Dansko Fair Hill International Festival In The Country Returns
October 16-19 With New And Exciting Schedule Of Events

World-Class Eventing Competitions and Falconry Demonstrations to Highlight Schedule

Fair Hill, MD-August 29, 2008-The popular Dankso Fair Hill International Festival in the Country returns October 16-19, 2008 to the Fair Hill Natural Resource Area in the heart of beautiful Cecil County, MD. Exciting events, including the addition of a CCI** to the event's competition schedule plus new family activities, highlight this year's Festival.

In addition to the traditional USEF CCI*** Fall Championship, which has drawn many of the world's best eventing horses and riders to Fair Hill for many years, the new USEF CCI** Championship will provide an opportunity for a new group of horses and riders to compete at Fair Hill. The two eventing competitions will mean a full day of exciting cross country action on Saturday with the CCI** horses going in the morning and the CCI*** horses in the afternoon.

"We are thrilled to be adding the CCI** to our competition schedule this year," said Trish Gilbert, Co-President of the Dansko Fair Hill International. "While it is unfortunate that we will no longer be featuring the combined driving, we hope that our visitors will enjoy the CCI** as well as some of the other new and exciting activities we have planned."

New to the Dansko Fair Hill Festival in the Country this year is The Art and Sport of Falconry With Live Birds of Prey, taking place on Saturday and Sunday. Master Falconer Mike Dupuy brings his audience up close and personal while he and his birds provide an unforgettable educational experience for people of all ages.

While many new events have been added to the schedule, traditional favorites such as the Dog Agility Trials, which draws over 400 canine competitors, will return this year.

Members of the United States Pony Club will be on hand participating in the President's Cup Invitational Games. During the Games, riders in teams of five will compete in a variety of challenging and entertaining relay races; awards will be presented to winning teams on Sunday.

The Kids Corner will also return this year, offering a variety of activities for the younger set. Miniature horses will be performing on both Saturday and Sunday, and live music will be provided by Rebecca Pitre's Whoa Buddy Productions. Visitors may want to watch JoAnn Dawson's musical production, "HorsePlay," on Saturday. The play uses actors and horses to chronicle the relationship of man and horse throughout history.

Also returning are the Country Shops, boasting a wide variety of shopping and dining, featuring vendors of tack, jewelry, artwork, pet needs, exceptional apparel and fine gifts for the approaching holiday seasons. The Fair Hill Club offers fine dining, while visitors seeking a more casual snack or meal will find pubs around the Fair Hill grounds serving classic Maryland crab-cakes and other treats. In fact, the Maryland Department of Agriculture named the Fair Hill International as a "Maryland Top Event!"

The Dansko Fair Hill International Festival in the Country benefits Union Hospital in Elkton, MD. The hospital, whose mission is to enhance the health and well-being of the residents of Cecil County and its neighboring communities, has been caring for area families and neighbors for nearly 100 years.

Healthy feet, healthy body, healthy planet. That's the spirit behind Dansko, founded in 1990 by husband and wife team, Peter Kjellerup and Mandy Cabot, both former horse trainers. Now sold in over 3,000 leading independent retailer locations across North America, Dansko is the leader in all-day comfort footwear.

For more information on this year's Fair Hill, including how to purchase tickets, please call (410) 398-2111 or visit www.fairhillinternational.com