KY STATE FAIR

Ky State Fair changing, but staples remain

Sheldon S. Shafer
@sheldonshafer

Changes are in the works to make the 2015 Kentucky State Fair, which opens Thursday, a bigger draw by offering new promotions, discounts and a strong concert lineup.

“Just because we have done things some way for 110 years doesn’t mean we have to do it that way for the next 110 years,” said Mark Lynn, chairman of the Kentucky State Fair Board. He tasked a group with figuring out how to make the fair more popular without losing the popular attractions.

Beloved staples will return, ranging from corndogs and cattle to coasters and concerts. But there are some new offerings, including two $20 carload days and more convenient ways to get cheaper admission, parking and ride tickets in advance.

The “tweaking” followed a deep dip in attendance and a rare revenue loss at the fair last year. Paid attendance, dampened by downpours on several days, totaled 515,937. That was the smallest crowd since 1984 — and well below the 615,648 attendance in 2013.

On top of that, the fair lost about $460,000 on a $9.6 million budget. It usually has made a profit of more than $300,000. The 2014 fair’s deficit was the largest in at least a decade, fair officials said.

“We are trying to refocus attention on the fair,” said Fair Board spokeswoman Amanda Storment. “We want to make the fair more affordable, a better value — with more free concerts, discounted parking, and giving people more ways to access the fair.”

Also new this year: the introduction of the “Philly Cheesesteak donut burger” — don’t worry, the hot brown on a stick and deep friend Derby pie are also back — and a “healthy” food tent offering salads and wraps. There will be food trucks at nightly free outdoor concerts, and there is more scheduled entertainment, including an extra day of the horse show and a new Christian music festival.

The long-popular Mike Linnig food tent is gone. A Habitat for Humanity house will be built on site. And officials are “strongly recommending” that vendors cease the sale of items displaying the Confederate battle flag.

Here are some of the other changes:

Discounts and promotions

•Gate admission for adults during the fair is $10. The board has made discounted admission tickets ($8 for adults) available earlier than last year, and at more outlets — including Ticketmaster stations, Kroger and Wal-Mart stores. The tickets are available until the fair starts.

•On Aug. 25 admission is $1 for seniors 55 and over before 6 p.m. And on Aug. 23 all active-duty and veteran military personnel and their families can enter the fair for half price. The military day activities will be tied in with the free evening “turf concert” featuring the Oak Ridge Boys.

•Throughout the fair, people can enter for only $5 at Gate 4 when dropped off by TARC’s No. 2 route from downtown, starting near Fourth and Market.

•For the first time since 2001, carload specials have been reinstated. On Thursdays vehicles can enter the fairgrounds before 5 p.m. for $20; that includes all admissions and parking.

Storment didn’t have exact numbers but said that advance ticket sales were “on par” with last year and that accelerated ticket sales were expected as the start of the fair draws closer.

Entertainment

The problem of poor attendance, especially at some of the paid concerts, have been cited by the Fair Board. But this year Storment said fair officials believe they have a strong concert lineup.

•The nightly outdoor free concerts at Cardinal Stadium offer a mix of performances, with an emphasis on country. Casting Crowns, Charlie Daniels and Joan Jett are among the featured acts.

•An extra free outdoor concert has been added — an event titled a Christian Music Festival — on the last day of the fair, Aug. 30, starting at 4 p.m. and featuring the group For King & Country.

•Fair officials have also realigned the on-field concert stage, turning it so the audience won’t be staring into the sun. Cardinal Stadium will again have temporary seating on the field, while the condemned grandstand awaits state funding to be razed.

Fair officials termed it a “big jolt” when Meghan Trainor, citing a problem with her vocal chords, canceled her scheduled Freedom Hall paid concert, for which at least 5,000 tickets had been sold. It was too late to find a replacement.

Her cancellation followed another in July by soul songstress Aretha Franklin. Fair talent agents, however, quickly filled that vacancy with a dual appearance of Boyz II Men and Kool & the Gang.

Food

•The Kentucky Proud tent has been rebranded to include bourbon as a feature, and the fair midway will feature a new tent offering healthy foods such as wraps and salads.

•The fair is also adding additional cooking contests, including a pork-recipe challenge. Six Row Events is offering the Kentucky Bourbon, Bites & Brews tent, focusing on bourbon, Kentucky-themed food and craft beer. And Newton’s Homemade Ice Cream will be available in six flavors.

