Three nights of high-octane entertainment mark demolition derby’s 10th year
The Monster Truck Rally at the Utah County Fair.
Dallen Proctor gets focused before his first heat during the Demolition Derby at the Utah County Fair on Aug. 19, 2016, in Spanish Fork. Driving a car from Utah Valley University, Dallen sits in the driver’s seat before his heats and tries to calm his nerves before entering the derby. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
Dallen Proctor is knocked onto the wall of the arena during the Demolition Derby at the Utah County Fair on Aug. 19, 2016, in Spanish Fork. Proctor has raced many times, and fortunately has never been seriously injured, despite some close calls in the past. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
The roar of engines and crowds will be heard throughout Spanish Fork as the Utah County Fair celebrates with three nights of high-octane entertainment. From Aug. 17-19, the Grand Arena will play host to a rodeo, monster truck rally, and the Utah-crowd favorite demolition derby, respectively.
“This fair has just gotten bigger and better,” said Mike Stansfield, director of the Utah County Fair. “And as the fair has grown, so have the events.”
This year, the demolition derby will be celebrating 10 years with Utah County, having started when the fair was moved to the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds. In that time, the derby has become exponentially larger, becoming the biggest event hosted at the fair.
“Tickets sell out fast,” said Stansfield. “And most of those tickets go to families — big families. Last year we had one group, all related, that bought 110 tickets all together.”
As the derby has grown, so has the attention, attracting out-of-state talent competing for the cash prize. To sustain the growth, the price of the demolition derby tickets has crept up, which caused Stansfield and his team to look for other forms of entertainment to accommodate as many Utah County residents as possible.
The Thursday-night rodeo will be free to the public, and promises fun for the whole family with bronco and bull riding, barrel racing, bareback riding and — one especially for the kids — mutton bustin’.
Friday night will see the return of the monster truck rally, now in its third year as a major fair event.
“The monster truck rally is the hidden gem of the fair,” said Utah County Commissioner Greg Graves. “It’s such a family-friendly, fun event that it’s grow in popularity every year — and based on reactions from all the residents that attend, it’s the one thing that people don’t know about.”
Graves said that because demolition derbies are so popular in Utah, there are a lot throughout the state. The monster truck rally, however, isn’t something that’s seen as often, so he considers it an exciting way to mix things up for Utah County residents and fair attendees.
The committee behind the Utah County Fair has tried keeping the prices for the rally as low as possible, as well, which has helped get people into the arena for the show. The rally includes more than just the trucks, showcasing freestyle motocross, mini-car races, and other adrenaline-fueled showstoppers.
Stansfield, who originally spearheaded the addition of the rally to the fair, said that it’s not just the fair-goers who respond to the show, either, but the drivers themselves really seem to enjoy their time in Utah County.
“In the past the drivers have stayed after the show for an hour or two,” he said. “They give monster truck rides and sign autographs. The kids love it, of course, but I think they have a really great time too.”
As these headlining events grow in popularity, Graves hopes that people will still take time to enjoy the fair itself, and to see all the work that the many volunteers have put into the festival.
“I hope people see how excited we are to celebrate everything in Utah County,” he said. “We’ve got these big, marquee events, but all the other stuff that goes on during the fair is a lot of fun…It really is a celebration of everything good in Utah County and what we appreciate about it.”
Stansfield, who has been the director of the fair for the last five years shared the sentiment: “This is such a great county and we want to make sure we have a fair that matches.”