ALEXANDRIA - It's the last of Northern Kentucky's county fairs, but for equine enthusiasts, it's the main event. The 146th annual Alexandria Fair & Horse Show opens Thursday and runs through Labor Day, with competition in a number of equestrian classes.

IF YOU GO

• What: 146th annual Alexandria Fair & Horse Show   • When: 6 p.m.-midnight Thursday; 6 p.m.-midnight Friday;noon-11 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-midnight Sunday; and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday. Lt. Gov. Steve Henry will be grand marshal of the opening parade, which starts at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday at McCormick Vocational School.   • Where: Alexandria (Campbell County) Fairgrounds, Fairgrounds Road off Ky. 10.   • Admission: $6 includes all shows and exhibits and most rides; free to children under 3.

        This year, the horse show will span four nights and three afternoons and include 134 classes from throughout the southeastern United States, said Doug Carmack of the Campbell County Agricultural Society. As a youngster growing up in Campbell County, he showed horses through the 4-H program.

        Now Mr. Carmack's daughter, Brittany, 13, who won her class last year, will show four horses.

        “We just enjoy it,” Mr. Carmack said. “It's a hobby for us. We don't golf. We don't go to the bars. We don't go to the ball fields. We just work our ponies.”

        Other highlights include beauty pageants for all ages, including Little Miss and Mister Alexandria Fair and Miss Teen Alexandria Fair Pageant on Thursday night, the Cutie Pie Pageant on Saturday afternoon, and the Miss Pre-Teen Pageant and Alexandria Fair Princess Pageant on Sunday afternoon.

        Also featured are greased pigs, karaoke, shows featuring cattle, sheep and dairy goats and a “just for fun” dog show on Labor Day.

        For those who like to show off their skills in everything from quilt making to cookie baking, there's the fair's exhibit hall, which featured more than 1,000 examples of Northern Kentuckians' handiwork last year, said Wanda Painter, co-chairman of the exhibit hall.

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