ROCHESTER — Organizers and volunteers for the Rochester Country Fair are gearing up this week for next week’s fair, which combines food, livestock, tractor pulls, kid’s activities, crafts and entertainment all in one place.

The 2019 Rochester Country Fair will take place on Aug. 8 and 9 from 4 p.m to 10 p.m. and on Aug. 10 and 11 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

One thing that has changed from last is the policy on beer and wine, which has been expanded throughout the fairgrounds after there were no issues with a beer and wine garden when it started last year.

“This year it’s just like any other vendor,” Sullivan-Morgado said.

The fair has some staples which will be there all four days, like the beer, wine, corn hole and beach volleyball for adults and corn box and bubble fun for kids.

New this year for kids is a dedicated kids’ area, with grill sets, a kitchen area and other plastic playplaces. “I have five grandchildren, and I know they love that,” Sullivan-Morgado said. 

Traditionally the fair has had a fiddle contest, but a banjo contest is new this year.

As another new feature, Drums Alive! will be at the fair from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m on Saturday.

“We are so excited to have kids play with that,” Sullivan-Morgado said. 

Skip Daniels, a  magician who the fair had a few years ago, will entertain kids from 10 to 11 a.m.  on Sunday.

“We’re really really excited to have him back,” Sullivan-Morgado said.

Rochester’s Captain Bonney will sponsor and ice-cream-eating contest on Saturday.

For adults, there will be a variety of antique, garden and modified tractor pulls. Sullivan Morgado explained that the modified category includes “all the loud, fast trucks.”

Another crowd favorite is the professional wrestling, which will take place on Saturday night.

“We had that a few years ago, people love it,” Sullivan-Morgado said. 

Though the fair’s organizers got permission from the Board of Selectmen to add a pavilion to the town-owned fairgrounds at 65 Pine Street, the project did not go up this year, fair organizer Kelly Sullivan Morgado said.

“Were hoping to be able to have the materials for that donated and it didn’t happen,” Sullivan-Morgado said.

The fair’s organizers had to work extra hard to make the event happen this year, after bad weather on Saturday night cut their profits by about $10,000.

Sullivan-Morgado said organizers had about 20 different fundraisers to make up the difference.

“I want to thank all the volunteers that help. A lot of people volunteer their time to make [the fair] happen,” she said.