Hillsborough County Fair Gets High Marks From Organizers, Attendees

Myke Morris couldn’t be happier with the Hillsborough County Fair and its growth over the years at its most recent home, at Sydney Washer Road in Dover, just east of Brandon off State Road 60.

“This is the fifth year for the fair at this location and, goodness, it’s the 18th year of the fair overall,” said Morris, a member of the fair’s board of directors. “It’s getting better and better every year. This year we had 85 fat hogs to sell, the dairy show is up, the beef show is up and we’ve added another goat show. We’ve had more chickens and rabbits than ever before and everything is going great."

The fair opened Oct. 11 and runs through today, Oct. 16.

George Parker is a past president of the fair and remains a member of the Hillsborough County Fair Board of Directors.

The fair “has more than exceeded our expectations” at its Greater Brandon location, he said.

And huge things are still to come, he added, noting a recent approval by the Hillsborough County Commissioners to spend Community Investment Tax dollars to build additional structures on the fairgrounds, including a climate-controlled building for special events.

“With the community’s help we’re doing it [expanding] and it’s going to get better and better every year,” Parker said. 

At this year’s fair, Morgan Boykin, 16, a junior at Strawberry Crest High School, was named Senior Harvest Queen.

“It is an honor and a blessing to represent the Hillsborough County fair,” Boykin said. Her future goal, she added, is “to get a degree in radiology and hopefully, if my dreams come true, to become a member of the medical staff for the Professional Bull Riders Association.”

The junior queen’s crown went to Georgia Foster, 14, of Dover, a freshman at Strawberry Crest.

“It’s awesome to be able to represent such a great fair,” she said.

Her best part of the fair?

“Definitely the livestock and animals we get to show,” she said.

Charisma Goff was at the fair to show her 1-year-old rabbit, Lila.

“I got her from a friend, after one of my rabbits died,” Goff said, who added that her participation in the fair “gives me something to do."

“I make new friends and I get to see adorable rabbits,” she added.

Her mother, Sandi Meadows, was at the tent and noted the “record-number of rabbits” the fair has attracted this year.

“All the livestock shows are up,” she added. “This year we have 82 kids and 165 rabbits. A lot of it is because the fair is really beginning to catch on."

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