Three of the four Main Stage Series acts highlight the first round of concert announcements for the 2010 Kentucky State Fair. The 11-day fair will feature performances by Sugarland, Jeff Dunham and Rascal Flatts.
Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, better known as Sugarland, will perform on opening night of the Kentucky State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 19. After breaking onto the national music scene five years ago, the multiple award-winning duo has recorded hits like “Baby Girl, “All I Wanna Do” and “Stay.” The latter song propelled Sugarland to multiple Grammy Awards in 2009 for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Country Song. Ticketing information and supporting acts will be released at a later date.
Rascal Flatts, set to close the Kentucky State Fair in Freedom Hall on Sunday, Aug. 29, has released 24 singles on the Billboard Hot Country charts, including 11 No. Ones. In the band’s nine-year career, the trio has amassed 32 American Music Association, Country Music Television and Academy of Country Music Awards. Ticketing information and supporting acts will be released at a later date.
The crowds will turn their cheers into laughs when Jeff Dunham takes the stage, Saturday, Aug. 21. Dunham, former American Comedy award winner for Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic, takes on personalities of a Hispanic pepper, a brash old man and a beer-drinking NASCAR fan, all in the name of comedy. Dunham achieved enormous success following his record-breaking draw of 6.6 million tuning in to watch his Comedy Central Christmas special, “Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special.” Ticketing information will be released at a later date.
The 2009 Kentucky State Fair enjoyed record-breaking crowds, with headliners Journey and Taylor Swift each playing to enthusiastic, sold-out crowds and helping increase concert attendance by 95 percent over 2008 and concert revenue by 100 percent.
The 2010 fair will run from Aug. 19-29 and tickets will go on sale at the Kentucky Exposition Center Ticket Office, Kentucky International Conventional Center Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster outlets and online at Ticketmaster.com.
For more information and continued updates on the 2010 Kentucky State Fair, visit the official website at www.kystatefair.org.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Saturday, August 29, 2009
0
A Day in the Life of a State Fair Media Intern
We are the only people we know who got paid to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace this summer. We ran the updates, uploaded the pictures and wrote the blogs. We also wrote press releases, media advisories and aided in the creation of the brochure and Daily Schedule, all to get you excited about coming to the Kentucky State Fair!
We are the Kentucky State Fair media interns. Since May we have been working inside Freedom Hall to get the word out about the rides, the food, the exhibits, the shows and the concerts. It’s hard for us to believe the Fair is almost over! But it’s also nice to think that maybe we helped get some of the crowds out here to experience the Kentucky State Fair, who might have otherwise stayed at home.
Even though most of the people on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter only know us under the moniker ‘KY State Fair,’ we have gotten to know Fair fans pretty well over the summer. We know what your favorite Fair foods and concert memories are. We know what you like best about the Fair and what you would like to improve. That’s what our social networking duties were – to make sure that this was YOUR Kentucky State Fair.
While we know about all of you, it’s only right that you learn who we are.
I’m Ali Sumner, an incoming senior at Western Kentucky University. Originally from Lexington, Ky., I had only been to the Kentucky State Fair once or twice for concerts. So, needless to say the onslaught of livestock, deep-fried fair food, outstanding entertainment and ribbon-winning entries were enough to make this city girl a fan of the Fair for years to come. Pursuing my degree in News/Editorial Journalism led me to a media internship with the State Fair Board this summer. My interest in photojournalism also made me one of the many Fair photographers for the Facebook page and Kentucky State Fair Web site.
I am Tabitha Hodges, and I am an incoming senior at Bellarmine University where I am earning a degree in Political Science. I am from Louisville and grew up coming to the Fair. It was always the last thing my family and I did before going back to school. When I began looking into marketing internships for the summer, I knew that working with the State Fair Board would be a perfect fit. I worked with Ali on many of the writing projects that would get other people as excited about the Fair as I am every year.
You may have seen our work online and in the papers, but you could have also heard us at the Fair doing the daily announcements or seen us taking notes and snapping pictures at the exhibits. We have certainly had a blast this summer, so we hope that you had just as much fun at the Kentucky State Fair as we did.
Like the way our job description sounds? If you’re a college student looking to pursue a career in public relations, marketing, advertising or journalism, this is the place you want to be next summer! Apply with the media department early next year and hopefully you’ll be writing these and other awesome blogs as your job with the Kentucky State Fair!
