{gallery}07_21_09/fair{/gallery}Nine-year-old Eddie Shramek of Powell received the “Best of Show” award with his 2-year-old labrador, Rose, during the 4-H Dog Show Monday morning at the Park County Fairgrounds. The 2009 fair begins this week with a variety of exhibits and entertainment. Tribune photo by Toby Bonner Tickets still available for grandstand eventsPrized tomatoes and colorful quilts are on display. Horses, steers and sheep are groomed for their award-winning moments. Vats of oil await French fries and mini-doughnuts, and the Ferris wheel is ready to roll.

All of it can mean only one thing: The Park County Fair is here.

Fair festivities kick off today (Tuesday) with free stage acts and the annual pig mud-wrestling showdown at 7 p.m. in the grandstands.

Old favorites and new events continue throughout the six-day event, and Fair Manager Steve Scott anticipates around 35,000 visitors will shuffle through the fair's gates this week.

Scott said the gloomy economy could dampen attendance, but added that county fairs typically fare pretty well, even in years of economic turmoil.

“Money is tight here, just like everywhere else,” Scott said. “Fairs usually do OK, and we're hoping that holds true.”

He added that folks in the Big Horn Basin don't have to travel far, and once they get in the gates, a variety of entertainment is available.

Fairgoers can count on old standby events returning this year — Tuesday's pig mud-wrestling, Friday's Figure 8 Race and Saturday's demolition derby.

A brand-new event, Donkey Polo, premiers Thursday at the grandstands. Eight teams, each consisting of two players, will face off during intermission at the mini-bull riding Thursday night.

“Basically, it will consist of a soccer ball, brooms and a 55-gallon barrel,” Scott said. “I expect the only rule is that you have to stay on the donkey.”

Participants still are needed, and interested donkey riders can contact the fair office at 754-5421. Donkeys will be supplied, Scott said.

Also new this year is Thursday's Tough Enough to Wear Pink Day at the Park County Fair. The day is part of a national campaign to raise awareness and money to combat breast cancer.

This year's entertainment headliner, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, takes the grandstand stage at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Tickets are still available for the Dirt Band and other main grandstand events. Tickets can be purchased online or at the fair office.

“We've sold well, but we haven't sold out,” Scott said.

For the first time, tickets for the main events were sold on the Park County Fair's Web site, www.parkcountyfair.com. Ticket sales began in May, and Scott said the online transaction gave residents around the Basin an even playing field when it came to buying tickets. It also spread out payments over three months, so a single paycheck didn't take the full hit, Scott said.

Overall, the first year of online tickets was a success, he added.

“There were some glitches that they're working on for next year, but it went well,” Scott said.

There also are plenty of events that don't require a ticket. Free stage acts begin at noon today (Tuesday) and continue through Sunday. Exhibit halls, both commercial and arts and crafts, will be open throughout the week.

Carnival rides begin Wednesday and run through Sunday.

Daily gate admission, beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, is $5, and a week's pass costs $10. Children 12 years and under get in free.