ELKHART COUNTY — For the first time in Elkhart County 4-H Fair history, fairgoers will be treated to an opening day that includes $5 First Friday specials.

Echosmith will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, July 19. Admission to the fair is $5 that day with free first come first serve grandstand seating. General Admission track access will go on sale at 10 a.m. May 10.

Whether sampling fair food favorites, admiring the view from atop the Ferris wheel during a free ride, or enjoying one of two live performances, your toughest decision will be choosing what to indulge in first.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer our fair community some truly impressive $5 First Friday deals,” said 2019 Fair President Josh Culp. “It has long been a goal of the fair board to offer our visitors a 4-H fair that is jam-packed with activities for all ages, but won’t break the bank. We hope to see a great turnout on opening day to take advantage of this unique opportunity, and we thank our local vendors for helping to make this possible.”

Veterans, active military and senior citizens will be admitted free until 5 p.m. Friday, July 19. The annual Veterans Day program will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Heritage Park Stage.

As previously announced, the Elkhart County 4-H Fair Queen and Senior Queen contests this year will be held prior to the start of the fair.

The 2019 Elkhart County 4-H Fair Concert Series will kick off Friday night with a performance by John King, an award-winning songwriter and country music artist, on the Heritage Park Stage. King’s performance begins at 7:30 p.m. and seating is free.

At 8 p.m, Indie pop trio Echosmith will perform on the grandstand stage. Festival-style track access is $20 and tickets will be available for purchase beginning at 10 a.m. May 10. No track seats will be available for this performance, however grandstand seating remains available for free on a first-come basis.

North American Midway Entertainment will also be in on the fun. The ferris wheel — offering the best 360-degree view of the fair available — will be free from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday, July 19.

And what would $5 First Friday be without some great fair food deals?

The McGrath family’s The Best Around Concessions will offer a smorgasbord of $5 tasty treats ranging from jumbo corn dogs to funnel cakes, and fruit smoothies to Saratoga chips. Stop by for an appetizer of fried cheese and complete your meal with an elephant ear. You’ll be in fair food heaven — and you can save up some extra cash to come again.

These great fair deals expire at the end of opening day, so mark your calendar and don’t miss out.

The 2019 Elkhart County 4-H Fair, “4-H: The Information Highway to the Future” runs July 19-27. For more information go to www.4hfair.org, @ElkhartCo4HFair on Twitter or www.facebook.com/elkhartcounty4Hfair.