The Kentucky State Fair will attract thousands of people to the Kentucky Exposition Center for its 112th running Aug. 18-28, and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture will be there to help keep the fair running smoothly.
“The state fair is a celebration of everything that is Kentucky,” Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said. “But more than anything else, the state fair is a showcase for the very best of Kentucky agriculture. We are proud to do our part to make the 2016 Kentucky State Fair a success.”
Employees of the state veterinarian’s office will check the health papers of every animal that enters the fairgrounds to prevent a disease outbreak. Staff with the Division of Show and Fair Promotion will help conduct the livestock shows at the fair. Other KDA workers will oversee the crop and vegetable displays and the bees and honey exhibit. Inspectors with the Division of Regulation and Inspection will check the amusement rides on the midway to ensure that they are assembled and operating in accordance with the manufacturers’ specifications.
Commissioner Quarles will host the Commodity Appreciation Breakfast on Aug. 18 to open the fair. To commemorate the KDA’s Hunger Initiative, attendees are asked to bring canned goods that will be donated to local charities. The Hunger Initiative is an effort to examine the hunger problem in Kentucky and search for solutions.
Commissioner Quarles also will address the Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast on Aug. 25. He is scheduled to crown the state champion in the Farm to School Junior Chef competition on Aug. 26 and attend livestock shows, public meetings, the Kentucky 4-H Foundation Breakfast, the Kentucky FFA Awards Program, the Sale of Champions, and other events. Commissioner Quarles will maintain an office in the West Hall during the fair.
The KDA’s West Hall display will feature Kentucky Proud Popcorn, a premium popcorn product produced by western Kentucky growers; the Kentucky Hunger Initiative; and the popular chick hatch. Across from the KDA display, the Kentucky Corn Growers Association will exhibit a car that runs on ethanol. A display for Homegrown By Heroes, the brand for Kentucky farm products produced by military veteran farmers, will appear outside the commissioner’s office.
The department, in partnership with the State Fire Commission, will host a display in the South Wing featuring the KDA’s rollover tractor simulator and Mobile Science Activity Center as well as a combine provided by Whayne Supply. The display will focus on farm safety and grain production. It will include a “scAvenGer hunt” in which participants answer questions about the display.
For more information about the 2016 Kentucky State Fair, including a full schedule of events, go to kystatefair.org.
