News File Photo A scene from the 2018 Alcona County Fair.

LINCOLN — Today is the start of the 47th annual Alcona County Fair in Lincoln.

The fair runs until Saturday.

Referred to by locals as “The Best Little Fair in the North,” visitors can enjoy free admission to see the vendors today. The remainder of the week, admission is $5 for people 13 and older to attend any grandstand event.

Rides and carnival games, provided by D and R Shows, will start at 2 p.m. today. Armbands are $5 each.

There will be a parade at 5 p.m. tonight to kick off the fair. The parade route will go through downtown Lincoln, and the evening will wrap up with a free ice cream social in memory of Jim Pyne at 6 p.m. in the pavilion. Pyne was a fair board member.

This year, the Alcona County Fair Board is particularly excited about a new event they will be hosting. The Sick Air Motocross and BMX event will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Kathie Nelson, a fair board member, said they were thrilled to be able to book the event, especially since they have been trying to find a way to drum up more excitement.

“People always want to come to the Bump and Run, but we haven’t been able to get quite as much interest in that or the tractor pulls,” Kathie said.

This will be the first Sick Air Motocross event for the fair, and the fair board president, Doug Travis, said he thinks it will be a great show to attend especially for families. The event will have four cycle riders and four BMX riders performing a multitude of stunts.

During the week, there will also be a variety of 4H events for kids of different age groups to compete, and the Alcona Junior Livestock Club Market Sale will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

There will be multiple contests for kids and adults to try their luck for a prize. A cutest baby contest will take place in the Campbell Building. To enter, bring a 4×6 photo of your baby to the fair office by noon today. The photo must have been taken within the last year, and the child must be 24 months or younger. Winners will be announced on Saturday. Photos will be displayed at the Campbell building, each with a container for pennies for the voting. The photo with the most pennies wins.

The official fair book has a coloring contest for kids. All entries must be turned in by Saturday at noon at the Home Arts building. Winners will be announced at 2 p.m.

At 5:30 p.m. every day of the fair, there will be a bike and fishing pole giveaway. Kids must be present to win.

There will also be a raffle for a chance to win one of three prizes. Winners will receive either a fishing kayak with poles and a lifejacket, a large-screen TV, or four tickets for the Elk viewing and dining at the Thunder Bay Resort. Tickets will be on sale for $1 each or six for $5. The drawing will be held at the Alcona Recreation Area at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Winners do not need to be present to win, and they have 60 days to claim prizes.

There will be free kids rides from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, courtesy of the Alcona County Board of Commissioners and the fair board.

The “Famous” Fair Board Steak Fry will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Tickets are available at the fair office. All proceeds help fund the fair.

Saturday also marks the third annual Mud Run. Participants have until Thursday to register online. It costs $20, and individuals or teams can sign up. The first wave will start at 10 a.m. The number of waves will depend on how many participants sign up for the event. The course is two miles long of muddy fun and more than 15 obstacles. President Doug Travis said that, last year, they had about 200 participants, and he believes they will have another good turnout this year. He said there is one family that has competed as a team numerous times and has won the trophy twice. They will be back at it again this year.

Saturday, there will be Motocross racing put on by Dirt Inc. All riders are welcome. Registration is between 8 and 10 a.m. There will be a drivers meeting at 10 a.m. and racing starts at 11 a.m.

Travis urged people to attend for the wide variety of events for the whole family.

“We try to do as many family-oriented things as we can,” Travis said. “Come and have some fun and enjoy the ‘Best Little Fair in the North’.”

Kaitlin Ryan can be reached at kryan@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 989-358-5693.