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School children will be the first to see the poultry, livestock and other exhibits at the 65th annual Damascus Community Fair.

As of Tuesday, 200 children from five schools were scheduled to receive guided tours Friday morning before the fair opens at noon.

"We really want to let the kids know there's a lot of history in their own community with agriculture," said Beth Woodley Riley, who is in charge of the tours.

Fair organizers hope the children will bring their families back, as well as their cats on Saturday and their dogs on Sunday to enter the competitions.

"It's inexpensive for a family to come and enjoy the fair," fair president Nancy Warfield said.

There is no entrance or parking fee, and even the popcorn is free, courtesy of the Damascus Lions Club.

The fair has something for all ages, she said. It is a celebration of the community's agricultural heritage, with today's perspective.

"It will always be a small community fair," Warfield said.

Organizers worry about the future of farming in the community.

T-shirts with the slogan "No farm, no food," will be available for a $10 donation "to make people aware of how much we rely on agriculture for food," Warfield said.

Live displays of beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, rabbits and alpacas will be outdoors. Visitors can chat with livestock owners to learn more about their animals or talk to professionals from the state cooperative extension service and state agricultural teachers at the Agriculture 411 booth. The Maryland Agriculture Showcase will be at the fair with information about agriculture in the state.

Inside the activity center will be displays of fruits and vegetables, flowers and plants, fine arts and photography, hand crafts, electricity, small engines, woodworking, canned goods, needlework, sewing, and baked goods and candies.

The Damascus Volunteer Fire Department and Auxiliary will sell home-cooked food and snacks.

Entertainment will include area bands playing country, rock, blues, gospel and bluegrass music, as well as martial arts and gymnastics demonstrations, the Saddle Gals and Guys Equestrian Drill Team and Feather the Clown.

The community corner will have games for children, as well as a nail-driving contest for adults and a watermelon-seed-spitting contest for all ages.

In a scavenger hunt, younger children will be asked to identify things they see at the fair and older ones will fill in a card with their observations, said organizer Mark Adkins.

On Friday afternoon, children can build and race cars made of vegetables or enter the first of several pedal tractor pulls.

Entries are closed for Friday night's ice cream-making contest, but fairgoers can stop by at 6:30 p.m. to taste the competitors. The evening will end with a karaoke contest.

Saturday's activities begin at 8 a.m. with the 22nd annual fun run, sponsored by Sandy Spring National Bank. The day ends with a cake and livestock auction that begins at 7 p.m. Children will sell the cattle, swine and sheep they raised through 4-H. Cakes donated by some of the best bakers in town will be sold to help mount next year's fair.

"It's like a big party for people who are in the community or maybe moved away," said past fair president Eloise Woodfield, who is organizing Sunday's Grandparents Day activities.

In addition to favorite contests such as a cake walk, grandparents are asked to come in costume to play "Let's Make a Deal" for prizes that include gift certificates to Tom and Ray's Restaurant, the Red Rooster, Ned's Hair Connection and Hair Razors. Gladhill Brothers will give every grandparent in attendance a prize.

The fair began in the 1920s at Damascus High School. It was not held for several years during World War II and moved from the school to the carnival grounds in 1989 when agricultural courses were taken off the curriculum. Members of the high school Future Farmers of America Club will be on hand Friday.

The Damascus Community Fair is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the agricultural heritage of Damascus and educating the public about agriculture in a family friendly environment.

ssingerbart@gazette.net

-Noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Damascus Volunteer Fire Department Activity Center and carnival grounds, 10211 Lewis Drive.

-Parking and admission are free. For information, including a schedule of fair events, visit www.damascusfair.org.

-600-700 exhibits

-A pumpkin that weighs more than 100 pounds

-More than 25 cats and 40 dogs in the pet shows

-More than 100 chickens

-More than 10 dairy cows and goats

-More than 150 clothing exhibits

-More than 200 canned fruits and vegetables

-More than 350 photographs

-More than 450 handcrafted items

-More than 10 Lego exhibits

-More than 25 cakes

-99 coloring contest drawings

Entries for contests, from jellies and jams to photographs, flowers, fruit and vegetables may be dropped off 4-8 p.m. Thursday. Entry forms are online at www.damascusfair.org or at Gladhill Brothers on Ridge Road.