By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

STOCKTON -- A native of Rooks County, Frank Dix said he can't remember a single year where he didn't attend the Rooks County Free Fair.

It was the place to be the second full week in August, the last hurrah before school starts.

It still is, Dix said.

The Rooks County event long has been billed as the largest county fair in the state and annually brings between 35,000 and 40,000 people to town.

The 2009 fair, celebrating the event's 130th anniversary, kicked off Sunday and will continue through Saturday night in Stockton.

The past several years, Dix has been able to enjoy the county fair from a different standpoint than he did while growing up -- as a parent.

And he said this one will be special.

The youngest of his five children, Calvin Dix, will be a senior at Stockton High School this fall.

A member of the Woodston Sunflower 4-H Club, Calvin will be showing cattle this week just as he has done for years.

Calvin, also an active FFA member in school, also has shown livestock for years at junior show and the Kansas State Fair.

"It's part of our life, a great family thing," Dix said. "It's a great lesson for the kids, teaching responsibility."

As a longtime member of the Rooks County Fair Board, Dix -- now board president -- still will be involved in the fair even after Calvin graduates.

This year, he said, could be one of the best in several years.

"Livestock entries are way up, our barns are full," Dix said. "It's turning out to have one of the larger open class horse shows in the state of Kansas."

The fair features nightly entertainment, from concerts to motorcycle and car races.

Sunday's opening night, the free barbecue, was well-attended.

"We fed about a thousand people," Dix said this morning. "If that's any indication, we have a good week ahead of us."

Daytime schedules are full as well. A schedule can be found on the fair's Web site at www.rookscountyfreefair.com.

"We've had great response from the community, the (county) commissioners have really backed us," Dix said. "When you surround yourself with good people, good things happen. And we have a fair board that's second to none, I guarantee you."