Higdon: Kentucky State Fair showcases the best of the Bluegrass
By JIMMY HIGDON
14th District State Senator
Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 — The Kentucky State Fair is here. It runs August 17-27. The attractions include family fun like rides, games, a dog show, pumpkin and watermelon contests, and the historic World’s Championship Horse Show, which is August 19-26 at Freedom Hall. Kids will be able to enjoy entertainment like Freddy Farm Bureau. Additionally, for the adults, there is Beerfest on August 19, featuring up to 20 local breweries. Finally, the Texas Roadhouse Concert Series, free with the admission price, will begin each night at 8 p.m. August 17-26.
I remember my first state fair in 1965 when I was entering the seventh grade. I’m from a big family of seven siblings, and so loading up the car and going to the state fair was not an option at the Higdon house.
At my first state fair, I was a guest of my first employer, the Courier-Journal and Louisville Times. I won a contest for signing up new customers. When I tell people my first employer was the Courier Journal, and given that many know my son is a talented writer, they typically assume I wrote for the paper. I was not a writer, but instead a distributor, or a paper boy. It is like someone saying they used to be a blacksmith; known now only to history.
I fondly recall my trip to the fair that day, especially the midway (now known as Thrill Ville) as I hopped from ride to ride and concession stand to concession stand. Being there with the Courier-Journal was like having a rich uncle who would buy anything you wanted. The folks from the paper gave us a handful of tickets that all the vendors would honor. They also had numerous Courier-Journal employees walking around with top hats and red canes, who would give you additional tickets if you ran out. It was a great day, but I will never forget how hot it was: a sweltering 95 degrees.
Thrill Ville was exciting for a rural kid with its rides, food, and games, which were a real challenge to win.
Later in the evening, we loaded up on a bus and visited Mammoth Cave, which was another memorable experience alongside my fellow paper boy and lifelong friend Freddy Hilpp.
The moral of this story is to encourage you to load up the car and take your family to the state fair where I guarantee you will create fond memories. My daughter will never forget her first state fair in 1989 and hearing The Oak Ridge Boys. I am eager to spend time with my grandkids at the state fair.
The first official Kentucky State Fair was in 1902 when, according to reporting by WHAS 11 News in 2019, over 75,000 people attended and endured “ill” weather. In 1904, the fair was canceled after its funds were tied up in a lawsuit. Two other cancellations occurred in 1942 and 1943 during World War II. That happened to state fairs nationwide as fuel, tires, and space were conserved to support the war effort. Seventeen buildings at the fairgrounds were converted to house an ever-expanding requirement of tube turns for airplane and motor cylinder manufacturers.
It is hosted at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville at 937 Phillips Lane. You can get tickets online at kystatefair.org/tickets.
It is an honor to serve as your state senator. Please do not hesitate to contact me during the interim if you have any questions or to share your concerns. I can be reached at home at 270-692-6945, at my office at 502-564-8100, or by email at Jimmy.Higdon@lrc.ky.gov.
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