EMBARRASS- With a year off due to the pandemic, Embarrass Region Fair organizers are ready to put on their 81st annual fair the weekend of Aug. 27-29. Following a year without any community get-togethers, they are hoping to see everyone stop by for all their favorites, plus some new activities. The fair is organized and staffed by a large group of dedicated volunteers.
Admission is only $4 and that buys you a whole day’s worth of fun; children 10 and under are free with a paid adult. Weekend passes are $10. All events are at or around Timber Hall, at 4855 Hwy. 21.
The fair features a horse show, pony rides, a mud run, demolition derby, car show, the Flying Finn 5K, livestock displays, dog show, many exhibits, and much, much more.
New this year is an expanded “machinery hill” area featuring farm machinery from the new John Deere dealer in Virginia and Kubota products from Bobcat of Duluth.
“They are both really excited to be showing off their product lines,” said fair vice-chair Sue Beaton.
Another new event is the cornhole tournament, which is taking the place of the traditional horseshoe tournament, which has seen less interest in recent years.
“Cornhole is really popular,” said Beaton, and the fair committee is hoping to see lots of cornhole competition on Saturday.
The cornhole tournament starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and participants should sign-up by 10 a.m. Entry is $20 per team with an 80-percent payout. The fair has three sets of tournament-sized boards, and is asking participants to bring their own wooden cornhole boards if they are tournament size (www.playcornhole.org for details).
There will still be two horseshoe pits available for anyone who wants to play.
The goal of this year’s organizing committee was to put on the fair as safely as possible. There will be sanitizer stations throughout the fairgrounds, and attendees will be encouraged to wear masks inside Timber Hall.
St. Louis County Public Health will be providing free COVID-19 vaccinations at the fair on Saturday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., near the north gate to the fairgrounds.
Indoor space at Timber Hall is all spoken for, Beaton said, and there will be vendors outdoors as well. All the regular fair food favorites will be back, including a few new offerings.
Friday will be a little quieter than in past years. Due to the pandemic, there is no queen coronation. Area favorite Sweet Freedom will be playing from 4 – 10 p.m. and the beer garden and food vendors will be open, as well as Wizard’s Kingdom Inflatables.
With the team penning moved to an earlier weekend, the horse arena will not be busy on Friday or Saturday, but on Sunday, the Annual Embarrass Fair Horse Show is underway all day long.
Exhibitors from area communities including Aurora, Babbitt, Biwabik, Breitung, Britt, Eagles Nest, Ely, Embarrass, Greenwood, Hoyt Lakes, Kugler, Morse-Fall Lake, Palo, Pike, Sandy, Soudan, Tower, Vermilion Lake, Waasa, White, Winton, and Wuori are invited to showcase their goods and possibly win a prize. See the fair book for more information on rules, divisions and tips on how to harvest and display your vegetables, fruits, and flowers, as well as entry and judging times. Exhibit entries can be dropped off Friday from 1 – 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 – 10 a.m.
Timber Hall will be filled with vendors selling canned and baked goods, homemade crafts, wooden toys, photography, fiber arts, and more. More vendors will be selling goods outdoors.
The livestock building is open Saturday and Sunday; stop by to meet many different animals which may include cows, sheep, lambs, goats, llamas, alpacas, horses, ponies, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys.
The beer garden will be available on Friday, 2 - 8 p.m., Saturday, 12 - 8 p.m. and Sunday, 12 - 6 p.m. The beer garden is operated by the Babbitt Lions Club. All profits are used to fund local needs and charities.
Wizards Kingdom Inflatables will open at 3 p.m. Friday and will be open all day Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, music starts again at 4 p.m. with favorites from Saturday Night Country Live: 1/2 Way, The Hutter Bunch, BackRoads, and more.
Rising Sun Entertainment is hosting a karaoke contest on Sunday at noon, with sign-ups starting at 10 a.m.

Saturday
A dog show, featuring the beloved doggies of youth 16 and under will take place at 10 a.m. Registration is strictly between 9 and 9:45 a.m. Participants will need an up-to-date written certificate of rabies vaccination. For questions, contact Bonnie Meier at 218-984-3506.
The 40th Annual Flying Finn 5K Run-Walk begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. The Flying Finn starting line and registration area are located across Hwy. 21 from the fairgrounds. A $50 award goes to the first male and first female finishers. First, second, and third-place medallions are given in each of the six age divisions. All participants will receive a Flying Finn T-shirt. Cost is $25. Call Holly Johnson at 218-780-6633 or email hsjohnson6980@gmail. com for more information.
Races For All Ages start at 11 a.m. Games include baby crawl, bean bag toss, running, sawdust scramble, gunny sack race, wheelbarrow race, three-legged race, shoe kick, and a water balloon toss. Cash prizes for all categories.
The Tony Morshing Memorial Mud Run starts at 12:30 p.m. with a $10 admission fee; ages 10 and under are free with a paid adult. The Mud Run features a standard 4x4 run and a fast track. Those who wish to enter may do so from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. For more information, call Floyd Joki at 218- 984-2843.
Saturday Night Country Live favorites will be performing from 4 – 10 p.m.

Sunday
The Classic Field of Dreams Car and Truck Show starts its 80th year at 9 a.m. and concludes with an awards ceremony at 2 p.m. This year the show is featuring an open class with all cars, pickups, street rods, and special interest. Trophies will be awarded for “Queen’s Choice,” “Longest Distance,” and “Fair Board Chair.” For questions, call Darwin A. Salo at 218-827-3581 or Tim Sipola at 218-827-3340.
The Demolition Derby begins at 12:30 p.m. with an admission fee of $5. Bring your lawn chairs.
The horse show begins at 9 a.m. Karaoke contest sign-up begins at 10 a.m.; singing goes from noon – 3 p.m. The weekend festivities start to wind down with the annual parade, which starts at 4 p.m. There are parade prizes in adult groups/singles, businesses/organizations, and children’s groups/singles. Line-up begins at 2:30 p.m. at the Nelimark on Hwy. 21; judging is at 3:30 p.m.

Team Penning and Ranch Sorting to be held Aug. 20-22

Take three riders on horseback, put them in a corral with about 30 calves with numbers zero to nine marked on their sides. Then give the riders one minute to round up three specific calves and herd them into a pen at the opposite end of the corral. Sounds easy? Not really.
If this sounds like it would be something fun to watch, it is. And everyone is invited to stop by the Embarrass Fair horse ring to watch this year’s event, which has been moved to the weekend prior to the fair itself.
Team penning begins at 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20 at the Embarrass Fairgrounds and continues until dusk, with sign-up starting at 2 p.m. Team penning continues Saturday, Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. and runs until dusk. On Sunday, the event switches to ranch sorting, with a 10 a.m. starting time for beginners and the competitive division from 1 – 4 p.m.
The event is open to all ages and experience levels, so all area horse enthusiasts are welcome to give it a try. The cost to enter is $10 per rider per run, with two runs required to compete in the top ten short run. Cash prizes and buckles are awarded. Food concessions will be available.
For more information, call Doug Mattson at 218-780-7477 or Jeff Anderson at 218-780-3449.