Crowds line the Clay County Fair's midway during a recent event. | Clay County Fair
Published on March 31, 2025 at 12:26 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
The racing pigs might be moving faster than the traffic when the Clay County Fair begins Thursday.
The fair will run through April 13 at the fairgrounds on State Road 16 West. Sheriff Michelle Cook called it “Clay County’s Super Bowl.”
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
“We are going to have traffic — expect traffic delays; expect heavy traffic between the 3rd and 13th of April,” Cook said. “We are doing our best to get people in here and parked. The reality is that we are bringing, over that 11 days, about 170,000 people into this fairgrounds using a two-lane road.”
Public safety officials began planning for the fair three months ahead of opening day, detailing site setup, security and traffic control, Cook said.
Up to 30 deputies and Sheriff’s Office explorers will handle parking, and up to 25 more on State Road 16 will monitor traffic during peak times. Fairgoers should expect hourlong traffic jams on busy days, Cook said.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Many of those people will remember the Clay County Stawberry Festival in early March. Attendance was 50% higher than expected, and horrendous traffic backups snarled State Road 16.
The Sheriff’s Office shut the strawberry fest gates due to safety concerns at one point, Cook said. Changes have been made for next year, similar to how the agency prepares for the fair, she said.
“Again, these roads and this parking lot have a capacity, and once it reaches that capacity, there is nothing we can do about it,” Cook said.
Anyone who does not need to use State Road 16 between Starke, Green Cove Springs and St. Johns County during the fair’s run should use alternate routes, Cook said. Parking will not be allowed on State Road 16, and any vehicles that do will be towed, she said.
At the fair
Once fairgoers get to the fairgrounds, they can expect the usual food-filled Midway, some new rides and a lineup of top-flight entertainment.
Country music star Clint Black will hit the Cattleman’s Arena on Friday night, one of seven live music acts rocking the fair’s 38th year, along with performances by Ricky Skaggs and the Spin Doctors.
A new Fast Pass for rides will cost $15 to $20,
“It is a way that riders who really, really want to ride a lot of rides can get in and cut some of the lines and get on as many rides as they can,” said Andy Deggeller, whose company erected the rideslast week.
“We have one ride called the Rock and Roll. We have a new swing ride called the Lolly Swing. And we have a kiddie ride called the Pirates Revenge — like a miniature pirates ship. If you don’t want to get on the big pirate ship, the little guy and girls can get on the miniature.”
Fireworks are scheduled for 10 p.m. Friday. And along with the demolition derby, tractor pulls are set for 7:30 p.m. April 12 and 3 p.m. April 13, also in the Cattlemen’s Arena.
Fairgoers should get the county’s SaferWatch App on cellphones for traffic, parking, weather and safety updates, Cook said. They can also monitor the Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook and X (Twitter) social media sites, which Cook said will be updated “constantly” during fair hours.
Message boards with traffic updates will also be set up on State Road16 en route to the fairgrounds.
As for ride safety, Cook urged people to leave anything they do not want flying out of their pockets at home when they get on the ride.
Admission at the gate is $10 for adults, $6 for children and seniors, and free for those under 5. The concerts, demolition derby and tractor pulls require separate tickets.
For the full fair and concert schedule, plus ticket discounts, go to claycountyfair.org.
