The 78th edition of the Navan Fair gets underway next Thursday, Aug. 7, with action on the midway and in the Navan Memorial Arena. In the evening, the demolition derby will be the scene of massive “car”-nage as six-cylinder vehicles go bumper-to-bumper for the honour of being this year’s champion.

The fair will continue over the course of the weekend and will wrap up on Sunday with a performance by Slo Tom and The Handsome Devils, Hey Neighbour, and The County Lads. In between, there will be plenty to see and do for the whole family.

A new addition to the fair this year is the Pavilion. The 180’ x 85’ structure will allow for a number of activities to be held rain or shine.

Highlights of this year’s Fair include the tractor, truck and heavy horse pulls on Saturday and Sunday; the Ultimutts Stunt Dog Show with three performances a day at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday only. You will be able to meet some of the staff from the Keepers Wildlife Rescue Centre during “Meet the Keepers” sessions on Friday at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., and Saturday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. in the Navan Curling Club.

Other special attractions include the Capital Cowgirls Drill Team under the Pavilion during the Horse Show on Friday afternoon, a cornhole tournament being held in the beverage area on Saturday afternoon starting at 12 noon, and a line dance class held by Navan Boot Scootin’ Line Dancing at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The Capital Cowgirls Drill Team will be back on Saturday evening when they will perform their routine under the Pavilion.

The highlight on Saturday will once again be the annual Navan Fair Parade which starts in front of St. Mary’s Hall on Smith Road at 10:45 a.m. and winds its way down Colonial Road to the fair grounds. A tradition that has grown over the years is the pre-parade breakfast which is served inside the church hall from 8 to 11 a.m. Inside the fair grounds, Robertson Amuse-ments will once again be operating all of the midway rides and games of chance. Opening day has been designated as Toonie Thursday, when you can go on any ride for just a toonie. Friday is Bracelet Day when you can purchase a bracelet for $40 which entitles you to unlimited rides for the day.

Of course, no Navan Fair would be complete without live entertainment performed under the domes from 9 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night and 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. This year’s headliners include The Derringers with DW James on Thursday night, Chris Labelle, Danny Sylvestre and The Honky Tonk Heroes on Friday night, Darkspeed and Kim Mitchell on Saturday night and Slo Tom and The Handsome Devils on Sunday afternoon.

Arguably the most popular attraction at the Navan Fair is the demolition derby which takes place on Thursday and Friday night. The first night features the small six-cylinder cars, while the second night features the senior drivers on the demolition derby circuit.

This year’s Navan Fair will also be recog-nizing the 30th anniversary of the World Record 50-Horse Hitch that took place during the Navan Fair in 1995. Special displays will be set up in the Myers Building (Barn No. 1) along with demonstrations on harnessing and shoeing of horses.

Admission to the Fair is $17 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and up and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. Child five and under get in for free. Admission to the concerts Under the Domes on Friday and Saturday night starting at 7 p.m. is an extra $12 .

For a full schedule of this year’s fair visit www.navanfair.com.