Sussex County Day is today at fairgrounds

The eighth annual Sussex County Day will celebrate all things Sussex County from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta.

Expected to attract more than 5,000 people, the free event will offer live music, contests and a classic car show.

It is presented by the Sussex County Chamber of Commerce.

The contests include the Law Enforcement Chicken Wing Eating Contest and the Sussex Chopped Cooking Contest as well as the Sussex County Schools Bubble Gum Bubble Blowing Contest, County of Sussex Employee Corn Hole Competition, Egg Toss Competition, Best Township Display and the Apple Pie Baking Contest, which is open to professional bakers.

The Classic Car Show includes Best in Show and Peoples’ Choice awards.

Apple pie slices and water bottles will be sold for $1 each and hot dogs will be $2 each as a fundraiser for the chamber’s annual Scholarship Fund. Last year, 17 scholarships were awarded, including to seven county high school graduates and 10 people from area businesses.

Food trucks are will be selling meals, ice cream and other treats.

For children, there will be games, crafts and activities, most at no cost. They include a 25-foot Rock Climbing Wall sponsored by Planet Networks and a Big Bounce House sponsored by Tri-State Rentals.

A Mobile Entertainment Trailer will offer video games, and performances of the “I See Magic” children’s magic show are scheduled.

County departments, municipalities and nonprofit organizations will have information available, many businesses and vendors will offer their products and services.

Thorlabs of Newton will display its new Mobile Optics Lab, Planet Networks will have its big bucket truck there, and Atlantic Mobile Health will land an EC-135 helicopter and offer tours of the specially configured medical transport aircraft. Fire, rescue and other emergency vehicles will be on display.

Cooking contest

The annual Sussex Chopped Cooking Contest pits four professional chefs from the area in a competition to prepare a three-course meal from a secret basket of locally sourced ingredients for each course.

The dessert basket last year contained a mix of pickles, pizza dough, peanut butter and ricotta cheese.

The contestants this year are Chef Randy Hazen of Early American Tavern, Chef Simon Tozzi of United Methodist Communities at Bristol Glen, Chef Michele Zentz of Salad House and Chef Jake Verwys of Inner Love/Get Juiced/Star Baker.

Zentz is the first female to compete in the contest. Attendees may watch the entire competition.

Sonrise Mountain Revival will perform its mix of the American musical forms of bluegrass, folk, gospel and jazz as well as favorite hymn and secular song arrangements.

4-H Open House

In conjunction with Sussex County Day, there will be a Sussex County 4-H Open House in the 4-H Shotwell building at the fairgrounds.

Club members will be there to tell potential new members what the club is about and to answer questions.

Community sponsors of Sussex County Day include Alpine Montessori, Atlantic Health Systems-Newton Medical Center, Braen Stone, Comet Security, Family Promise of Sussex County, First Hope Bank, Franklin Mutual Insurance Co., iHeart Media, Jersey Central Power & Light, Laddey, Clark & Ryan, Lakeland Bank, Market Street Mission-Sussex County, Metropolitan Window Fashions, Mountain Creek Ski Resort & Waterpark, Planet Networks, Ronetco Supermarkets, Sussex County Fairgrounds, Thorlabs, Visions Federal Credit Union and Weis Markets.

For information, go online to www.sussexcountychamber.org