Photo provided by Amanda Ashby The carnival at the Marshall County Fair will be held Tuesday through Saturday from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The Marshall County Fair will return this weekend with new activities and staple events for visitors to enjoy, from animal exhibitions to dirt bike barrel racing – as well as a performance by a winner of “The Voice.”

The fair will begin on Saturday with an Open Horse Show at 10 a.m. A flag raising and ribbon cutting ceremony performed by the Moundsville Veterans Honor Guard will kick off the fair at 6:15 p.m., followed by the Queens Pageant at 6:30 p.m.

The festivities will continue on Sunday with a Car Show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Mud Bog at 1 p.m. Marshall County Fair Board Member Amanda Ashby said the mud bog would serve as the “official kick-off” of the fair and feature “big trucks with big tires.”

Monday activities will include the start of Scott’s Future of Magic Show at 4 p.m. and The Dino Science Show at 6 p.m. The magic and science shows are part of the daily dinosaur-themed attractions available for children to enjoy throughout the fair.

The Prehistoric Museum Exhibit will be open daily from 12 to 9 p.m. The Dino Challenge Games will be held from 12 to 8 p.m. Dinosaur Encounters and the Moving Magic Show will roam between shows at the event, and Ashby said children will be able to “get up close and personal” to view the performances.

“We’re pretty excited about the magic show and the dinosaurs coming in,” Ashby said. “With the new ‘Jurassic Park’ movie being in theaters, it will tie in pretty nicely.”

The carnival will begin at the fair on Tuesday and run from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. each night through next Saturday. Ashby said attendees can enjoy staple rides and food at the fair, including funnel cake, lemonade, tacos, ice cream and “deep fried everything.”

Ashby said a new addition to the fair will be craft vendors inside the event center at the fairgrounds. Featured vendors include Touch of Amish, Moe’s on Main and Double A Customs & Accessories.

“Touch of Amish is really well-known in the valley, and they’ll be there,” Ashby said. “There’s going to be some other craft vendors and stuff there too, as well as a couple of vendors outside.”

Tuesday will be Senior Citizens and Veterans Day at the fair, sponsored by American Consolidated Natural Resources. Seniors and Veterans will receive free admission to the fair from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in addition to free doughnuts and coffee at 9 a.m. Tuesday will also feature the Antique Tractor Pull at 7 p.m.

Wednesday will be Children’s Day at the fair, sponsored by Expand Energy, with free admission for kids 12 and under from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities for children that day will include Kids 4H Fun and the Tiny Tot Contest.

The KOI Drag Race will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Ashby said the drag racing would be a newer addition to the fair, as the fair has included ATV and dirt bike racing in the past. Another new addition to the motor events at the fair is dirt bike barrel racing. Drivers will compete in a timed competition, where they must navigate around three barrels in a Cloverleaf pattern, with the fastest time winning.

Ashby added that visitors can look forward to the “time-held tradition” of the Truck and Tractor Pulls on Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m.

The festivities will come to an end on Saturday with a Demo Derby at 4 p.m. Performances by B.E.N. The Band at 7 p.m. and “The Voice” Season 22 winner Bryce Leatherwood at 9 p.m. will wrap up the night.

Livestock exhibitions will be held throughout the fair, including horses, hogs, goats, lambs and rabbits. Competing barns will also be decked out in gold and blue to compete to win the “Best Barn Award” in the decorating contest for the theme of “Mountaineer Madness.” The winning barn will receive a pizza party and will pick next year’s theme.

Ashby said the fair included activities for “any and all ages,” noting that any attendee could find something to enjoy.

“My favorite thing about the fair is, of course, the mud bogs,” Ashby said. “I also love the food- I can’t go wrong with a funnel cake and smash burger.”

Ashby added it was important for fair organizers to add new activities each year, as well as keep the well-known events for attendees to enjoy. She noted that “generation after generation” of Marshall County families come to the fair.

“The Marshall County Fair, to me, seems like a family tradition,” Ashby said. “It’s always a big staple for local families in the county, so I think it’s important that we continue it every year as it’s just a part of everybody’s daily lives.”