Autauga County Alabama Fair Schedule

Every October, the lights at Mac Gray Park in Prattville come on across the street from the junior high school. Generations of Autauga County residents have walked that short distance for the fair, some as schoolchildren who remember getting out early to go. Autauga County sits at the northern edge of Alabama’s Black Belt and is closely tied to the Montgomery metropolitan area. Prattville, the county seat, was founded as an industrial town around Daniel Pratt’s cotton gin works. The county’s smaller communities, including Autaugaville, Billingsley, Marbury, and Pine Level, are still rural, with cattle, row crops, timber, and poultry in the surrounding fields. The fair is one of the few occasions when the suburban, commuting side of the county and the farming side share the same ground for a week.

The 59th Autauga County Fair runs October 13 through 17, 2026. Its character differs from the large agricultural fairs of the Midwest. It is a community-run, evening-centered event built around local performers, school groups, church and civic booths, a family midway, and a Saturday devoted to youth livestock. This guide separates what the fair has confirmed for 2026 from what is typical of its past editions, and it says plainly where no information is available.

Fair Overview and Fast Facts

The fair is held at Mac Gray Park Fairgrounds, 1050 Martin Luther King Drive, Prattville, Alabama 36067. The fair’s Facebook page lists the phone number as 334-717-0277 and the email as [email protected]. The 2026 run is Tuesday, October 13 through Saturday, October 17, five days that fall mostly on school nights, which shapes the program.

The Autauga County Fair Organization runs the event, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 680267, Prattville, AL 36068-0267. Gary Essary serves as Fair President and Fair Manager, and Mike Surles is Vice President. The directors named on the fair’s site are:

• Anthony Castaldo, Entertainment
• Shawn Hudak, Commercial and Non-Profit Booths
• Dora Bonebrake, Volunteer Coordinator
• Logan Strock, Livestock (also of the Billingsley High School FFA)
• Andrea Shultz, Arts and Crafts

The fairgrounds are a city park facility. The organization publicly thanks Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie, Parks and Recreation Director Kellie Cook, and the city council for making the fair possible.

On pricing, the 2026 prices and times page had not been posted when the latest information was published. The site said on September 11, 2026 that the schedule and prices would be posted soon. The most recent confirmed pricing comes from 2025: general admission was $5, and the entrance booth took cash or card. In 2025 the fair also ran a Community Night on which guests could bring three canned goods per person in place of the cash admission. Expect something similar in 2026, but confirm on the fair’s Prices and Times page before you go.

Two payment details matter. The entrance gate accepts all major credit cards. The midway, run by SonShine Amusements, has been cash only, and the fair’s site notes two ATMs on the grounds. Fairgoers have asked about this repeatedly on Facebook, and in 2025 the fair’s answer was that the entrance takes cards while rides and games do not.

The fair’s rules state that all children must be supervised by a responsible adult on the fairgrounds. Fair leadership reserves the right to deny entry to or remove patrons in the interest of good order and safety. The full rules are on the “For Your Safety” page of the fair website. I could not verify specific parking, accessibility, pet, or outside-food policies, so check that page before arriving.

History and Origins

The fair calls the 2026 edition its 59th. I could not find documentation of the founding year, the original sponsoring body, or the first fairgrounds, and the fair’s own site does not narrate its early history. Its website carries archive pages for 2013, 2014, and 2015, which shows that the current organization has documented its recent history carefully. The edition count suggests a tradition reaching back to the late 1960s, though a numbered count can include pauses, and I will not assert a founding date the sources don’t give.

The county itself explains what a fair here would have needed to do in its early decades. Autauga County’s economy grew from the Alabama River bottomlands and the cotton economy that Daniel Pratt’s gin factory served. Over the twentieth century, agriculture here shifted toward cattle, hay, timber, and poultry, while Prattville grew into a bedroom community for Montgomery and the military installations nearby. A fair serving that mixed population has to give farm youth a place to show animals and give town residents a place to show crafts, music, and dance. That mix is visible in the current program.

The venue’s identity is clearer. Mac Gray Park is a Prattville municipal park, and a Facebook commenter from the fair’s own page notes it sits across from the junior high school. The fair’s relationship with the city is cooperative: the organization is a community group using city grounds, not a county agency.

Agricultural Competitions and Livestock Shows

Livestock is concentrated on Saturday, October 17. The 2026 schedule opens that day with the 4-H Chicken Show at 8:00 AM, followed by youth pig and cattle shows. A photograph from the 2025 fair shows the Saturday-morning 4-H chicken show, so this is an established fixture. Poultry is a sensible lead event in a state where poultry is among the largest agricultural sectors, and the small size of a chicken show makes it an accessible entry point for younger exhibitors.

The pig and cattle shows reflect what Autauga County families can realistically raise. Beef cattle are common in central Alabama, and swine projects are a standard first market-animal experience for 4-H and FFA members. The organization’s Livestock Director, Logan Strock, is affiliated with the Billingsley High School FFA, which indicates that school agriculture programs help run the livestock side alongside 4-H. The fair’s keyword history also references Autauga County 4-H competitive events and the Autauga County Jr Cattlemen, so the county’s youth cattle association has been part of the fair’s circle.