We are the Kentucky State Fair media interns. Since May we have been working inside Freedom Hall to get the word out about the rides, the food, the exhibits, the shows and the concerts. It’s hard for us to believe the Fair is almost over! But it’s also nice to think that maybe we helped get some of the crowds out here to experience the Kentucky State Fair, who might have otherwise stayed at home.
Even though most of the people on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter only know us under the moniker ‘KY State Fair,’ we have gotten to know Fair fans pretty well over the summer. We know what your favorite Fair foods and concert memories are. We know what you like best about the Fair and what you would like to improve. That’s what our social networking duties were – to make sure that this was YOUR Kentucky State Fair.
While we know about all of you, it’s only right that you learn who we are.
I’m Ali Sumner, an incoming senior at Western Kentucky University. Originally from Lexington, Ky., I had only been to the Kentucky State Fair once or twice for concerts. So, needless to say the onslaught of livestock, deep-fried fair food, outstanding entertainment and ribbon-winning entries were enough to make this city girl a fan of the Fair for years to come. Pursuing my degree in News/Editorial Journalism led me to a media internship with the State Fair Board this summer. My interest in photojournalism also made me one of the many Fair photographers for the Facebook page and Kentucky State Fair Web site.
I am Tabitha Hodges, and I am an incoming senior at Bellarmine University where I am earning a degree in Political Science. I am from Louisville and grew up coming to the Fair. It was always the last thing my family and I did before going back to school. When I began looking into marketing internships for the summer, I knew that working with the State Fair Board would be a perfect fit. I worked with Ali on many of the writing projects that would get other people as excited about the Fair as I am every year.
You may have seen our work online and in the papers, but you could have also heard us at the Fair doing the daily announcements or seen us taking notes and snapping pictures at the exhibits. We have certainly had a blast this summer, so we hope that you had just as much fun at the Kentucky State Fair as we did.
Like the way our job description sounds? If you’re a college student looking to pursue a career in public relations, marketing, advertising or journalism, this is the place you want to be next summer! Apply with the media department early next year and hopefully you’ll be writing these and other awesome blogs as your job with the Kentucky State Fair!
Friday, August 28, 2009
0
A Day in the Life of a Food Vendor
The sun is getting higher in the sky and that means it’s almost lunchtime. Any moment hungry fairgoers will line up requesting my mouth-watering meals and thirst-quenching drinks.
Layers of onions and red peppers are ready on the grill, simmering with the sausage, bratwurst, and burgers. A cornucopia of scents lures fairgoers to my cart. Even patrons on a diet second-guess themselves. They know that they will walk away a winner with a perfectly grilled delight in each hand.
Just because I don’t have to work to get customers over to my cart, doesn’t mean my work is easy. A line full of hungry fairgoers means I am working double. Dipping and frying corndogs, swirling ice cream in a cone and layering the right amount of toppings on a burger all takes a lot of skill and perfect timing.
Visitors may say they come to the Kentucky State Fair for the rides, shopping and educational exhibits, but don’t listen to them. All of us food vendors know that people from all around the United States swarm Louisville in August for the taste of deep-fried perfection on a stick. Where else can you find such delicacies as pork-butt on a stick or a pineapple whip or a funnel cake topped with chocolate and Bavarian cream?
What makes this job worth it is not that we can make a meal high in calories, but that we can make a meal high in satisfaction. We know that when you come to the Fair, all diets are off and that what matters is food that tastes good while you’re having the time of your life.
As the lines taper off, we purveyors of deep-fried creations can take a brief rest. We clean up from the last rush and step out in to some much needed air. By the time we have rested and replenished our supply of French fries, corn cobs, and sweet iced tea, it’s almost dinnertime.
For the rest of the evening we will be feeding a new bunch of people their Fair food fantasies. I’m also sure we will see some familiar faces returning for one more taste before tomorrow morning when real-life begins again and they remember the diet they forgot all about today.
Layers of onions and red peppers are ready on the grill, simmering with the sausage, bratwurst, and burgers. A cornucopia of scents lures fairgoers to my cart. Even patrons on a diet second-guess themselves. They know that they will walk away a winner with a perfectly grilled delight in each hand.
Just because I don’t have to work to get customers over to my cart, doesn’t mean my work is easy. A line full of hungry fairgoers means I am working double. Dipping and frying corndogs, swirling ice cream in a cone and layering the right amount of toppings on a burger all takes a lot of skill and perfect timing.
