Kentucky Exposition Center

Whether it’s professional live acts, thrilling rides, talented amateur performers, ooey-gooey treats, delicious food or amazing leaping dogs, the Kentucky State Fair has what you’re craving. More than 600,000 fair-goers are expected to descend on the Kentucky State Fair for 11 consecutive 17-hour days, from Aug. 19–29. 

Country-music superstars Sugarland, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and the Charlie Daniels Band; funnyman Jeff Dunham, and rocker Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, hip-hop hero M.C. Hammer with Code Red and the heavy-metal band Jackyl will perform at the 2010 Kentucky State Fair. Check here for dates and times for paid concerts. Some of the concerts will be free; check here for a listing of free concerts. You can view a Seating Chart for paid and free concerts.

You never know what to expect at the Kentucky State Fair: Timber Tina’s World Champion Lumberjills, female lumberjacks demonstrating fancy sawing; talented kids from across the state of Kentucky, hilarious juggling and acrobatics, and more. Visitors will catch the aromas of foods from all over the world — from gyros to Asian cuisine, Western Kentucky barbecue and humble funnel cakes. Here's a list of 2010 attractions.

In addition, the State Fair includes the prestigious World Championship Horse Show, a competition that draws 2,000 saddlebred horses from around the globe. 

Admission, bought by Aug. 18, costs $2 for children aged 3–12 or seniors 55 or older and $6 for other adults; admission is $2 extra at the door. You can get a $2 discount on each admission when you buy your Discount Kentucky State Fair gate admission and display your Kroger Plus card. Infants get in free.

Gates open daily at 7 a.m., and exhibitions get underway two hours later. The Thrillway opens at 2 p.m. on weekdays and at noon on weekends and closes every night at midnight. A 22-ticket strip costs $17 in advance and $25 during the State Fair. Click here to buy tickets in advance. The exhibition halls shut down at 10 p.m.

Sure, there are still the cake, pie, quilt and other competitions — dozens of them — that are a cornerstone of state fairs across America. And Freddy Farm Bureau is still greeting visitors as he has for decades. The State Fair wouldn’t have the same flavor without these mainstays! And the East Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center still has quite a few booths of interesting products, discounts and organizations’ materials.

Teachers wishing to take their classes to the Kentucky State Fair can book a tour here. You can download grade-specific handouts prior to your visit. Discounted admission for students, teachers and chaperones on a field trip is just $2!

HelloMetro Tip: The Kentucky State Fair’s a big sprawling place. Why not download a map from here?

- by Bill Wolfe, Louisville Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Bill Wolfe

Bill Wolfe is an experienced journalist with a broad background in writing, editing and photography. He has worked as staff writer at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., and the Atlanta Journal & Constitution in Atlanta, Ga., covering beats ranging from consumer news to religion and business.