The countdown to the Troy Shrine Club’s Pike County Fair has begun.

The gates to the long-anticipated county fair will open at 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 1 and the fair will supply the thrills that are expected at a county fair. There will be exhibits and displays, rides for the kiddies and also the brave-hearted, cotton candy, peanuts, clowns, cows and pigs and pickers and grinners and shows on the side.

Kathy Sneed, Troy Shrine Club volunteer, said before the county fair opens on October 1, there will be a steady stream of activity on Saturday and Sunday as the finishing touches are put on community and business booths and exhibitors come to register their entries in a variety of categories from pickled peaches and photographs to petunias and pigs.

“Registration will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Pike County Fairgrounds,” Sneed said. “To register, we need name, phone number and address and the entry category. If there’s not a category for an item, we’ll designate one. Canned goods must be in Mason -like jars and all baked goods must be homemade and made from scratch.”

Sneed said those who are entering animals in the Pike County Fair may register inside the fairgrounds building at the designated times on Saturday and Sunday and then take their animals to the barn that is located on the grounds.

“The barn is a favorite place to visit during the fair,” Sneed said. “There will be a variety of animals, most of them farm animals, but you just never know what you might see at the Pike County Fair Barnyard.”

The Troy Shrine Club’s Pike County Fair will open on Tuesday, October 1 and run through Saturday, October 5. Admission is $10 and $5 for ages six to 12.

Armbands that admit unlimited rides are now available at the Pike County Fairgrounds for $20, a $5 savings from the gate price.

A special savings is being offered to fair-goers on Wednesday night when armbands are buy-one-get-one-free. This is a one-night-only special at the fairgrounds.

Tuesday and Thursday are Troy University nights and students with an ID will be admitted at a reduced price.

The Troy Shriners have an outstanding line-up of talent for all five nights at the county fair. Opening night will feature God’s Mercy Quartet and Dalton Bush. Wednesday night D.J. Hendock and Jess Kellie Adams will take center stage. The always popular Alcazar Band and the Ryan Waters Band will be in the spotlight on Thursday. Johnny Barron and the Waterfall Kids will be featured on Friday night and Marlon Rando and the Deplorables will bring down the house on Saturday night.