The week of August 15 is bittersweet time for folks in Louisville, especially kids . School starts this week, but so does the Kentucky State Fair. The fair is a memorable way to transition from the summer to fall and from full time fun to the business of school. In the 10 days from August 18-28, over 600,000 people flock into the Kentucky Exhibition Hall near I-654 and I-264 to wander through 416 acres of controlled indoor and outdoor exhibit space to see what’s there. Regardless of age, whether you want to see exhibits, ride the amusements, hear music, or eat something delicious on a stick in Louisville, you are in luck.
For those of any age who come, there are plenty of things to see and do. For city kids who think meat starts out in shrink-wrapped Styrofoam packages, the displays of cattle, horses, poultry, rabbits, and pigeons might be an eye opening introduction to our state’s strong agricultural heritage and current largest industry. Visitors can view and pet the animals as well as watch the judging. There are four major horse shows during the event too, including the World’s Championship Horse Show, the most prestigious saddlebred show in the world, as well as novelty exhibits like border collies herding geese.
Numerous buildings on the grounds house displays of quilts and other arts and crafts and many competitions, such as the Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship, the Evan Williams Bourbon Cooking Competition, the Great American SPAM Championship, the Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust Baking Championship, Fleischmann's Yeast "Bake for the Cure" Baking Contest, and the Make it with Malt-O-Meal Contest.
Last year, the rides at the fair were limited, as Kentucky Kingdom closed. This year, the new and improved Thrillway is open to the delight to all who equate fair fun with ferris wheels and spinning rides. Individual rides cost the equivalent of $5 in tickets, so buying a wristband in advance for $12 for children up to to 16 and $24 for adults is a good idea.
The fair always attracts top name artists. This year is no exception as Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Def Lepard, and Maroon Five and Train take the main stage. Free concerts from Ted Nugent, the Oak Ridge Boys, Boyz2Men, and many others will offer popular music to all fairgoers. There is even a performance by the Happy Together Tour with The Turtles featuring Flo and Eddie, Mark Lindsay, The Association, The Grass Roots and The Buckinghams on August 24 for those attendees who remember the good ole days. Talented fairgoers have the chance to participate in various competitions. Kids and teens can enjoy a special musical agenda.
All that fair walking is bound to make you hungry. A lot of popular fair food is serve on stick so it will travel easily as you move through the grounds. Corn dogs, steak, pork chops, shrimp, and cotton candy remain fair culinary staples on-a-stick, but new treats like fried butter, deep-fried coke, and chocolate covered bacon come that way too.
But there’s more. Last year’s Kentucky State Fair offered the decadent Krispee Kreme burger, a quarter-pound burger with bacon and cheese, seated between two donuts. This year’s contribution to fun eating and bad nutrition is deep-fried Derby Pie. Prepared by Kern’s Kitchen, Inc., the tasty bourbon pies will be dipped in funnel cake batter and fried. And that’s not all. Another new treat this year is deep deep-fried Kool Aid, which combines funnel cake batter and cherry Kool-Aid powder that dissolves as it heat up. Then there is the Maple Bacon Sundae, butter pecan ice-cream, maple syrup, and bacon that fans claim is a pretty tasty combination.
Here's food from another fair - but you can get this and more in Louiville!
The fair is fun but not cheap. The admission price is $10 per adult or $6 for children under 12 or seniors over 55, while Infants and toddlers under 2 come in free. Parking is $8. Once you are inside the gates, the rides, the food, and the headliner concerts and some attractions add considerably to the cost, so pre-planning is essential. Discounts are available at Krogers through August 20 for admission, rides, and other costs. No credit cards are accepted, so bring plenty of cash if you have to purchased tickets in advance.
A stick of something good is waiting for you in Louisville. The Fair goes on for a week, so consider planning to visit on more or more days. When the fair ends, it will be time for Labor Day weekend events – a reminder that there is always something fun going on in Louisville. When you are ready to be a permanent part of the fun in Louisville, call me, Jessica Gaines! I am your Louisville real estate resource. So listen up Louisville, and love where you live!!
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