I could not confirm specifics such as breed classes, weight divisions, judging criteria, whether a sale or auction follows, or whether dairy, sheep, goat, rabbit, horse, or crop and horticulture exhibits are offered. Alabama youth shows commonly judge on showmanship (how the exhibitor presents and handles the animal) and conformation (the animal itself), and the ribbons carry weight in a farm family’s local standing. For this fair’s actual rules, contact the Livestock Director through the fair’s contact page.

Fair Schedule Structure

The fair opens Tuesday evening and builds toward a full Saturday. Weekday gates opened at 5:00 PM with rides starting at 6:00 PM in 2025, and the fair confirmed those hours in response to a visitor’s question. Saturday opened at noon in 2025, with matinee ride tickets sold from 1:00 to 5:00 PM and an evening session at 6:00. Confirm the 2026 hours on the Prices and Times page.

The 2026 lineup, per the fair’s published schedule, runs as follows.

Tuesday, October 13 (First Responders Night) begins with a flag raising by Scouts at 5:30 PM, followed by performances from Mann Dance Studio, Prattville YMCA Gymnastics, and Kevin Thompson.

Wednesday, October 14 (Community Night) features the PJHS Dance Team, Mabry Thorn, Reese Graydon, and Alabamica. Last year’s Community Night included the canned-goods admission option, and the fair delivered the donated cans to the Autauga Interfaith Care Center the following morning.

Thursday, October 15 includes CJ’s Dance Factory, the Marbury High School and Prattville High School bands, a Tae Kwon Do demonstration, and the Alex Walker Trio.

Friday, October 16 showcases Evolve Studio of the Arts, the Stevens Hinton Duo, and the Naked Water Band.

Saturday, October 17 is the grand finale: the 4-H Chicken Show at 8:00 AM, youth pig and cattle shows, the Fairest of the Fair Pageant, kids’ activities and drawings, and live music ending with Delta Drift at 8:00 PM.

Nightly bingo, run by Goodtimes Bingo and Winners Bingo, starts at 7:00 PM, with an additional 3:00 PM game on Saturday.

Entertainment, Rides, and Midway

SonShine Amusements is the midway operator for 2026, and the fair describes it as a company that has provided rides and fair food for many years. SonShine also posted help-wanted notices in 2025 for ride, food, and game staff, at $10 an hour with a current ID required, so the midway is a local hiring channel as well.

Ride payment has varied by night. The 2025 fair used individual tickets on some nights and armbands on designated days and times, and said explicitly that armbands work only during armband sessions. For 2026, the armband days and times are listed on the Prices and Times page. Fairgoers’ own favorites, collected in the fair’s 2025 memory giveaway, point to a midway of classic rides: the Frogger ride, the Scrambler, and the Cliffhanger. Those comments also named turkey legs and funnel cakes as the food people look forward to.

The stage program is almost entirely local. Dance studios, gymnastics programs, school bands, school dance teams, a martial arts school, and regional bands fill the evenings. This is a showcase fair for Prattville and Marbury schools and studios, and it makes the stage a gathering point for families of the performers. The fair’s tagline list of past acts shows the same pattern over many years: Prattville High School’s band and show choir, Marbury High School’s band, and local dance studios recur, alongside bluegrass, Americana, and rock acts from the Montgomery area.

New for 2026 is Jubilee Farm, providing a petting zoo and pony rides. Bingo is back nightly as well. Both address younger children and older adults, groups the midway alone doesn’t serve.

Open Class and Amateur Competitions

The fair runs an Arts and Crafts competition led by Andrea Shultz, who can be reached at [email protected] (the fair’s site prints the address without the dot before “com,” so check the spelling). In 2025 the fair posted a “final call for submissions” on October 2 and an opening announcement on October 1, a few days before the fair began, so entry windows are short and close close to fair week. This year’s call went out in late September and invited local artists, crafters, makers, and hobbyists to display their work.

A 2025 commenter asked where to find categories, ages, and entry requirements, and the fair directed them to the arts and crafts page and the “2026 Fair Competitions” page on its website. That page is the authoritative source for divisions, entry fees (one commenter asked about the cost and the visible answer did not state one), and judging. I could not verify the division list or the ribbon and premium structure, so I will not describe them. Contact Ms. Shultz directly for current-year specifics.

Demolition Derby, Tractor Pulls, and Motorsport Events

The fair’s published 2026 schedule and its site navigation do not list a demolition derby, tractor pull, or other motorsport event, and none appears in the 2025 social media posts reviewed. Because Mac Gray Park is a city park beside a school, with a program built around dance, band, and community performances, it does not look like a grandstand-and-arena fair. Anyone looking for a derby or pull should expect to travel to another county’s fair. If one is added, it would be announced on the fair’s calendar page.

