County Administrator Shares Final Numbers and Highlights from 2026 Fair

Kiowa County Administrator Tina Adamson provided a final wrap-up of the 2026 Kiowa County Fair, including attendance figures, parade results, activity participation and a memorial dedication honoring longtime county employee Allen Wade Watts.

According to Adamson, attendance was up slightly from last year, with 437 people counted Friday and 635 Saturday for the barbecue and rodeo. Those totals do not include most fair participants.

“The parade was better than we had anticipated,” Adamson said.

Cory Owens of Colorado Springs served as parade judge.

In the 4-H and FFA division, Youth Council took first place and Prairie Queen 4-H placed second. Veterans earned first place among organizations, followed by Prairie Pines. Harris Pumpkin Patch won the business division, with Ferris Trucking placing second.

Nine old vehicles participated in the Open Class division. Nathanial Mitchek took first place with a lime green Chevy pickup, while Troy Joy placed second with a black-and-gold 1979 Firebird.

The Judges Choice award went to KCFPD Unit #7 Fire Rescue.

Adamson also reported that the bouncy houses had 166 players, while 107 participated in laser tag.

Another significant part of the fair was the dedication of a memorial bench honoring Allen Wade Watts. The dedication had originally been planned for before the Friday rodeo but was ultimately held Saturday before the Ranch Bronc.

Adamson shared the following dedication:

“Last year was an incredibly difficult year for Kiowa County as we lost two really special

people and dedicated staff. In August we lost Delisa Weeks, County Clerk and

Recorder, who served the county for over 30 years and was an amazing person and

equally amazing representative of the County. In July we lost Allen Wade Watts our

east end Road & Bridge Foreman. Allen Wade spent his entire working life with the

county, starting just out of high school in 1979. We had the pleasure of his dedication,

reliability, dependability and great work ethic for 46 years. He enjoyed and valued the

work he did and those he worked with. He took special care in what he did as he was

working for his family, friends and neighbors. He was loved and is greatly missed by us

all. After 46 years of having Allen Wade as such a large part of the fair we wanted to

have a way to honor his service that gives his family and friends a moment to sit and

remember him so we dedicate the memorial bench, which was placed by the barbecue, to

Allen Wade. We appreciate his many years of service and will miss him greatly as we

remember him for years and years to come.”