COLUMBUS – Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday morning opened the 166th edition of the Ohio State Fair, which this year is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing with a life-size butter sculpture.
The 166th Ohio State Fair (July 24 – Aug. 4)
Gates open: 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. (Except Aug. 4, until 6 p.m.)
Commercial exhibit buildings: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Youth Center: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Janis Center: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Rides: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. (open until midnight Fridays and Saturdays)
Admission: Adults, $10; seniors 60+ and children 6-12, $8; children 5 and under, free; advance sale, $6
The ribbon-cutting at the Expo Center’s Cardinal Gate on 17th Avenue was followed by performances by the All-Ohio State Fair Band and Youth Choir.
Afterward, DeWine toured the fairgrounds, joining First Lady Fran DeWine in the Taste of Ohio Café, where Mrs. DeWine will be cooking with children at the Ohio Proud Kitchen.
This year’s annual butter display features a life-size sculpture of Wapakoneta native Neil Armstrong saluting the American flag after planting it on the moon’s surface on July 20, 1969.
Last year’s fair drew more than 850,000 visitors during its 12-day run. The highest attendance since the fair was shortened in 2004 was 982,305 in 2015.
Following a fatal accident involving a midway ride in 2017, the Expositions Commission, which governs the fair, spent six months selecting a new company to provide the rides, settling on Talley Amusements from Fort Worth, Texas
Some of the rides expected to draw plenty of visitors are the 200-foot-long Fast Trax slide; the Giant Wheel, a 108-foot high Ferris wheel; the Skyliner Swing Tower, which sweeps riders 100 feet above the midway, and the 120-foot Mega Drop Tower.
As always, one of the main attraction at the fair is the food, with visitors wondering how many different edibles can be put on a stick (35) or deep-fried.
More than 40 new foods are making their debut this year, including edible cookie dough, Sriracha peanut butter crunch donuts, chocolate deviled eggs, deep-fried mini gummy burgers and specialty grilled cheeses with flavors including spaghetti, buffalo ranch chicken, Thanksgiving and jalapeño popper grilled cheeses.
New Fair Food
Puckering Pickle Popsicles – made from frozen pickle juice
Pulled Pork and Chicken Sundaes – built on a bed of french fries and baked beans and topped with pulled pork or chicken and coleslaw
S’mOREO Funnel Cake — topped with powdered sugar, hot fudge, marshmallow cream and OREO crumbles.
-Source: Ohio Expositions Commission
Entertainment at this year’s fair includes the Kidz Bop World Tour on Wednesday, country superstar Toby Keith July 29, classic rock artists REO Speedwagon, Night Ranger, Bad Company and Foghat; disco artists Midnight Star and members of Three Dog Night, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, the Buckinghams, the Classics IV and the Cowsills.
Among other attractions, the fair features real-life human cannonball Brian Miser, who recently performed on America’s Got Talent, as well as fishing, kayaking, butterflies and more in Natural Resources Park, a free petting zoo and livestock shows, capped by the climactic Sale of Champions auction of animals raised by 4-H members statewide.