Carson Pine, 12, of Lawrence holds up his cousin, Sam Haist, 7, of Shawnee to kiss Clyde the goat before showing him during the Dairy Goat & Meat Goat Show at the Douglas County Fair on Tuesday, July 28, 2015.

The 2017 Douglas County Fair doesn’t officially kick off until Monday, though equine enthusiasts should have their fill of activities this weekend at the fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St.

An open horse show at the fairgrounds’ Community Building is slated for 9 a.m. Saturday, with the 4-H horse show scheduled for the same time and place Sunday. A bevy of agriculture-skewed events — plus fair favorites such as the annual carnival, demolition derby, live music and more — will follow.

In the meantime, here’s a rundown of highlights taking place each day at the fairgrounds Monday through Sunday. For a complete schedule of events, visit dgcountyfair.com.

Monday, July 24

The fun kicks off with entering and consultation judging of various 4-H competitions. Skip ahead to Tuesday for more primetime events.

Tuesday, July 25

Tuesday’s schedule has something for just about everyone. Early risers can catch the poultry show at 8 a.m. in the fairgrounds’ open livestock pavilion; next up, at least where farm animals are concerned, is the dairy goat/meat goat show at 5 p.m. in the pavilion.

Kids — and kids at heart — will have the chance to interact with various machines (past events have included fire and police vehicles) and the professionals who operate them during the “Touch a Truck” event from 6 to 8 p.m. at the blacktop arena. Plus, a homemade ice cream contest is planned from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Dreher Family Building, and a musical performance from Signal Ridge starts at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, July 26

First things first: hit up the llama show at 8:30 a.m. in the open pavilion, followed by the dairy show at 11 a.m. in the same venue. For the kids, there’s a petting zoo from 1 to 10 p.m. and pony rides from 4 to 10 p.m., both in Building 8. If you like pigs, check out the swine show at 5 p.m. in the open pavilion.

The fair’s carnival opens Wednesday, running from 6 to 11 p.m. that night and maintaining roughly the same hours through Saturday, July 29.

Thursday, July 27

Thursday boasts not one but two goat-milking contests (at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.), plus more animal shows and the fair’s first tractor pull. The competition — it’s the antique tractor pull, more specifically — will begin at 7 p.m. in the fairgrounds’ rodeo arena.

Friday, July 28

On Friday, the fairgrounds’ outdoor arena will host arguably one of the fair’s most popular events: the demolition derby. Watch colorful and banged-up cars smash into each other starting at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 29

Saturday promises a busy final day for the fair, which technically closes Sunday with the release of all exhibits. Last-minute highlights Saturday include the turtle race at 9 a.m. on the blacktop stage area, the pedal tractor pull nearby at 10:30 a.m. and a 4-H livestock auction at 6:30 p.m. in the open pavilion.