HardisonInk.com High Spinners

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1 High Spinners Check out what the Levy County Fair has to offer below. Photo by Jeff M. Hardison March 31, 2017 at 9:37 p.m. Levy County Fair offers plenty A member of the BMX Trickstars flies in the air.

2 Story, Photos and Video By Jeff M. Hardison March 31, 2017 at 9:37 p.m. WILLISTON -- The 2017 Levy County Fair offers plenty of opportunities for fun. YOU CAN LINK TO VIDEOS BY GOING TO THE MARCH FRONT PAGE. * In this 23-second video, viewers will see two BMX bike riders complete flips high in the air. The three-man BMX rider team is Matt Olson, Scott Weaver and Rob Nolli. They are the BMX Trickstars! Carmelita Halchak shows how a cookie tin was changed into a drum and a box with rubber bands becomes a banjo. She is not selling anything at the fair. She just wants people to think about how they can reuse something rather than to throw it away. Her mother Marie Guzzi told her years ago not to throw things away. She grew up in South Beach Miami. She even had dresses on display made from materials that would normally be thrown away. She participated in the Ocala Lions Club s recycling contest, where the clothes had to be at least 70 percent from recycled items. One of her dresses is from the small Bounce sheets used in a dryer to reduce static cling. This year's fair includes a free racing pigs event, a free BMX Bike Trick demonstration, fast and thrilling rides, as well as calmer rides for young children, a wide array of food vendors, entertainers, exhibits galore and prices that are the best on the planet for this much fun. There is a $3 donation for parking. Each day and night, these donations help different charitable causes. Gate admission is only $5 Friday, Saturday and Sunday. With that the free racing pigs

3 show can be seen, and the trick BMX riders as well as the many exhibits and booths. Friday, Saturday and Sunday armbands to ride all the rides as many times as a rider wants cost $15. There is a cost for games, food and drinks. These prices vary and are best determined by visiting the fair.

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5 This 2004 Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter was providing rides for paying customers on Thursday. RIDES There are many rides available. There are rides where people s legs hang down as the giant machine flies them through the air. Many rides are for quickly spinning around and going up and down, and around and around. Milder rides for younger children are on tap as well, including a giant slide and a merry-go-round type of ride. However there is a minimal height requirement for the slide.

6 Roger Cortez Juarez holds up a live goldfish that could be won at the fair. After a player wins the fish, the fair will 'babysit' the fish until the winner is ready to go home. Veronica Martinez Lopez holds balls that are thrown in mechanical trash cans with lids that go up and down. Winners can walk away with colorful stuffed toys.

7 GAMES Games of skill are plentiful. Popping balloons with darts and picking a floating rubber duck are among the games available. Another game is where balls are attempted to be thrown into garbage cans that have lids opening and closing. For the person who wants to win a goldfish, there is the option to toss a ball into an area and potentially win a goldfish. EXHIBITS Exhibits include handicrafts, photography, sewing and textiles. There was competition from among the exhibitors and some people won various colored ribbons to signify their top placing in the contests. There are booths that can be visited. Some are manned. Some are open with literature giveaways. The tables in the first tent entering the fair are by the Levy County Visitors Bureau; the Jehovah Witnesses; the City of Williston; Custom SAGE (Soaps, Awards, Gifts and Engraving); Williston Animal Group; Eighth Judicial Circuit Guardian Ad Litem (Michael Whiting at said the group needs volunteers to help children involved in court processes); the UF IFAS Levy County Extension Office; Another Way; Babione Air Conditioning and Heat; Regional General Hospital, Levy County Supervisor of Elections Tammy Jones (assistant Carol Weins will be there Friday and Saturday to register voters); Another Way Abuse Shelter; and Chantilly Place. Other exhibitors at the fair this year included the Quit Doc group-levy County Tobacco Prevention Specialist Kristina Zachry; the Levy County Emergency Management Department; Williston Army Jr. Reserve Officer Training Corps (selling water for $1 and Gatorade for $2); Boy Scout Troop 163; Cub Scout Pack 163; Nu Yu Tae Kwon Do; and Williston Fire Rescue (providing first aid). Kristina Zachry is at the Quit Doc table to help people understand why to quit using tobacco if they use it.

8 Levy County Emergency Management Director John Macdonald and Assistant Director David Peaton have created an on-screen game similar to Jeopardy, where the players guess on different monetary amounts. The categories are Preparedness; Mitigation; Response; Recovery; and Name That Natural Disaster. Among the prizes are water gauges and thermometers. There are also cups, ink pens and flying disks (like Frisbees only not that name brand). Playing the game is fun and educational for people to learn about disaster preparedness through recovery. Here are the schedules listed in the booklet for the 2017 Levy County Fair for Saturday and Sunday: MAIN STAGE SCHEDULE 10 a.m. Gates Open Noon Puppy Pageant 3 p.m. -- Nu Yu Tae Kwon Do Demonstration 4 p.m. Cami Lundeen 6 p.m. Battle of the Bands Midnight Gates Close SUNDAY Noon Gates Open 12:15 p.m. Kiddie Karaoke Competition 1 p.m. Junior Karaoke Competition 2 p.m. Teen Karaoke Competition 3 p.m. Announce Kiddie, Junior and Teen Karaoke Winners 3:30 p.m. Butch Batts and the SouthBound Band 6 p.m. Senior Karaoke Competition 7:30 p.m. Adult Karaoke Competition 9 p.m. Fair Closes CREATIVE ARTS TENT 10 a.m. Midnight Exhibits on Display ~ BMX TRICKSTARS 2, 4, 7 and 9 p.m. SUNDAY 1:30, 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. ~ CHASES RACING PIGS 1:30, 3:30, 6 and 8:30 p.m. SUNDAY 1:30, 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. ~ LIVESTOCK AND ANIMALS 9 a.m. Llama and Alpaca Show 3:30 p.m. Poultry Show 6 p.m. Meat Goat Show SUNDAY 2 p.m. Steer Show 3:30 p.m. Heifer Show