CALHAN, Colo. (KOAA) — The 2025 El Paso County Fair attracted tens of thousands of people this year, many drawn by increasing popular animal-centric events.
"It was busy, and there was always something happening," said Andschana Aljets, special events supervisor for the fair.
According to our news partners at The Gazette, or the fair's 120th anniversary, Aljets and other organizers took this year's theme back to the fair's origins as a potato festival — with spud-centric contests each of the days.
The fair also had displays and events for each of the decades since its inception.
This year about 31,000 people made their way to Calhan for the event, raising about $350,000 in event revenue. While the fair grounds, security and other costs are provided by El Paso County, Aljets said the fair is self-sustaining in terms of programming.
Revenue raised and attendance exceeded organizers' goals, with more people coming out this year than last. Aljets said the demolition derby has grown popular enough for an encore planned for Sept. 27, the second year of adding a separate show.
"It is our event that sells out every year," she said.
Another increasing trend is the popularity of any programming involving animals. Aljets said everything from silent movies with bunnies to the more traditional rodeo events like a cutting horse demonstration were consistently well-attended.
The fair added two new days of rodeo and livestock showcase events this year, on top of two new days added last year.
"We see a huge draw from the city who have not been exposed to that environment at all," she said.
A big part of the fair is the 4-H program's showcase. Emily Green, 4-H youth development animal science specialist for El Paso County, said that the program saw more than 1,600 fair entries this year, from livestock to tabletop projects.
"Overall it showed really good participation," she said.
She said livestock like goats and pigs were the most popular entries. Over a hundred projects are heading to the state fair in Pueblo, which starts this weekend.
Aljets said next year's fair would reflect the country's 250th anniversary, as well as Colorado's 150th.
"We can expect to see something that highlights a patriotic and Colorado theme," she said.
The Gazette's Savannah Eller contributed to this web story.
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