The county fair this year had many attractions. Cody Slaughter, one of the world’s top 10 Elvis impersonators, was there to perform his tribute music to Elvis. The Staples’ animals and magic show was also there and showed over 90 different animals including tigers. A person could ride a camel, see a kangaroo, or watch a spider monkey do a little show if they ventured into Staples “jungle”.
New to the fair this year was a two-story fun house named the Monkey Maze and the Nemesis 360, an attraction that came back this year, a local kid’s favorite. In the barn there were a variety of farm animals ready to be judged and in an adjacent building you could see all the artwork from around the county. Another thing to see at the fair was the Veterans Appreciation Day, a ceremonial recognition of Independence County’s local veterans. In the same spirit, people were able to visit the Arkansas Fallen Heroes Memorial, a traveling 100-foot by 100-foot flag display honoring Arkansas soldiers who have died in Iraq.