4-H and FFA Youth Programs

Two youth organizations are visible in the fair’s record. The 4-H Chicken Show and the youth pig and cattle shows tie directly to 4-H and FFA project work, and Livestock Director Logan Strock’s affiliation with Billingsley High School FFA shows the FFA’s involvement in organizing. The fair’s site also mentions the Autauga County Jr Cattlemen and Autauga County 4-H competitive events among its past participants.

Details I could not find include the 4-H club structure for the county, the extension office’s formal role in the fair, record-book requirements, and whether a junior livestock sale or auction exists. If a sale exists, businesses would typically bid on animals as support for the exhibitor. Ask the Livestock Director before assuming one is held.

Fairgrounds Facilities and Layout

Mac Gray Park is a municipal park, and I could not find a published layout, building list, restroom map, or accessibility statement. What is known is the following. The entrance has a gate booth that accepts cash and cards. The midway runs on cash, with two ATMs on site. The fair posts rules on the “For Your Safety” page, and there is a free TV drawing, which the fair promotes on its own page. I found no camping or RV information, and there is no indication that the park offers it. Visitors with mobility needs should call the fair at 334-717-0277 before attending.

Getting There: Directions and Logistics

The address is 1050 Martin Luther King Drive in Prattville. The fair’s own supporters describe the location as Mac Gray Park, across from the junior high school, which is a useful landmark. Prattville is just northwest of Montgomery, so visitors from the capital region typically arrive via U.S. Highway 82. The fair maintains a Directions page on its website, and a map app with the address will route you reliably. I found no published parking policy, shuttle service, or traffic plan. Because the fair begins at 5:00 PM on school nights, arriving during the first hour or so should avoid the heaviest Friday and Saturday evening crowds, though that is a general expectation rather than a confirmed pattern.

Volunteer and Vendor Opportunities

Volunteers contact Dora Bonebrake, Volunteer Coordinator, at 334-318-5615 or [email protected]. Commercial and non-profit booths go through Shawn Hudak at 334-452-3668 or [email protected], and the site has a Booth Information page. Booth fees and application deadlines are not stated in the materials I reviewed. Since the fair posts its schedule and prices only weeks before opening, vendors should reach out well before the fall. The fair also has a Sponsorship Information page for businesses. Food and midway concessions are handled by SonShine Amusements, so independent food vendors should confirm whether food booths are open to outside operators.

One safety point: the fair warns that its Facebook page has been hacked in the past. It states that it posts winners online and never asks for personal information or credit card numbers, and anyone receiving such a message should treat it as a scam.

Economic and Community Impact

I do not have attendance or spending figures, and I won’t invent them. What the record shows is a fair whose economics run through local partners. The city provides the grounds. A regional carnival operator brings seasonal jobs. Local businesses and sponsors back the giveaways. Church and nonprofit groups staff booths. The canned-goods night turns admission into a food donation for the Autauga Interfaith Care Center, which makes the fair part of the county’s social safety net as well as its entertainment calendar. For the families of performers and exhibitors, the fair is a rare local audience, and for a county that is both a Montgomery suburb and a farming county, it connects those two populations.

Comparing the Autauga County Fair to Nearby Fairs

The nearest large fair is the Alabama National Fair in Montgomery, which is much larger and held in a coliseum complex. Neighboring Elmore and Chilton counties also have local fair traditions, though I did not verify their current dates or formats. Compared with larger fairs, Autauga’s is smaller and more locally performed, with a compact five-night run, a stage program of school and studio acts, and a single livestock day. Visitors who want derbies, tractor pulls, or a multi-day livestock auction will find those in more rural counties, while families who want an easy evening close to home will find this one suited to them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the dates and hours? October 13 through 17, 2026. In 2025, weekday gates opened at 5:00 PM with rides at 6:00 PM, and Saturday opened at noon with a 1:00 to 5:00 PM matinee ride session. Check the Prices and Times page for 2026 hours.

Where is it held? Mac Gray Park Fairgrounds, 1050 Martin Luther King Drive, Prattville, AL 36067, across from the junior high school.

How much does it cost? 2026 prices were not yet posted as of September 11. In 2025, admission was $5, with a canned-goods option on Community Night, and rides were sold by individual ticket or armband depending on the session. Midway purchases were cash only.

Is parking free? I could not find a published parking policy. Call 334-717-0277 to confirm.

Can I bring my own food and drinks? No policy is published in what I reviewed. See the “For Your Safety” page or call the fair.

How do I enter an item in competition? Contact Andrea Shultz at the Arts and Crafts email for crafts, and Logan Strock for livestock, and review the 2026 Fair Competitions page. Entry windows close shortly before the fair.

Is it appropriate for young children? Yes, with supervision. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. The petting zoo, pony rides, kids’ activities, and daytime Saturday programming are aimed at younger visitors.

Are pets allowed? I found no pet policy. Ask before bringing an animal.

Is there a demolition derby? None is listed for 2026.

Who organizes it? The Autauga County Fair Organization, with Gary Essary as President and Fair Manager, on city-owned grounds.

Is camping available? No camping information is published.

What happens in bad weather? The fair has no stated rain policy in the materials I reviewed. Follow the fair’s official Facebook page and website for announcements, and be wary of unofficial messages.