Visitors may say they come to the Kentucky State Fair for the rides, shopping and educational exhibits, but don’t listen to them. All of us food vendors know that people from all around the United States swarm Louisville in August for the taste of deep-fried perfection on a stick. Where else can you find such delicacies as pork-butt on a stick or a pineapple whip or a funnel cake topped with chocolate and Bavarian cream?
What makes this job worth it is not that we can make a meal high in calories, but that we can make a meal high in satisfaction. We know that when you come to the Fair, all diets are off and that what matters is food that tastes good while you’re having the time of your life.
As the lines taper off, we purveyors of deep-fried creations can take a brief rest. We clean up from the last rush and step out in to some much needed air. By the time we have rested and replenished our supply of French fries, corn cobs, and sweet iced tea, it’s almost dinnertime.
For the rest of the evening we will be feeding a new bunch of people their Fair food fantasies. I’m also sure we will see some familiar faces returning for one more taste before tomorrow morning when real-life begins again and they remember the diet they forgot all about today.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
0
A Day in the Life of a Balloon Master
Although the atmosphere is quite noisy with the hustle and bustle of the Fair, this is our studio, our playground of sorts. We bend and twist and shape and form until – “ta-da” – our creature is complete.
We are artists of a very different breed. We don’t make our sculptures out of clay or stone or even butter like those other State Fairs, but instead we are Balloon Masters. We contort our creations from just air and rubber – but what we create is quite spectacular.
Old Macdonald’s Farm may not have been as lightweight as ours but we sure do have the animals. Here a pig, there a donkey, everywhere an inflatable creature.
You’ll E-I-E-I-Ooh & Aah at our bright green and yellow inflatable tractor as well as our not-so-wet duck pond and our barnyard backdrop, complete with a rooster nesting in the hay. We’re not exactly sure what will come next in our life-like farm, but you can find out as the days pass on.
“If I were a sheep, where would I fit?”
Day by day, as the space begins to shrink, we determine just what comes next in our scene. We’ll improvise a honeycomb swarmed by bees and then a pair of pigs sitting in a mud pile. Every once in a while, a fairgoer requests their favorite farm friend and we try to add it to our list.
Taking a break between our sheep and silo we teach the youngsters who’ve gathered around how to make a balloon animal of their own. The excitement on their faces grows as their thin, colorful balloon turns into a puppy with every twist and turn we show them. They walk off, their chests puffed up as they carry their creation around the Fair – they’ve gotten a taste of the artistry!
No matter what animal or creation we choose to contort next, it’s sure to be unique! And it’s sure to use a whole bunch of balloons! By the time this barnyard scene is complete – we’ll have used over 15,000 balloons – now that’s a lot of hot air!
We are artists of a very different breed. We don’t make our sculptures out of clay or stone or even butter like those other State Fairs, but instead we are Balloon Masters. We contort our creations from just air and rubber – but what we create is quite spectacular.
Old Macdonald’s Farm may not have been as lightweight as ours but we sure do have the animals. Here a pig, there a donkey, everywhere an inflatable creature.
You’ll E-I-E-I-Ooh & Aah at our bright green and yellow inflatable tractor as well as our not-so-wet duck pond and our barnyard backdrop, complete with a rooster nesting in the hay. We’re not exactly sure what will come next in our life-like farm, but you can find out as the days pass on.
“If I were a sheep, where would I fit?”
Day by day, as the space begins to shrink, we determine just what comes next in our scene. We’ll improvise a honeycomb swarmed by bees and then a pair of pigs sitting in a mud pile. Every once in a while, a fairgoer requests their favorite farm friend and we try to add it to our list.
Taking a break between our sheep and silo we teach the youngsters who’ve gathered around how to make a balloon animal of their own. The excitement on their faces grows as their thin, colorful balloon turns into a puppy with every twist and turn we show them. They walk off, their chests puffed up as they carry their creation around the Fair – they’ve gotten a taste of the artistry!
No matter what animal or creation we choose to contort next, it’s sure to be unique! And it’s sure to use a whole bunch of balloons! By the time this barnyard scene is complete – we’ll have used over 15,000 balloons – now that’s a lot of hot air!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
0
A Day in the Life of Freddy Farm Bureau
You can recognize me by the classic garb of a farmer. Faded blue jeans, a denim shirt and my Kentucky Farm Bureau patch compliments the red handkerchief around my neck. Some people have hiding sposts, while I have a come-out-and-see-me spot on top of a haystack surrounded by a white-picket fence. I look out as the fairgoers come in droves, they’re eating their funnel cakes and taking in the shows and then they spot me!