Miscellaneous

•A special education exhibit sponsored by the Fair Board in the South Wing will feature the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta and explore the history of Kentucky’s Constitution.

•Among the daily free acts is the Team FMX Free-style Motocross Stunt Show, dirt bike stunt riders.

•Costumed characters from the Nickelodeon Paw Patrol will be on the grounds on several days to interact with children.

•There will be more than 350 commercial vendors in the South Wing.

•The Kentucky Kingdom theme park will be open Monday through Friday, 5-10 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays 1-10 p.m. during the fair. Hurricane Bay water park will not be open. Kroger is selling the 2015 Kentucky Kingdom admission and ride tickets through Aug. 30 for $9.95 plus tax.

•Entry to the theme park during the fair with a ticket purchase upon entering the theme park will be $19.95, plus tax. Check kentuckykingdom.com for information.

Blue-ribbon winners

Fairgoers can ogle fair entries — including the hundreds of blue-ribbon winners — that will be scattered around the property. Storment said the number of entries is nearly identical to last year — around 54,000. Entries in the vegetable and melon categories are down, primarily due to wet weather, while most of the other categories, including the dozens of livestock categories, are either up slightly or steady.

Karen Laundroche of Anchorage, a veteran textile and culinary exhibitor who has won multiple blue ribbons over the last five or six years, awaits the fair’s arrival with anticipation every summer. This year she is entering a quilt and an Italian biscotti delicacy.

“I love our State Fair, looking at the exhibits and talking to people to see what they are making and doing. I think we have one of the best state fairs ever,” she said.

Reach reporter Sheldon S. Shafer at (502) 582- 7089; follow him on Twitter at @sheldon shafer.

111th Kentucky State Fair

Where: Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville.

Dates: Aug. 20-30.

Hours: Gates open 7 a.m., Buildings open 9 a.m.-10 p.m. each day. Grounds and carnival rides close around midnight.

Opening public ceremony: South Wing C lobby Aug. 20, Gov. Steve Beshear, Mayor Greg Fischer among dignitaries.

Admission: Discount admission — $8 for adults 13-54; $4 for children 6-12 and seniors 55 and over; children 5 and under free available through Aug. 19 at Ticketmaster outlets, Kroger and Wal-Mart locations. During fair, admission is $10 for adults 13- 54, $8 for children and seniors.

Rides: Midway strip of 22 tickets $17 in advance at Kroger (most rides require two to four tickets). During fair, children 12 and under can purchase wrist band for unlimited midway rides for $12 per day; with teens and adults paying $25 for unlimited-ride wristband.

For fair information: www.Kystatefair.org, or call 502-367-5000.

Kentucky State Fair 101

•World’s Championship Horse Show: Freedom Hall, Aug. 22-29. Ticket prices vary and morning shows are free.

•Free outdoor concerts at Cardinal Stadium: Nightly shows, including Casting Crowns, Charlies Daniels and special Christian music festival at 4 p.m. on Aug. 30.

•Two paid concerts in Freedom Hall: Barrels & Boots with Montgomery Gentry, Aug. 21; Boyz II Men and Kool & the Gang, Aug. 30.

•Carload days: Aug. 20 and 27, until 5 p.m. $20 for every vehicle, no matter how many occupants (includes admission and parking cost).

•$5 admission to fair if riding on TARC Route 2 from downtown to the fair grounds Aug. 20-30.

•Parking: $8 at the Kentucky Exposition Center throughout fair. Free parking available two weekends of the fair at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in the Green Lot. The setup includes free shuttle service, sponsored by Miller Transportation. Fairgoers can park at the stadium on Fridays, Aug. 21 and 28, starting at 4 p.m. as well as on both Saturdays and Sundays starting at 7:30 a.m.

•Bikes cannot enter the fairgrounds, but can be parked at entry gates for no charge.

•Miscellaneous: No smoking in buildings. First aid stations, lost and found booths, baby-changing stations on site. Heritage Hall for seniors.

•For fair information: www.Kystatefair.org, or call 502-367-5000.

Courier-Journal Day

Friday, Aug. 28 is Courier-Journal Day at the Kentucky State Fair. Come meet some of our reporters and editors and enter a raffle to win a University of Louisville or University of Kentucky iconic sports photo. Help us kick off the start of college football season with games, prizes and other giveaways. We’ll be at a booth in the South Wing Lobby from 9 a.m.-7 p.m.