File photoRides for children are just one highlight of The Queen City Fair, which runs Oct. 9-15 at the Lauderdale County Agri-Center in Meridian.  

A larger midway is just one highlight of this year’s Queen City Fair, which runs Monday through Sunday at the Lauderdale County Agri-Center at 1030 Hwy. 19 South in Meridian.

“We’re expanding the midway considerably by bringing in more and bigger rides,” said Len McRae, the fair’s organizer. “The two feature rides are the Nemesis 360 and The Matterhorn.”

The fair, in its 17th year, also offers talent shows, performances, exhibits, and food from around the world.

The event opens Monday with free gate admission from 4-5 p.m. Opening day will feature music from Meridian High School’s Wildcats Marching Band.

For the fourth year, the fair has partnered with Kissel Entertainment, which McRae calls “a great ride company.”

The fair also features live music, chainsaw woodcarving, a petting zoo, monster truck rides and a group of acrobatic canines called the The Muttville Comix.

“That was a big hit last year, and people liked them so much, we brought them back,” McRae said.

Another highlight, McRae said, will be the Swifty Swine Racing Pigs, which features several breeds of porkers displaying their athletic abilities.

“It’s hilarious, and a good family attraction,” he said.

The fair will also feature popular standbys like the petting zoo, Meridian’s Most Wanted talent contest, and the Little Miss Queen City Fair Pageant. Both the talent contest and the pageant have grown immensely over the years, McRae said.

McRae says the fair has continued to grow for several reasons.

“We provide a very safe, family-friendly and very entertaining environment,” he said. “We want it to get a little bigger and a little better every year.”

Local businesses, nonprofit organizations and 4-H are all participants in the weeklong event. Admission to the fair is $7 and children ages 5 and younger are admitted free. For more information, go to queencityfair.net. Applications for the fair’s events are available on the website.