WEEKEND BEST BEST: Sarasota County Fair, Cracker Land

Dust off your boots and get tappin’ at this year’s Sarasota County Fair, to be held from 4 to 8:30 p.m., March 19-28, at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds.

The fair, organized by Charlie Holbrook, will feature daily bluegrass music at the Cracker Land Stage, free to all fair ticket holders. More than one dozen bands will be featured over the fair’s 11-day run. Cracker Land also will offer several exhibits that depict the aspects of country life in this area, including the Sarasota cowboy culture, a cane sugar press and a real still.

Holbrook also runs the Thursday evening bluegrass jam year-round, at Bee Ridge Park in Sarasota. His group, the Bee Ridge Jammers, will be featured on the Cracker Land stage as well as other area bluegrass bands such as The Wirebeaters, Lonesome Ridge, Peace River Quartet, Myakka, and Carl Wade and Barbara Schaffer. Additional music — bluegrass, acoustic country, Rockabilly, old-time and swing — will be heard as well.

Free gate entry will be offered from 2 to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

Contact Loren Mayo at [email protected].