Fair Adjusting to Early School Starts
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe executive director of the Indiana State Fair says early starts at many schools can have an adverse effect on attendance. Cindy Hoye says the extended 17-day run, which begins Friday, is designed to provide an additional weekend for families to come to the fair. She also hopes to attract school field trips through science, technology, engineering and math programs at the event. Hoye says organizers are expecting an “average attendance level” of about 850,000.
July 30, 2013
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — The Indiana State Fair has added another special discount to a long list of established promotional deals in an effort to help Hoosier families enjoy the fair while stretching their entertainment dollar. The new discount is called “Foodie Friday” and calls for all State Fair food vendors to offer at least one item at half off its regular price on Friday, Aug. 16.
The new deal brings the total number of the fair’s special pricing programs to 15. It also allows visitors yet another day to feast on their favorite fair foods for less than the going rate.
“We've got a tremendous event that offers incredible value with all the exhibits and entertainment that are on display each day of the fair, and we know that these kinds of discounts are important to people when deciding what to do with their families,” Indiana State Fair Executive Director Cindy Hoye said. “Our admission prices have remained steady while we continue to add special discounts.”
The fair's most popular deal continues to be the Turkey Hill Dairy $2 Tuesday promotion where visitors with a voucher printed from www.turkeyhillcom/indianastatefair are admitted for just $2 on both Tuesdays of the fair while many concessionaires and the midway also offer $2 deals. Here is a complete list of the special values at this year’s fair:
• Midway Deals – North American Midway Entertainment offers special vouchers for midway wristbands at all Indiana Walmarts for just $20 through Aug. 18. That’s a $5 savings for each wristband purchased! A listing of the midway’s wristband special days can be found here.
• Free admission ticket in the Indianapolis Star – On Monday, Aug. 5, the Indianapolis Star will print a ticket good for free admission to the fair on Wednesday, Aug. 7.
• Meijer Day – Meijer customers get 50 percent off one fair admission (a $5 value) on Aug. 5 when they buy one pair of Falls Creek jeans July 24 – Aug. 5 (Catalina coupon print from Meijer required at fair entrance gate).
• Turkey Hill Dairy $2 Tuesday – On Tuesday, Aug. 6 and Tuesday, Aug. 13, visitors with a voucher printed from www.turkeyhill.com/indianastatefair are admitted for just $2 compliments of Turkey Hill Dairy.
• $2 Taste of the State Fair – Also on both Tuesdays of the fair, Aug. 6 and 13, concessionaires all over the fairgrounds will have $2 servings all day long!
• Free admission for Indiana state employees – All state employees are admitted for free on Thursday, Aug. 8, with the presentation of an employee ID card.
• Pop Weaver Discount Day – Visitors with a Pop Weaver box top receive $5 off gate admission on Thursday, Aug. 8. One box top per person.
• Free admission for Military personnel and families – The State Fair is honoring our current and former members of the Armed Forces by offering free admission for them and family members on Thursday, Aug. 8, with the presentation of a military ID.
• Free lottery ticket – On Hoosier Lottery Day, Saturday, Aug. 10, all guests over the age of 18 can redeem their fair admission ticket stub for a free lottery ticket from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Lotto Town at the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand.
• IPL Carload Day – Large families and groups of friends can save big on Monday, Aug. 12. Admission is just $15 per vehicle for up to 10 people with a voucher printed from www.IPLpower.com.
• BMV Discount Day – Fairgoers can save $5 off of the $10 gate admission on Wednesday, Aug. 14 by redeeming the voucher available online at www.mybmv.com.
• AAA Day – Hoosier AAA members receive free admission on Thursday, Aug. 15 when they show their valid 2013 AAA membership card at the gate.
• Foodie Friday – On Friday, Aug. 16, all concessionaires will offer an item at half off its regular price.
• $2 discount on Pepsi Next Day with Pepsi brand can – All visitors who bring any Pepsi brand can on the fair’s final day Sunday, Aug. 18, will receive $2 off the gate admission.
In addition to those great deals, here are several more tips for budget minded fairgoers:
• Buy admission tickets in advance for just $7 ($3 less than gate admission) online at www.indianastatefair.com through Aug. 1 or at any Indiana Walmart store, CVS/pharmacy stores, Indiana Farm Bureau offices, The Marten House Hotel or the State Fairgrounds Ticket Office while supplies last.
• Take advantage of the free Indiana State Fair shuttle by parking at Glendale Mall's Rural Street lot. The shuttle runs every 20 minutes from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day of the fair.
• Save $1 off fair admission when biking to the State Fair and using one of the secured bike racks available on the Monon Trail at 38th Street from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Seniors (age 55 and older) can ride the tractor shuttles around the fairgrounds for just $3 a day with a wristband purchased from the State Fair Information Booths presented by Prairie Farms located in Pioneer Village and on State Fair Blvd. Seniors ride free on Golden Hoosiers' Day, Aug. 6.
Regular gate admission price for the fair is still $10 with kids 5 and younger admitted free. The fair runs Aug. 2 – 18.
About Indiana State Fair
The Indiana State Fair is the state’s largest multi-day event celebrating Hoosiers’ spirit and agricultural heritage. Nationally recognized for offering great entertainment, showcasing youth, interactive agriculture education programs, premiere facilities and a variety of unique, fun foods, the Indiana State Fair has been an annual tradition for generations of Hoosiers since 1852. The 2013 fair boasts “Fun at Every Turn” and is celebrating the “Year of Popcorn” presented by Weaver Popcorn Company. For more information, please visit www.indianastatefair.com.
Source: Indiana State Fair
July 31, 2013
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Whether it’s enjoyed at the movie theater, a baseball game or on the couch at home, popcorn is one of America’s favorite snack foods. As the second largest popcorn producing state in America, Indiana is a major player in the popcorn profession and the Indiana State Fair has declared 2013 the Year of Popcorn presented by Pop Weaver.
Year of Popcorn features at the fair will include free popcorn for visitors to the Farm Bureau Building; a special essay contest for school children; a Gift Shop adorned with massive popcorn decorations; and a popcorn ball like no other. Thanks to help from Pop Weaver, Snax in Pax and Indiana’s Family of Farmers, fair officials plan to unveil the World’s Largest Popcorn Ball August 3 at 10 a.m. in the Ball State Ag/Hort Building.
Construction has already begun on this considerable confection. In June, workers at the Snax in Pax Popcorn Company in Topeka, Ind., began making and tamping thousands of pounds of popcorn into a specially created wooden form measuring 8 feet across. The ball was later transported to the State Fairgrounds where State Fair staff, board members and volunteer groups kept adding on to the curious creation. The goal is a 5,200 lb. popcorn monstrosity that will beat the current record holder, a 5,060 lb. ball made by a group in Sac City, Iowa, in 2009.
Naturally, the giant ball will be a sight to see, but it will be more than an edible oddity. It will be used in the fair’s new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education program that teaches children different educational concepts through exhibits and displ