A parade, beauty pageants, livestock shows, rodeos and a carnival all are on the schedule next week when the 85th edition of the Freestone County Fair opens in Fairfield.

The fair officially starts at 7 p.m. Monday with a parade that runs through downtown Fairfield and is expected to have about 125 entries.

Prizes are to be awarded the entries denoting the "Country Paradise" theme, most creative, most entertaining and most beautiful, with a special Spirit of Freestone County traveling trophy also up for grabs.

Parade entries must be lined up in assigned spaces by 6 p.m. for judging.

Also to be judged are the "Best Dressed Cowgirl" and "Best Dressed Cowboy," with the winners riding horses the entire parade route.

Military veterans are designated as parade grand marshals this year and are asked to contact Fairfield VFW Post 5872 to ride on the VFW float.

Carnival rides open at 6 p.m. Monday at W.L. Moody Reunion Grounds, where fair activities are centered, and will operate nightly through Saturday.

Go-Texan competitions in horseshoe pitching and team penning are set for Monday after the parade. Freestone county earns points with the events that are counted toward qualifying for college scholarships from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Team penning is at the reunion grounds rodeo arena and features two divisions, juniors are ages 8-17 and seniors are 18 years and older. Winners of both divisions qualify to participate at the Houston Livestock Show next year, but must be Freestone county residents to advance.

Junior competitors must have a parent or guardian sign a release form.

Entry fee is $10 per person for each 3-member team. Riders may enter as many times as they want as long as they change at least one rider on the team.

A kickoff dance featuring music by "Tobacco Road" runs from 8:30 p.m. Monday until midnight at the fairgrounds.

Home economics exhibits will be checked in at the green barn from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday and baked goods are to be checked in from 7-9 a.m. Tuesday. Home economics exhibits and baked goods will be judged Tuesday morning and a silent auction of baked goods will be held Tuesday afternoon.

Livestock shows are the heart of the fair each year and four days of judging gets underway at 1:30 p.m. with breeding sheep, followed immediately by breeding meat goats. A total of 499 livestock entries in breeding and market shows will be judged during the fair, with the top market animals sold at auction Saturday morning.

Three special youth events, stick-bull riding, stick-barrel racing and mutton busting, for participants ages 4-7, are set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the rodeo arena. Young cowboys and cowgirls need to sign up by 6 p.m. Stick-bull riding is for boys, stick-barrel racing is for girls and mutton busting is for everyone. Mutton busters may weigh no more than 55 pounds.

The top 10 from mutton busting compete Friday night during the professional rodeo performance.

Go-Texan senior washer pitching and Go-Texan barbecue contest judging are set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the fairgrounds.

The Miss Freestone County and Miss Teen Freestone County pageants are scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Fairfield high school auditorium.

Competing for Miss Freestone County this year are Micah Sandlin, Allyson Monks, Kala VanWinkle, Alex Fernandez, Stella Richardson, Ashley Cannon, Cheyenne Newman, Shelby McGuirt, Kaycee Sessum, Ashley Spencer, Laurel Padgett and Andrea Marfell.

In the Miss Teen Freestone County pageant are Breunna DeVault, Kelli Childress, Brittany Watson, Olivia Hughes, Sarah Sloat, Melissa Lopez, Tiana Davis, Brittany Heard, Fruncheska Daniels, Allyse Sleziak, Taylor Perry, Bradleigh Hollister, Lacie Grissett, Courtney Chandler, MaKenzie Calame and Lauren Libhart.

Wednesday activities include the breeding swine show at 8 a.m., breeding beef show at 1 p.m., ag mechanics project show at 5 p.m. and the Yates Manahan Youth Rodeo at 8 p.m.

To enter the youth rodeo, and to enter incounty barrels and ribbon roping, wild cow milking and double mugging, call 903-879-2442 Monday between 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Scheduled for the second half of fair week are judging of market animals on Thursday and Friday for the junior livestock sale at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the Ike Carden Pavilion.

Professional rodeo action and in-county rodeo events are set for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The fair also includes a pet show at 3 p.m. Saturday and grand finale dance with "Tobacco Road" Saturday evening.