Not only am I one of the most famous Kentucky State Fair guests, but I’m also the largest.
Freddy Farm Bureau’s the name and I’m one of the first attractions visitors see when entering the Fair, sitting right outside of Freedom Hall. Each passerby gets a big smile and a “How are you folks doing?” Nobody has been able to resist my charms since my first appearance in the 1950s.
The kids are excited about visiting me, even if they are a little shy at first.
“Have you seen my animals in the West Hall?”
I get a curious nod from the tiniest of toddlers and a hesitant wave from very timid little ones.
Some of the older kids are a little baffled at how I can talk without moving my forever-grinning mouth.
“Do you see us?”
“Yes, you have a green shirt on and your pal has a yellow shirt on.”
“How do you see us?”
“With my eyes, of course! How do you see me?”
They also like joking with me once they know that I can respond to their comments.
“You have big feet,” a small redheaded girl says.
“They are a size 31, and my socks are a size 38,” I tease back.
The kids all wave and say goodbye as they head off on their adventures around the Fair. Parents and grandparents alike bring their little ones in strollers to say hello to me. You can tell the adults want face-time with me just as much as the children.
I’ve been adding magic to the Kentucky State Fair for more than 50 years from my perch and it never gets tiresome.
Familiar faces return year after year and I’ve watched as young children have children of their own. The adults who stop by to see me seem to reminisce, while I know the inquisitive children who cock their heads in wonderment will return 10, 20, even 30 years from now just to catch a glimpse of me.
The fair just wouldn’t be the same without me, Freddy Farm Bureau, the timeless tradition.
“Have fun, and come back and see me next year!”
Not only am I one of the most famous Kentucky State Fair guests, but I’m also the largest.
Freddy Farm Bureau’s the name and I’m one of the first attractions visitors see when entering the Fair, sitting right outside of Freedom Hall. Each passerby gets a big smile and a “How are you folks doing?” Nobody has been able to resist my charms since my first appearance in the 1950s.
The kids are excited about visiting me, even if they are a little shy at first.
“Have you seen my animals in the West Hall?”
I get a curious nod from the tiniest of toddlers and a hesitant wave from very timid little ones.
Some of the older kids are a little baffled at how I can talk without moving my forever-grinning mouth.
“Do you see us?”
“Yes, you have a green shirt on and your pal has a yellow shirt on.”
“How do you see us?”
“With my eyes, of course! How do you see me?”
They also like joking with me once they know that I can respond to their comments.
“You have big feet,” a small redheaded girl says.
“They are a size 31, and my socks are a size 38,” I tease back.
The kids all wave and say goodbye as they head off on their adventures around the Fair. Parents and grandparents alike bring their little ones in strollers to say hello to me. You can tell the adults want face-time with me just as much as the children.
I’ve been adding magic to the Kentucky State Fair for more than 50 years from my perch and it never gets tiresome.
Familiar faces return year after year and I’ve watched as young children have children of their own. The adults who stop by to see me seem to reminisce, while I know the inquisitive children who cock their heads in wonderment will return 10, 20, even 30 years from now just to catch a glimpse of me.
The fair just wouldn’t be the same without me, Freddy Farm Bureau, the timeless tradition.
“Have fun, and come back and see me next year!”
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
0
A Day in the Life of a Wristband
With me, you’re a VIP. I’m the most coveted piece of paper this side of Freedom Hall. You get onto all the rides, big or small, with me wrapped around your wrist. And for just $24 (and $12 on Kiddie Day Friday) I can provide you an entire day’s worth of screams, shrills and laughs.
I’m the all-important wristband.
Sure I ride the teacups – I spin and watch as the turquoises, oranges and purples mix together into a teacup frenzy of fun! Next, take me on a ride down the fun slide, with one, two, three dips and away we go! I dip on the Dragon Wagon and get scrambled on the Sizzler.
“Can we please go on Starship Area 51?”
I love spinning in the gravity-free zone in this multi-colored, UFO ride. As I wait for you to regain your balance, I’m living the perfect life. We head off to Feverball, a glowing pendulum of shrieks that not only sways back and forth but spins me in circles – what a thrill!
