By James Cook, Times Editor

The smell of the famous hamburgers, the sounds of screaming and laughing children on carnival rides and the smoke from the annual demolition derby fills the air. . . or at least it will. And do not be surprised if you see a few Dr. Seuss characters too, which is this year’s theme is a “Salute to Dr, Seuss.”
It’s that time again, the Powell County Lions Club Agricultural and School Fair kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 12 and runs through Sept. 19. The usual kickoff to the fair will be the Miss Powell County Pageant, which is sponsored by the Stanton Woman’s Club. Eighteen local beauties will vie for the title and see who will wear the crown currently being held by Miss Powell County 2008, Meghan Mays. The pageant will be held on Saturday at the Powell County High School. Admission will be $5 for adults and $3 for students, while children under five are free.
The actual carnival begins on Monday, Sept. 14, when the fairgrounds open at 6 p.m. The judging for fair exhibits will also be held that night beginning at 7 p.m. Meanwhile the Coca-Cola Talent Contest, as well as the Pet Show will start at 7 p.m. Admission is free on opening night. On Tuesday Kiddie Car Races begin at 7 p.m., while the Declamations will be held at the high school this year, also at 7 p.m. The Beef Cattle Show will be held at 6:30 p.m.
The annual Baby Show, a huge crowd pleaser, as well as the Mother-Daughter and Father-Son Look-alike Contest are the big event for Wednesday. On Thursday, the Youth/Open Poultry Show will start at 6:30 p.m. But the big crowd of the evening will show up for the Greasy Pig Contest which begins at 8 p.m.
On Friday the parade takes center stage in the morning, however due to street construction, it will have a shorter route. The parade begins at 10 a.m. from the high school, eastward on College Avenue and then will turn left onto Washington Street across from Kroger, where it will finish at the Powell County Courthouse. Former Powell County Sheriff (1966-1970) Ernest Crabtree and his wife, a retired teacher from Bowen Elementary, Betty Crabtree, will be the Grand Marshals. Later that evening the Youth/Open Goat Show will be held at 4 p.m. The Truck Tug Contest is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
The fair winds down on Saturday, Sept. 19 with two big events. The first will be just that for the Powell County crowd. A Lawnmower Derby will precede the main event of the night and possibly the fair itself, the Demolition Derby. All the fun begins at 6 p.m. with the lawnmowers and the cars start the carnage at 7 p.m.
As for the Miss Powell County Pageant, the contestants are:
• Sarah Caudill, Daughter of Terry & Rhonda Caudill, Sponsored by Kinco Welding
• Corri Collins, daughter of Steve & Missy Collins, sponsored by Beechfork Golf Club
• Sarah Crabtree, daughter of Sonya and the late Timothy Crabtree, sponsored by Dennis and Daughters Monument Company and Farm Bureau.
• Tabitha Curtis, daughter of Chad Curtis and Shannon Curtis, sponsored by Wells Funeral Home and Chad & Shannon Curtis
• Kelly Gibson
• Ashley Halsey, daughter, of Jeanette Howard, sponsored by A & W Mechanical
• Morgan Hughes, daughter of David & Kathy Hughes, sponsored by Rogers Hardware and Tanner Dodge.
• Ashley Lane, daughter of Jeffrey & Angela Lane, sponsored by Bruen’s Restaurant
• Kristen Lee, daughter of Waltes & Melinda Lee, sponsored by Parkway Florist.
• Roseanna McCoy, daughter of Mary and the late David McCoy, sponsored by Meadows Golf Course and Neal’s Pay Lake.
• Heather Noble, daughter of Sheila Pergram and Greg Noble, sponsored by Stanton Dairy Queen.
• Allison Otis, daughter of Bentley Otis, sponsored by Crowe’s Custom Creations.
• Adrian Pennington, daughter of Darren & Beth Pennington, sponsored by Hearne Funeral Home
• Kayla Rose, daughter of Michael & Donna Rose, sponsored by Joey’s Muffler Shop and Michael & Donna Rose.
• Kathy Shoemaker, daughter of Thomas & Darlene Shoemaker, sponsored by Li’L Abners Motel and CRS Auto Sales.
• Kayla Sparks, daughter of James Sparks & Deborah Sparks, sponsored by Daniel Boone Trading Post
• Sabrena Stamper, daughter of Michael Stamper & Cathy Stamper, sponsored by Tanner Dodge and Mama Crowe’s Pizza
• Danielle Trent, daughter of Lisa and the late Larry Trent, sponsored by WSKV.