By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

The forecast is calling for triple-digit temperatures later this week.

It must be county fair time.

While the first fairs in The Hays Daily News 20-county coverage area don't officially begin until this weekend, other regional events kick off the 2009 fair festival rodeo season this week.

The Barton County Fair in Great Bend begins Wednesday, and the 23rd annual McCracken Rodeo gets started Thursday.

The Ellis County Fair doesn't have public events scheduled until Saturday.

But for all practical purposes, the 2009 fair for 4-H'ers also begins Wednesday with the annual clean-up night at the fairgrounds.

Their prefair judging on fashion revue, clothing construction and photography projects is Thursday at the Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center, with the public style revue set for Sunday at The Mall.

In between time is the open class dog show at the Schenk Building at the Ellis County Fairgrounds on Saturday, which also is the first night of action at RPM Speedway at the fairgrounds.

Likewise, less than 30 miles away in Russell, the Russell County Fair kicks off Thursday with fair set-up and gets going in full swing Friday morning with the 4-H dog show.

Both fairs in the adjoining counties run simultaneously through July 18.

And no matter what the weather, the show must go on.

"You know it's coming," Susan Schlichting said of the heat.

Schlichting, the 4-H youth Extension agent for Ellis County, said that while preparing for the fair is a year-round process, the next week and a half is the culmination of the year's efforts.

"It's an exciting time," she admitted.

"Right now, we're trying to get the final logistics taken care so we can start boxing things up and head out (to the fairgrounds)."

Schlichting will be working her seventh fair in Ellis County, and she said each year she looks forward to Wednesday's work night that usually brings out about 200 volunteers.

"It still impresses me that that many people will come together," she said. "And so quickly, the fairground is put into shape."

Following is the schedule for area 2009 county fairs:

July

11-18 -- Ellis Co. at Hays; 11-18 -- Russell Co. at Russell; 16-20 -- Smith Co. at Smith Center; 18-25 -- Norton Co. at Norton; 20-25 -- Logan Co. at Oakley; 21-23 -- Rawlins Co. at Atwood; 21-25 -- Sheridan Co. at Hoxie; 21-26 -- Ness Co. at Ness City; Trego Co. at WaKeeney; 23-27 -- Osborne Co. at Osborne; 27-30 -- Gove Co. at Gove; 27-29 -- Graham Co. at Hill City; 27-30 -- Phillips Co. at Phillipsburg; 27-Aug. 4 -- Thomas Co. at Colby; 29-Aug. 1 -- Rush Co. at La Crosse; 30-Aug. 1 -- Wallace Co. at Sharon Springs.

August

1-8 -- Sherman Co. (NW Kansas District Free Fair) at Goodland; 4-8 -- Decatur Co. at Oberlin; 5-8 -- Cheyenne Co. at St. Francis; 9-15 -- Rooks Co. at Stockton.