Let’s cool off on the bumper boats before we maneuver through the Ogre’s Castle. Then take me on the pirate ship and the Ferris wheel – I never get tired of the dips, flips and twirls.
Take me for a spin with the bumper cars or test me out on the swings – I love them all!
Although I won’t be able to get you all the cotton candy, funnel cakes and lemonades – I would love to get close to those delectable treats between the Dizzy Dragons and the carousel.
“Oh, oh! Win me one of those prizes at the game booth – just pop those bright balloons, and ‘ta-da’ you win a bear!”
I’m snuggled up close to your cuddly prize and I’ve just about worn out the rides until we spot Chang, with its twisted, tangled steel that sends fairgoers into adrenaline overload.
“You don’t think I can handle it? Oh, I can do it all – bring it on!”
I’m the pass for non-stop fun, but I also prove to be a great deal! I get you unlimited access to the Midway rides and Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, so buy me now through Aug. 27 and also on Aug. 30, or (if you’re a tiny tike 12 years and under) buy a child wristband for $12 on Friday, Aug. 28. I’m just itching to get on these awesome rides in the Thrillway!
I’m the all-important wristband.
Sure I ride the teacups – I spin and watch as the turquoises, oranges and purples mix together into a teacup frenzy of fun! Next, take me on a ride down the fun slide, with one, two, three dips and away we go! I dip on the Dragon Wagon and get scrambled on the Sizzler.
“Can we please go on Starship Area 51?”
I love spinning in the gravity-free zone in this multi-colored, UFO ride. As I wait for you to regain your balance, I’m living the perfect life. We head off to Feverball, a glowing pendulum of shrieks that not only sways back and forth but spins me in circles – what a thrill!
Let’s cool off on the bumper boats before we maneuver through the Ogre’s Castle. Then take me on the pirate ship and the Ferris wheel – I never get tired of the dips, flips and twirls.
Take me for a spin with the bumper cars or test me out on the swings – I love them all!
Although I won’t be able to get you all the cotton candy, funnel cakes and lemonades – I would love to get close to those delectable treats between the Dizzy Dragons and the carousel.
“Oh, oh! Win me one of those prizes at the game booth – just pop those bright balloons, and ‘ta-da’ you win a bear!”
I’m snuggled up close to your cuddly prize and I’ve just about worn out the rides until we spot Chang, with its twisted, tangled steel that sends fairgoers into adrenaline overload.
“You don’t think I can handle it? Oh, I can do it all – bring it on!”
I’m the pass for non-stop fun, but I also prove to be a great deal! I get you unlimited access to the Midway rides and Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, so buy me now through Aug. 27 and also on Aug. 30, or (if you’re a tiny tike 12 years and under) buy a child wristband for $12 on Friday, Aug. 28. I’m just itching to get on these awesome rides in the Thrillway!
Monday, August 24, 2009
0
A 929-pound pumpkin.
A 175-pound watermelon.
Who’s behind these freakishly large crops? A man by the name of Mr. Mudd. And he’s got the market cornered at the Kentucky State Fair for largest melon – he’s been taking the blue ribbon home for that contest eight years running.
Frank Mudd of Flaherty, Ky. said his pumpkins, one weighing nearly 900 pounds and the other weighing over 929 pounds, could yield nearly 1,000 pumpkin pies. But that’s not why he grows them.
He uses hardly any fertilizer when growing his giant produce, but instead makes his own compost, made of trash and leaves.
As he shakes the hand of contest superintendent and former Fair board member, J. Robert Miller, in his bright green and yellow John Deere cap, Mudd seems all too humble to be the decorated grower of such a fine harvest.
The Man behind the Melons
A 929-pound pumpkin.A 175-pound watermelon.
Who’s behind these freakishly large crops? A man by the name of Mr. Mudd. And he’s got the market cornered at the Kentucky State Fair for largest melon – he’s been taking the blue ribbon home for that contest eight years running.
Frank Mudd of Flaherty, Ky. said his pumpkins, one weighing nearly 900 pounds and the other weighing over 929 pounds, could yield nearly 1,000 pumpkin pies. But that’s not why he grows them.
He uses hardly any fertilizer when growing his giant produce, but instead makes his own compost, made of trash and leaves.
As he shakes the hand of contest superintendent and former Fair board member, J. Robert Miller, in his bright green and yellow John Deere cap, Mudd seems all too humble to be the decorated grower of such a fine harvest.
