The Central Alabama Fair is back at the Old National Guard Armory and with it comes plenty of activities to fill a week with.

Kids of all ages will flock to the fair for cotton candy vendors and the famous Cozy Dogs, as well as the thrilling rides sure to turn an ordinary night into one of great memories.

Like most years, this year’s fair has a lot of attractions to see and countless events to attend. Two pageants were held Monday night — the Petite Miss Central and the Miss Central Alabama Fair Beauty Pageant — and two others will be held on Tuesday and Saturday night.

The pageants are just the start of what is sure to be a fantastic week.

Wednesday is kids day at the fair, which includes face painting, clowns by New Kids on the Rock, balloon animals and free pepsi for children grades one through twelve.

Thursday should be a lot of fun too, with the Central Alabama Sing Off taking place.

This is a great annual event that brings the community together for food, fun and other activities that just don’t exist at other times during the year. We know it isn’t easy for everyone to find time to attend the fair during the week, but we encourage everyone to do their best.

There are art competitions for ceramics, photography, drawings and paintings at the fair and there are games everywhere that can be played for prizes.

How many places can you step up, win a gold fish, and then attend a pageant?

If the Cozy Dogs, which are so popular they get talked about year round, aren’t your style, there’s plenty of funnel cakes and lemonade for everyone.

There’s also a  ferris wheel, a merry-go-round and plenty of other entertaining rides you can find at most fairs, but there’s also a chance to support the Selma Lion’s Club, who works hard every year to bring the fair back to Selma.

This is a great annual event that thousands of people flock to and for good reason. There’s plenty of fun to go around for the entire family and it’s a good way to spend a weeknight out in the community.

The fair, with its bright lights and fun experiences, only comes once a year, so make sure you make it out there for a fun time this week. It’ll be gone before we know it.