FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
For more information contact:Bill Clary
(502) 564-4696

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s exhibits will be located along a new section of “Main Street Kentucky” inside the Kentucky Exposition Center at the 104th Kentucky State Fair Aug. 14-24 in Louisville.

Agriculture information booths and two of the most popular displays, the chick hatch and the kid-popular replica tractor cab, have been moved near the center of South Wing B. This year’s theme is “The Kentucky Department of Agriculture: Working for You.”

“We hope the change will expose some fairgoers who may not have visited our exhibits in the past to our message of how important agriculture is to their everyday lives,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said.

The KDA’s exhibits in the West Wing again will feature its one-of-a-kind rollover tractor simulator and booths representing the Kentucky Proud marketing program and KDA’s Department of Consumer and Environmental Protection, which invites fairgoers to handle Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Also back for the second straight year will be confection vendors selling candies and cookies, along with the annual exhibits of fruits, vegetables, bees, tobacco, hay and grain; and a second chick hatch.

KDA staff will work the livestock shows, check health papers for all animals competing in the shows, spray for mosquitoes and inspect amusement rides for safety.

Hungry fairgoers can enjoy homegrown food in the Great Kentucky Cookout Tent, located between the Pavilion and Broadbent Arena, and purchase Kentucky Proud products under a tent near the midway.

The state fair will kick off Aug. 14 with the Commodity Breakfast, an annual salute to Kentucky’s farm commodity organizations. The champion youth country ham will be auctioned at the Commodity Breakfast, and the grand champion ham will be auctioned for charity at the Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast on Aug. 21.

The World’s Championship Horse Show, attracting more than 2,000 horses and people from all over the world and awarding more than $1 million in premiums, is Aug. 17-23 at Freedom Hall. The State Fair Miniature Horse Show on Aug. 21-23 is free and open to the public.

Through midnight Aug. 13, fairgoers can purchase discount tickets online at www.kystatefair.org at $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 3-12 and seniors 55 and over, a savings of $3 per adult and $2 per child/senior compared to admission at the gate. The discounts are also available with a Kroger Plus card at Kroger stores throughout Kentucky and southern Indiana beginning July 6. Parking is $6 per vehicle.

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Visit KDA's Show and Fair Promotion Division here.

Visit the Kentucky State Fair here.