Berlin Fair Starts Today

MARNE, MI - The 149th Annual Berlin Fair comes to Marne beginning this Sunday, July 18. The Fair, held at the Berlin Fairgrounds/Raceway on Berlin Fair Drive, offers something for everyone, from petting zoos to rides to demolition derbys.

A re-configured midway will be the first thing fans notice as they arrive. The midway stretches parallel to the road now, running from Berlin Raceway's ticket offices beyond the main entrance all the way back to a newly acquired piece of land across from State Street. The new midway will accommodate more carnival rides than last year - a total of 28 rides including the Ferris Wheel, Tilt-A-Whirl, Pirate Ship and others will be supplied by Jules & Beck Combined Shows. Many food vendors will line the midway with traditional fair food such as corn dogs, elephant ears, french fries, sausage, pizza, cotton candy and more. The midway comes to life beginning Monday at 5 p.m.

A special promotion in conjunction with WLHT and Meijer is the WLHT/Meijer Kiddie Corral. A coupon from area Meijer stores gets kids free gate admission and kiddie rides from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Friday. In addition to the free rides for kids, mothers will get into the fairgrounds for free during that time. Regular gate admission is $3 per person 13 and over, and rides are $19.95 per day for unlimited rides (1 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday). On Monday, rides are $10 for unlimited rides from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday is Kids Day, with all rides priced at .50 from 1 to 6 p.m. for kids 12 and under. Guests can receive a free ride if they bring a canned good for the WOTV-41/Spartan Stores Food Drive. Standard ride prices are $1.00 per ticket, 12 tickets for $10 or 24 tickets for $20.

The Whispering Pines Animal Kingdom will return this year, bringing such exotic animals as a kangaroo, tortoise, tiger, cougar,binturong, baboon, monkey, sloth, and more, plus a pygmy goat petting zoo. Also on hand will be the Barnyard Express with Farmer John, who provides entertaining and educational animal shows for kids.

Ottawa County 4-H exhibits and judging will commence Monday and continue all week long in categories such as home arts, arts and crafts, floriculture, horticulture, agronomy, and livestock including beef, hogs, lambs, rabbits, dairy beef, feeder calves, dairy goats, poultry, horses, dogs, cats and much more.

MUSIC
Below is the schedule of free entertainment scheduled for the fair:
Monday, July 19     Rockfish (classic rock)        7 to 11 p.m.
Tuesday, July 20    Eastside Sound (country polka)    6 to 10 p.m.
Wednesday, July 21    Phoenix Rose (classic rock-country)    7 to 11 p.m.
Thursday, July 22    Sugar Creek (country)            7 to 11 p.m.
Friday, July 23    Calico (country, bluegrass, gospel)    2 to 5 p.m.
Saturday, July 24    Midlife Crisis (classic rock)         8 p.m. to midnight

GRANDSTAND EVENTS
Exciting events will be held nightly Tuesday through Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Berlin Raceway grandstands. In addition to fan favorites Coors Light Demolition Derby (Tuesday, July 20), Miller Lite Motocross (Wednesday, July 21) and Bud Light Off-Road Demolition Race (Saturday, July 24), two new events are coming to the Berlin Fair this year. the Bud Light Night of Destruction on Thursday, July 22 and the Coors Light Enduro 250 on Friday, July 23.

The Bud Light Night of Destruction is a travelling smorgasbord of wild events coming to Berlin Raceway for the first time. Events include the Blues Brothers, Motorcycle Demolition Derby, School Bus Trailer Racing, Rocket Car Meltdown, Football Race, Wall of Fire, Fireworks, Monster Truck, Rollover Competition, School Bus Races and Motorcycle Jump over Helicopter.

The Coors Light Enduro 250, another new event to Berlin, is a moving traffic jam - a combination demolition derby and stock car race. The field of cars will be made up of several local Berlin Raceway drivers, including Tim DeVos, Paul Namey and Lee VanDyk; several Kalamazoo Speedway drivers including Andy Bozell and Ken Scheffler, and many Enduro drivers from throughout the region and around the country. The 250-lap crash-fest race pays a hefty $5,000 to win with a total purse of more than $18,000. Anyone can enter as long as they have a car that meets Enduro rules. Rules and entry forms for the Enduro, as well as for the Off-Road Demolition Race and the Demolition Derby, are available online at www.berlinraceway.com and www.berlinfair.org.

Tickets for all Grandstand Events are available now at Berlin Raceway's administrative offices, through TicketMaster (456-3333 or at outlets), and at Fifth Third Ballpark. A complete schedule of Grandstand Events is listed below.


2004 BERLIN FAIR GRANDSTAND EVENTS SCHEDULE
Tuesday, July 20, 2004, 7 p.m. - COORS LIGHT Demolition Derby
$10 Adults; $5 Kids 3-12; 2 & Under free; Pits - $15 (16 and over)

Wednesday, July 21, 2004, 7 p.m. - MILLER LITE Motocross
$10 Adults; $5 Kids 3-12; 2 & Under free

Thursday, July 22, 2004, 7 p.m. - BUD LIGHT Night of Destruction  
$15 Adults; $7.50 Kids 3-12; 2 & Under free

Friday, July 23, 2004, 7 p.m. - COORS LIGHT Enduro 250
$15 Adults; $7.50 Kids 3-12; 2 & Under free; Pits - $25 (16 and over)

Saturday, July 24, 2004, 7 p.m. - BUD LIGHT Off-Road Demolition Race
$10 Adults; $5 Kids 3-12; 2 & Under free; Pits - $15 (16 and over)