Bigfoot, Derby Dogs bring power to the grandstands
The thrills, spills and chills of monster truck competition will come to the Holmes County Fair for the first time on Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. The show will join several new evening showcases that are new to the weeklong grandstand arena ticket.
Bigfoot will ramble through Holmes County this summer, but it’s not the 9-foot-tall hairy beast reportedly roaming the hills of Ohio that will pay a visit to this year’s annual Holmes County Fair.
Instead, this Bigfoot has four giant tires and a massive pickup frame.
Bigfoot and several of its friends will roar into the grandstands at Harvest Ridge as part of the Full Throttle Monster Truck Tour, where smashing, crashing, and plenty of thrills, spills and chills will be on the agenda.
Full Throttle Monster Truck Tour, which will take center stage on Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m., is one of two new ventures the Holmes County Senior Fair Board will bring to the fair’s grandstand showcase, and nobody is more excited than Nick Crider, who has co-chaired the grandstand event along with Dale McKee.
“I’ve been on the fair board for nine years, and I’ve wanted to bring these guys here for about that long,” Crider said.
One drawback is the expense of bringing in Full Throttle, but Crider said the fair board felt it was worth it to ramp up the excitement level of the grandstand arena shows.
Crider said after meeting with Full Throttle at the annual fair convention this past year, the board was eager to bring them on board.
“It’s something completely different for us from our usual iconic big three of the demo derby, the rodeo and the tractor pull,” Crider said. “It’s going to be an exceptional show that fans are going to love. Our hope is that the community really gets behind these events.”
Colton Kiser and his truck High Roller III will join Bigfoot, Stomper and Country Strong in what should add plenty of pizzazz to the grandstands show arena this fair. The show is sponsored by Millersburg Tire Service.
Bigfoot is probably the biggest name out there,” Crider said of the monster trucks. “It’s been around for a lot of generations. I watched it as a kid, and to be able to bring this to the fairgrounds and have Bigfoot as part of this show is a dream come true for me.”
He said the show will include plenty of freewheeling, high-flying action that these beasts of the dirt are so well known for, and the hope is that after this initial year, there will be enough interest generated that they can bring the show back again in even bigger and better fashion.
“We’d love to do even bigger and better things,” Crider said. “We didn’t go all out with the car-crushing events this year because we want to be able to grow this event and bring in new and more powerful and exciting additions to the show next year.”
This year will include side-by-side racing, the intriguing two-wheel competition that sees the competitors bouncing on tires, wheelies and balancing acts, and the freestyle event where drivers hope to complete thrilling tricks that win the fan vote.
The other new event is the Derby Dog Rough Trucks, which will take place Thursday, Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. This show should add some unique fun because it invites the public to participate in some fast-paced, high-flying action on the dirt.
“It’s a community event designed to allow local people the chance to race. It’s built like a dirt track navigational obstacle course where one vehicle goes at a time, and it’s timed,” Crider said. “I’ve always wanted to bring in something like this to our fair because it’s something that the public can participate in. It gives everyone a chance to get involved and be part of the entertainment, and it is a thrill to get out there and compete.
“This is something that everyone can do, and they can get out there and compete in front of the hometown crowd. Any time you can bring community together, that’s what it’s all about.”
Pit gates will open at 5 p.m., with pit passes available for $20 and driver entry set at $40.
There are different divisions including rough trucks, stock trucks, side-by-sides, figure 8 and half car events. Rules and regulations for the events are located at www.derbydogdemo.com.
To purchase reserve tickets to either event, visit www.holmescountyfair.com.