From equestrian competitions and showmanship to rodeo events, there will be a lot of horsing around at the 2011 Merced County Fair.

The Merced County Fair is kicking off its annual theme contest for the 2011 Fair and horses will be the theme of the 120th event. The deadline to enter theme ideas is Thursday, Aug. 5 at 3 p.m. The 2010 fair recently ended, but planning for the next fair has already begun, so the new theme must be selected soon.

The winner of the contest will receive $100 and two season passes to the fair. The second- and third-place entries will each be awarded a pair of season passes to the 2011 Fair, June 14-19. The contest is for Merced County residents only.

“This contest is a fun way for our community to be a part of the fair from the start,” said Tom Musser, the fair’s CEO. “If you’ve got some clever ideas for the fair’s theme, you bet we want see them, so stop horsing around, get a jump on the competition and you could find yourself in this year’s winner’s circle.”

Agriculture is big in Merced County and horses continue to play an important role in our community and at the fair – from the Junior Horse Show and livestock showmanship to the Rodeo and other Grandstand events.

The first-place theme will be used as the fair’s theme. Once the winning theme is picked, there will be a contest to find a logo design to illustrate the theme. Each year the theme and logo are featured on billboards, posters, print and TV advertising, the Fair’s website and Facebook pages, T-shirts, programs, banners, exhibitor’s handbooks, fliers and more to promote the fair.

To enter the competition, print or type the entries on one piece of paper. Each entry must be five words or less and a maximum of eight entries per person can be submitted. No entries will be accepted that are the same or similar to other trademarked slogans.

Email ideas to Info@MercedCountyFair.com or entries may be dropped off at the fairgrounds office, 900 Martin Luther King. Jr. Way or mailed to the Merced County Fair, 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Merced, CA 95341. Submissions should include the entrant’s name, address and phone number. Information about the theme contest will be available on the fair’s website, www.MercedCountyFair.com and on Facebook. For more information, call the fair office at 722-1507.

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