Gathering Grounds
Area fairs and festivals bring together families, traditions
Westville Loyalty Weekend
Westville, Okla. / July 17-18
facebook.com/chamberwestvilleok
Little Miss Loyalty 2025, Hayven Harrison, at last year’s Loyalty Day car show in Westville, Oklahoma
Late summer brings fairs and festivals throughout the region. Here is a look at some of the events and the people behind them.
A community event in Westville, Oklahoma is getting a new date and longer celebration, with Loyalty Day moving from May to July and expanding to Loyalty Weekend.
The new schedule allows for better coordination among local civic groups – including the Chamber of Commerce, Westville Town Council, Westville Reunion Committee and Westville VFW – and celebrates the town’s history and community spirit.
The previous date of Loyalty Day in May often conflicted with end-of-school activities and annual events in neighboring towns like Stilwell and Tahlequah.
The inaugural Loyalty Weekend will feature a parade, 5K and fun run, car show, motorcycle poker run, live music, comedy show, town-wide yard sale, food trucks, family activities and fireworks finale.
Jettie Franco
Tontitown Grape Festival
Tontitown, Ark. / Aug. 4-8
tontitowngrapefestival.com
When Jettie Franco started volunteering at the Tontitown Grape Festival in the early 1960s, dinners were still served in the basement of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Volunteers thought serving 200 people in
one night was a busy evening.
Today, the event serves thousands of spaghetti and fried chicken dinners during its three-day run, but Franco said some things haven’t changed. Families still return each August to make noodles by hand, serve meals and reconnect with generations of volunteers and visitors.
The festival traces its roots to Tontitown’s Italian immigrant families, who gathered after harvest season to celebrate with food and fellowship.
Haven Pritchett with her milk cow, Vegas, at the Adair County Fair
Washington County Fair
Fayetteville / Aug. 25-29
mywashcofair.com
For the Hale family, the Washington County Fair is less of a single event and more of a year-round way of life.
Clint and Sarah Hale’s children, Claire and Gus, have shown pigs, sheep, rabbits and poultry, while the family spends months caring for animals, cleaning barns and preparing projects long before fair week arrives. “Parents don't just sit in the bleachers and watch their kids,” Sarah Hale said. “They get to work alongside them every single day.” Clint and Sarah, both agriculture teachers at Prairie Grove High School, also help their students with fair entries ranging from agriculture mechanics and livestock to photography and horticulture.“There is honestly something at the fair for everyone,” Hale said.
Madison County Fair
Huntsville, Ark. / Aug. 30-Sept. 6
madisoncountyarfair.com
Behind every animal entering the show ring is a young exhibitor who has spent countless hours feeding, grooming, training and caring for their animals.
Megan Shrader, a rising junior in high school, has been showing since she was just 3 years old.
She has learned that success in the show ring comes from consistency and patience.
“I’ve learned responsibility, confidence, determination, a strong work ethic and so much more,” Megan said – but one lesson matters most. “Never give up. No matter how many times you want to or how many times you don’t win, if you put in the effort, it will always be rewarded.”
Wyn Yancey first showed sheep at the Madison County Fair, but she quickly became hooked on showing poultry after hatching chicks in her fourth-grade classroom. “Showing and raising animals is a lot harder than people might think,” Wyn said. “There’s so much work put into it.” Even with the long days and hard work, Wyn said the friendships matter most. “My favorite part is the friendships,” Wyn said. “But I also really love the competitiveness.”
Adair County Fair
Stilwell, Okla. / Aug. 27-Sept. 3
extension.okstate.edu/county/adair/free-fair
For many children, the Adair County Fair is their first close-up look at farm animals and rural traditions.
School groups regularly visit the fairgrounds during the week, where students walk through livestock barns and meet exhibitors.“They come see the animals and ask lots of questions,” said Fair Board member Hurshel Pritchett. “They’ll see cows and want to know what kind they are. Then they’ll talk between themselves about what kind they think they are. It’s fun to listen to them guess.” The fair includes events designed especially for younger children and families, including a Wednesday petting zoo and Monday’s Open Show, where children too young for 4-H can still bring animals to show – or show an animal already at the fair – and receive ribbons.
Organizers said the fair is meant to be welcoming and accessible for the entire community. Admission is free, and schools are invited to visit throughout the week.
The Adair County Fair also includes a Super Star Show for special needs children, a premium sale, a free concert and a horse show.