NORWICH – With the 166th annual Chenango County Fair right around the corner, fair coordinators are drumming up some local excitement with the promise of a new face this year: professional NASCAR driver Martin Truex, Jr.
Truex, a 12-year NASCAR veteran and two-time Nationwide Series champion, touts an impressive resume in the racing world that includes 19 top-10 finishes in 2012 alone, in addition as his current 11th place ranking in the championship standings.
Truex is set to appear in the grandstands at the Chenango County Fairgrounds in Norwich for a special community meet and greet between 5 and 7 p.m. on Aug. 8.
The event – sponsored by Gillee’s and Napa auto parts stores, and co-sponsored by the Chenango County Agricultural Society, River Road Auto, Chenango Welding Supply, North Norwich Motors and Trailer Sales, Chenango Asphalt, and Golden’s Body Shop – is the first of its kind, said organizers, and great way to rev up some enthusiasm for this year’s fair.
“We have never had anyone like this before,” explained Jason Lawrence, longtime member of the Chenango county Agricultural Society. “We’re very excited to get a name like this in our area. We think it’s really going to get a lot of people excited about the fair this year.”
Ticket prices and further information for the occasion will be released at a later date on the Chenango County Fair Facebook page, Lawrence added.
According to Agricultural Society President Mary Weidman, Truex’s appearance is an opportunity for Chenango County Fair grandstand events to shine in the spotlight.
“This is something that has been in the works for quite a while,” she said, “so we are very excited that this is going to happen.
The success of similar events in previous years hints that Truex’s appearance will be a big hit, Weidman added.
“We have had stock car events that people have really enjoyed. A lot of local people have had stock cars here on display and we have had antique stock cars too that would come and race on the track. Those events were a huge success,” she said. “But having someone like (Truex) is completely new to us ... Anyone who's a stock car fan might really like this.”
Of course, there are also several other happenings to get excited about this year, Wiedman pointed out, including Millennium Entertainment’s Guitars Under the Stars, featuring country music vocalist Jamie O’Neal on Aug. 7; KSR Motorsports’ monster truck and motorcycle thrill show at the grandstand on Aug. 9; and the nine-piece brass powered party band, The Horn Dogs on Aug. 10.
In addition, some of the longtime favorites will return to the fairgrounds this year, including the tractor pull competitions on Aug. 8 and Aug. 10; a cruise-in on Aug. 10; and naturally, the annual spectacle of lights, rides, games and prizes that make up the Chenango County Fair midway.
Said Weidman, “We are really looking forward to another good year, with good weather and a good turnout.”