The 76th Lee County Fair returned to Opelika from Sept. 30th to Oct. 3rd, 2025. First opening in 1948, the event sees it annual return in the first week of October, and this year's edition has seen record attendance. While some aspects have changed, the fair continues to feature carnival rides and games, live music, livestock showcasing and other activities.
Hosted at the Lee County Fairgrounds in Opelika, the Lee County Fair is annually sponsored by the Opelika Exchange Club. This year, the event was one of the largest ever held, with several music performances and a record number of vendors and stalls.
The fair opened at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, September 30th, with the grand opening ceremony taking place shortly after. The following night on Oct. 1, the Miss Lee County Fair’s Outstanding Teen event, a staple event of the fair, was held.
Several 4-H livestock events, organized by the Lee County Fair Agricultural and Livestock Committee, also took place at the fair through the week. These events included the statewide lamb show held on Tuesday, the statewide heifer and steer show on Wednesday night, the statewide goat show on Thursday and the 4-H Poultry Project on Friday evening.
This year’s event would also see a number of live musical performances. Country music singer-songwriter Alice Nelson performed from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday evening. Nelson is a Country Music Association (CMA) and American Country Music (ACM) member, as well as an Alabama native. From 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday evening, “America’s Singing Cowgirl” Jessie Lynn, a country-music award winning singer-songwriter and Auburn University graduate, also performed. Lynn is a CMA and ACM member and Recording Academy member. She also earned her Ph.D. from Auburn University in February 2025. Finally, from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday evening, Mark Wilson and Jessica Walters, also known as Strawberry Whine, performed. The group performs country and classic rock music and are regular performers at the Opelika Parks and Recreation.
A number of community exhibits were also featured in the fair this year. Educational, community and family and consumer science exhibits were present at the fair. These included competitive Boy and Girl Scouts of America showing, as well as elementary, junior and senior high school competitions. Several home department competitions, such as photography, painting and baking, were also held for both youth and adult groups.
The fair also hosted a large number of carnival rides and games on the fairgrounds. Among the attractions patrons could enjoy were a ferris wheel, carousel, pirate ship and a gravitational pull ride known as Gravitron. Several classic fair foods, such as cotton candy, caramel apples, sno-cones, funnel cakes and more, were available.
With such a large number of attractions and events, the fair takes substantial efforts to set up and operate each year.
“We get up every day, we maintenance our rides, we take care of them and make sure the shows are going on. The trailers are in stock, take care of everything,” said Evan, a fair supervisor. “This year has been great. We’ve travelled, made people happy. We take care of the kids and family, and yeah, it’s been a good year.”
The fair is an extremely popular event for many residents of the Auburn-Opelika area. This year’s event has seen some of the largest attendance numbers in the event’s history, according to the ticket office.
“We’re really excited. Everyone’s been really excited for it,” said Mark Johnson, a fair patron. “We come down here every year and it’s just a great thing for everybody. The animals and rides, they’re really great. It’s very cheap to come, and we’re usually here for hours and hours.”
With its record attendance numbers, the fair continues to bring the community together through entertainment.
“I had a lot of fun with the basketball and the games and stuff tonight,” said another anonymous patron. “It’s really cool that this type of stuff happens here in Opelika. It just feels like such a big event.”
The fair drew to a close on Saturday, Oct. 3rd, following the last day of fair activities. Winners for the fair competitions were announced on the same day the corresponding events were held.
The Lee County Fair is scheduled to return in October of 2026. All livestock shows and other exhibits are sponsored by the Lee County Fair Association and the State Department of Agriculture and Industries, in cooperation with The Extension System and 4-H clubs; Agribusiness Education Departments and FFA Chapters; Home Economics Education Departments and FHA Chapters of Lee County and surrounding areas. Other event sponsors and vendors can be found on the Lee County Fair's website.
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