Fair Days 2026 Recap: How Our Community Showed Up

For six days this summer, a little booth in the northwest corner of the Wasatch County Event Complex turned into something much bigger than a booth.

From July 23 through August 1, Wasatch County Fair Days brought two weekends of Demolition Derby, the Mountain Valley Stampede Rodeo, and the kind of small-town energy Heber Valley does best. And right in the middle of it, our community showed up for local families facing cancer.

Horse of Many Colors was born at a rodeo back in 2013. So every year, Fair Days feels a little like coming home.

What Happened at the Booth

There was always something going on at the HMC booth. Here are a few of the moments we'll be talking about for a long time.

• Tribute balloons. Attendees dedicated balloons to loved ones who are fighting, who have survived, and who we've lost. Every balloon carried a name and a story.

• Light Up the Sky. On August 1, those tribute balloons lit up the night sky over the event complex. It was one of the most beautiful and emotional moments of the whole fair.

• The Wheeler CAT Cash Cow. Kids ages 4 to 11 jumped in for a $5 donation, and their excitement was contagious.

• Live auctions. Bidders went all in on a MTNLND Truck Outfitters flatbed, a Karl Malone Mexican Riviera Cruise, and an R&K Lodge hunt.

• The Earnshaw Electric Business Donation Challenge. Local businesses stepped up to challenge each other, and each other's generosity.

The People Who Made It Happen

None of this happens without the people behind it. Our volunteers covered booth shifts in the heat, sold balloons, checked in Cash Cow kids, and answered the same questions a hundred times with a smile.

A huge thank you to the businesses who donated, sponsored, and showed up:

• Wheeler CAT

• MTNLND Truck Outfitters

• Karl Malone

• R&K Lodge

• Earnshaw Electric

• ACE Rescue Computer Solutions

And to every person who bought a balloon, placed a bid, or stopped by just to say hello: thank you. You are the reason we can keep doing this work.

Where Your Support Goes

Thanks to you, Fair Days 2026 raised ~$60,000 for local families facing cancer. That's 40 families who can receive a $1,500 gift from HOMC.

Those gifts go straight to families here in Wasatch County. They help cover rent, groceries, gas to treatment, and the bills that don't stop just because cancer showed up. Many of these families don't qualify for other assistance, or that help arrives too late. We exist to fill that gap.

See You Next Year

We're already dreaming about Fair Days 2027. Start saving up for those live auction bids now!

In the meantime, here's how you can keep showing up:

• Join Pledge A Step in November. Our cancer walk and Facebook Group challenge runs all month.

• Save the date for the 9th Annual Love Giving Back Dinner. Saturday, February 13, 2027, at 6:00 PM at the Soldier Hollow Lounge. Seats are $100, or $1,000 for a table of 8.

• Donate or nominate a family. Every gift helps a neighbor facing cancer.

Thank you, Heber Valley. You showed up, and it mattered.