drive Parking Lot is north of the Merchants Gate entrance and the West Parking Lot is along Vista Road to the west of the Ice Center. No bus shuttle service is available at these two parking lots.

The cost of parking in these lots is included in the price of admission to the fair.

Alisa M. Schafer is a reporter for the Herald Times Reporter in Manitowoc. She can be reached by email at aschafer@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Full schedule and everything to know about the 2024 Manitowoc County Fair, which runs Aug. 21-25.