howard county fair

A day in the life of a 4-H family at the Howard County Fair

A day in the life of a 4-H family at the Howard County Fair

53 Photos, 1 Video

Baltimore Sun Media Group multimedia journalist Jen Rynda spent 24 hours with a 4-H family during the first day of the Howard County Fair, which is celebrating its 70th year this week. Rynda followed the King family, of Woodbine — Teresa and her daughters Rachel, 16, and Nicole, 15. The King family sleeps in a camper at the fair in order to take care of their animals late at night and early in the morning. They participate in several contests as well, including the Miss Howard County Farm Bureau pageant. Flip through the photos for an detailed account of the family’s day, and check out the video below.

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The Howard County Fair’s All-American Pro Rodeo

The Howard County Fair’s All-American Pro Rodeo

41 Photos, 1 Video

The Howard County Fair upped its game this year, moving from the ‘Bull Blast’ to a full on rodeo. Participants competed in several competitions, including bareback bronco riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle riding and bull riding. Spectators were treated to seemingly off-the-cuff performances from the rodeo clown. (Photos by Jon Sham / Video by Jen Rynda)

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Time lapse: Setting up the rides at the Howard County Fair

Time lapse: Setting up the rides at the Howard County Fair

1 Video, 11 photos

The Howard County Fair is returning for its 70th year next week, and the Howard County Times wanted to give readers a look into how crews get the fairgrounds ready for the event. Photographer Jen Rynda spent six hours over two days as workers meticulously set up the rides. More from her below the time lapse.

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Tiny steeds, big deeds at the Howard County Fair Miniature Horse Show

Tiny steeds, big deeds at the Howard County Fair Miniature Horse Show

11 Photos, 1 Video

It doesn’t draw crowds like the Bull Blast or Monster Truck Madness, but the Howard County Fair’s Miniature Horse Show, held on Wednesday, Aug. 6, is quite unique.

There are competitions for adults and youths (the humans, not the horses), that include various types of showmanship, jumping small hurdles and maneuvering an obstacle course.

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The life of a rodeo cowboy

The life of a rodeo cowboy

19 Photos, 1 Video

“There’s no injured reserve for bull riders,” said Chip Ridgely, the owner of Rockin’ R Western Productions, which put on the Bull Blast at the Howard County Fair Monday night, and will again on Thursday.

We took look into the life of rodeo cowboys, who travel around the country in groups for weeks on end to entertain crowds at fairs and other events. Most people are aware of how dangerous the sport can be, but few may realize what bull riders go through from day to day.

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Bull Blast rodeo at the Howard County Fair

Bull Blast rodeo at the Howard County Fair

25 photos, 1 videos

After 16 years, attendees of the Howard County Fair finally got to see some bucking bulls.

With a new event called “Bull Blast” held Monday night, the fair launched itself back into the ring with professional riders putting on a show for about 2,000 cheering fans.

“We’re going to see some spills, some falls, maybe a couple cowboys getting bucked off real good,” said Justin Howard, of Rockin “R” Western Productions, which produced the show. “We’re going to have some fun.” (Story continues below video)

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Images come to life in Howard County Fair vignettes

Images come to life in Howard County Fair vignettes

6 photos, 1 video

Patuxent photographer Sarah Pastrana spent some time at the Howard County Fair last week, looking for its more interesting characters. With the help of photographer Jen Rynda on the editing side, they produced six video vignettes in which the photos literally come to life. Click here to see them all.

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The Howard County Fair has something for everyone

The Howard County Fair has something for everyone

13 photos

The 67th annual Howard County Fair began on Saturday, Aug. 4, at the county fairgrounds in West Friendship, and Patuxent Publishing photographer Brian Krista has been there every day. He’s captured the animals, the people and the competitions held at the fair each year. Check out more of the Howard County Times’ coverage of the fair here.

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