Are you ready for the biggest edition of the Cochrane Fair yet?

There's never been more reasons to join the thousands who will be heading to the grounds of the Cochrane and District Agricultural Society (CDAS) and it all starts tonight at 4 p.m. and continues all weekend. Gates opening 9 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday and the nonstop events start at 10 a.m.

The fair is now in its fifth year and chair Isabel Gimber says it just keeps expanding to provide something for all ages and all walks of life.

 "We're really, really excited for this year," she says. "More and more our event is not only becoming the signature event for the Ag Society but also a signature event for Cochrane. We're really coming on the map with it."

Judging by the high level of sponsorship, it definitely hits the mark. Between the fair and Classic Bullride there's almost $100,000 in sponsorship, she says, and that allows the nonprofit CDAS to continue to expand the fair.

"Our goal as an Ag Society is to bridge rural and urban and highlight our cultural heritage and our roots in this community We're really trying to meet our mandate by offering that good ol' country fair that allows people to be hands-on, get close to things, ask questions, touch animals, learn about animals and have fun while they're doing it all."

We've highlighted the bullriding event, Bearspaw Bench Exhibition and lumberjack event in separate articles you'll find on CochraneNow.com, so here's a look at some of the other activities.

Midway Opens 4 p.m. Friday

Wild Rose Midway has returned and each year they bring some new rides Check out what is new and revisit the ones you've enjoyed before.

Family friendly beer gardens

What's unqiue about this tent is how it links the outdoor arena and plaza area, says Gimber.

"Families can come in during the day, get some shade, hang out, watch outdoor horse events or they can go watch the magician show, or the kids can go play in the children zone and they can sit on the fringe and watch the kids play in the pony pit. We have a really exciting setup this year.

It's important to note it closes at 5 p.m. on Saturday to allow for the switch over for the bullriding event, although lots of other events will continue on the fair grounds to enjoy that evening.

Westcoast Lumberjack Show - A quick note

Just a quick mention of this must-see event. There are eight shows--two Friday night and three on both Saturday and Sunday--and it's included with the price of admission. Chances are you'll want to catch it more than once.

Junior rodeo

This is also a new addition to the fair and sees youth competing in pole bending, goat tying, barrel racing and steer riding.

Youth ages 11 to 14 compete today (Friday) at 5 p.m. and on Sunday afternoon those 6 to 11 compete following the Mutton Busting.

Mutton Busting

This popular event is back and starts at 1:45 p.m. on Sunday.

"Thirty lucky kids will try their hands at mutton busting and riding those sheep. It was hugely popular last year and they were such good athletes."

Open Farms Day

The CDAS is partnering with Alberta Agriculture to present Alberta Farm Days. They'll be tonnes of information and different demonstrations, plus the opportunity to meet with the presenters. It starts both days at 10 a.m.

Team Roping

The team roping competition runs from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the outdoor arena.

Mechanical Bull Challenge

Right after the roping event, you can check out the mechanical bull competition in the family-friendly beer gardens. Twelve people will once again see who can walk away with bragging rights from this fun-loving event.

Mini Chuckwagon Races

Eight teams of mini chuckwagons will be competing on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the outdoor rink in what has been a huge hit before. Sponsorship has been generous and its all for the sake of bragging rights and friendly-compeitition. Hoping to defend their title is Cochrane Toyota.

Wagon Shuttle

A wagon shuttle will be available to help people move around to the various events. Special assistance to help elderly people is available for the asking and there's also a special handicapped parking area.

Extreme Cowboy Saturday and Sunday

Extreme Cowboy Alberta returns for two days of events, preceded by obstacle play today on the only outdoor course in Canada. It's a double point weekend for the participants and thrilling for spectators.

PetValue Anything Goes Pet Show on Sunday

This unique pet show saw people bring their dogs, horses, rabbits, chickens and other assorted animals last year. There's three classes for prizes: best costume, best talent and the new Catch The Treat. It starts at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday at the outdoor arena.

Huge marketplace

The barn has been converted into a marketplace that also has an expanded stage for for enertainment and demonstrations.

Special Events

Friday night features Punjabi Drummers and dancers at 7:30 p.m.

The Mini Phni Aboriginal Dancers will be performing Friday through Sunday.

Christopher Cool will be performing magic from Friday to Sunday.

SaFire will be performing two shows on Saturday afternoon featuring circus acrobatics. She'll also be hosting a hooping workshop for kids.

The popular Jelly Bean Dance returns Sunday afternoon for kids

Rodeo Royalty will be on hand for opening events

Corn Eating Contest

The time to beat from last year is 18 seconds. The contest goes at 12 noon on Saturday 

With this much to do, and more, the secret is to plan to spend the whole day and there's many food vendors onsite to help make that possible.

"We're telling people to come early and stay late; that's how you avoid traffic."

Admission is only $5 per person and children 5 and under enter free. That price includes parking. Admission does not cover entry into the Classic Bullirding event, Saturday night dance, midway rides or other miscellaneous items. 

More information on the Cochrane Fair is available here.