The first official day of the 162nd Porter County Fair is this Thursday, July 19, starting at 12 p.m. and will continue until Saturday, July 28.

Admission prices this year are $5 for adults and youth 10 years or older. Children under 10 years of age will be admitted free.

Ten Punch Passes, which are good for ten admissions to the fair, are $40.

Admission charges begin at 1 p.m. except for Saturdays and Sundays which begin at 10 a.m. There is no admission cost on weekdays before 1 p.m.

Midway Carnival Rides open daily at noon. All-day Wristbands for the rides can be purchased at the Fair Office and the Main Gate Ticket Window. Prices are $15 in advance before July 16 or $22 after.

Wristbands are available for $15 on weekdays before 6 p.m. of the Fair and $22 on Saturdays and Sundays all day.

Monday, July 23 is Special Needs Day on the Midway. Special Needs youth accompanied by a chaperone will be provided complementary ride passes.

Wednesday, July 25 is Senior Citizens Day and Veterans/Military Personnel Day at the Fair sponsored by Porter Health System’s Senior Circle group. Admission is free for all senior citizens, veterans and members of any branch of the Armed Forces.

Other sponsored days are Kankakee Valley REMC Day on Friday, July 20; Farm Bureau – Agriculture Day at the Fair on Saturday, July 21; and The Times Day at the Fair on Sunday, July 22.

4-H exhibits and Open Class exhibits open daily at 10 a.m. and commercial exhibits at 12 p.m.

Fair Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays before the Fair starts and are open at all hours during the Fair. The phone number for the office is 219-462-0321.

Grandstand Entertainment ticket information is available at the Grandstand Ticket Office, located on the northwest corner of the Grandstands, east of the Concessions area of the Fair. The ticket office is open July 19 to July 28 at 6:00 p.m. (Ticket booth will open earlier on days such as Demo Derby when the show starts earlier than 7:30 p.m.)

Tickets for all shows are now on sale online at www.portercofair.org

Ticket prices do not include fair admission. You may want to consider purchasing “discounted” admission passes with your grandstand show ticket purchase.

Grandstand Entertainment this year includes: the Luke Bryan Show on Thursday, July 19 (sold out); Larry the Cable Guy on Saturday, July 21; Hot Chelle Rae Show on Sunday, July 22; A-Bar Productions Bull Riding on Monday, July 23; Farmer Olympics and Draft Horse Pull on Tuesday, July 24; Tractor/Truck Pull on Wednesday, July 26; Motocross Competition on Thursday, July 27; Figure “8” Demo Derby on Friday, July 28; and the Demo Derby shows on Saturday, July 29.

All shows start at 7:30 p.m. with the exception of the Tractor/Truck Pull, which starts at 7 p.m., and the Demo Derby, which has a 5 p.m. show and a later 8 p.m. show.

Being held in the grandstands this year and with no admission fee is the 2012 Porter County Fair Queen Pageant on Friday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m.

The 2012 Porter County Fair Queen Pageant Contestants and their sponsors are: Amy Swanson (Boone Grove High School), Britta Ringas (Porter County Pet Clinic), Caitlin Herzog (Valparaiso Fire Fighters Local 1124), Cristal Garcia (Clancys of Portage), Claire Sands (Valparaiso Rotary Club), Elise Gustafson (Sand Creek Country Club), Elly Johansen (The Designer’s Club and Day Spa), Gabrielle Block (Task Force Tips, Inc.), Hannah Granzow (Gauchos Brazilian Steakhouse), Jenna Jessen (YoAmazing Yogurt Shoppe), Jordan Chester (Indiana Furniture Showcase), Katelyn Marak (Porter County Farm Bureau, Inc.), Katie Lichtenberger (Sandburg’s Service Center, Inc.), Megan Baird (Catherine’s Bridal Boutique), Nicolette Besinger (Kiwanis Club of Valparaiso), Samantha Zaremba (David’s Lawn Care), and Alyssa Szafasz (Bloom Animal Clinic).

Other notable events are the Taste of 4-H Foods Auction on Friday, July 20, at 6 p.m. at the Buggy Wheel Pavilion; the Veterans Recognition Program on Wednesday, July 25 at 7 p.m. inside The Time Park Place Pavilion; the 4-H Livestock Celebration Sale on Thursday, July 26 at 6 p.m. at the Livestock Show Arena; and the Master Showmanship Contest on Friday, July 27 at 7 p.m. at the Horse Arena and Livestock Show Arena.

The Porter County Fairgrounds are located at the northeast corner of Division Rd. and Ind. 49, about one mile south of Valparaiso.

There are four main parking areas on the grounds. As you arrive, please follow the instructions of traffic controllers who will direct traffic to a parking lot.

The Fair will be running free trolleys around the parking areas until 10 p.m. each night.