All Aboard! This year, take the Music City Star to the Wilson County Fair on Saturday, August 20 and Saturday, August 27. Well-known in the State of Tennessee as one of “The Best of Tennessee Annual Events and Readers Choice Awards” by The Tennessee Magazine, the Wilson County Fair opens today, August 19th for nine days of family fun events, rides, live music on six stages, tractor pulls, demolition derbies, cattle judging and lots of other agriculturally based events.
Making the Fair especially unique is Fiddlers Grove, a town of yesteryear with 55 historic buildings, each operating as it would have in times past, featuring broom making, weaving, corn shuck dolls, garden demonstrations, outdoor cooking, basket making, blacksmithing, gristmill where they grind corn into corn meal, making of molasses, and more.
New in 2016 is the partnership with the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA) to operate the Music City Star excursion train to the Wilson County Fair on two Saturdays. The BEST part of this partnership – Adults ages 13 and older can ride round-trip on the train and receive one-day admission to the fair at the low cost of $21. Children ages 6 – 12 get to ride for the all inclusive price of $16 person and children age 5 and younger are FREE. Even with the 18 acres of additional parking this year, this is one HECK OF A DEAL!
Plus, parking is free at all of the outlying stations (Donelson, 2705 Lebanon Pike; Hermitage, 4121 Andrew Jackson Parkway; Mt. Juliet, 22 E. Division St.; Martha, 65 Martha Circle; Lebanon, 334 W. Baddour Parkway). Customers are encouraged to park at these stations as there is no parking available at Riverfront Station.
However, there is a limited quantity. An allotment of only 400 tickets will be available to the general public each week!
Each Saturday during the fair, the Music City Star will depart from Riverfront Station at 2:00 p.m., stop in Donelson at 2:12 p.m., Hermitage at 2:20 p.m., Mt. Juliet at 2:28 p.m., Martha at 2:37 p.m., Lebanon at 2:51 p.m., and arrive at the Temporary Fairgrounds Station at 3:00 p.m.
Upon stepping off the train at the fair, attendees will have five and half hours of good festival fun for the entire family. Activities for each Saturday include the following:
Saturday, August 20 – View the full schedule of events.
Amateur Wine Show, Celebrating the Year of the Watermelon, Circle C Racing Pigs, Decorated Round Bale Hay Competition, Horse Show, Poultry Show, Super Pull, Talent Show and The Mighty Midway, just to name a few.
Saturday, August 27 – View the full schedule of events.
Ag-Venture Barn, Demolition Derby, Fair Princess Revue, Ham Show, Home Brewing Competition, Mule Pulling, Photography Contest, Rabbit Show, The Mighty Midway and Youth Exhibits, just to name a few.
The return train to Nashville will leave the Temporary Fairgrounds Station at 9:00 p.m., with boarding for the return trip beginning at 8:30 p.m.
Tickets will be on sale until 24 hours prior to departure or until they are sold out, whichever comes first.
Good to Know Guidelines for the Train to Wilson County Fair
Customers who purchased the special tickets will need to show their ticket to train personnel for scanning when boarding on both trips. Children age 5 and younger will need a printed ticket, and parents should request these tickets when they make their purchase. Weekday Music City Star tickets and passes are not accepted on the Wilson County Fair train.
Backpacks and folding chairs will be allowed onboard. Any items that will not fit underneath the seat or on luggage racks, such as large coolers, bikes and wagons, are not permitted on the train.