State Fair has ‘Whatever your flavor’

The Nebraska State Fair which begins this weekend in Grand Island, truly has something for everyone of every age, interest and level of activity and fair executive director, Jamie Parr says that’s exactly how the event’s organizers came up with this year’s theme, “Whatever your flavor.”
“Whether people come to the fair for livestock or whether people come to the fair for food or carnival rides or entertainment -- whatever their reason,” Parr said, “we’re calling it their flavor this year.”
The 2023 Nebraska State Fair is scheduled to begin this Friday, Aug. 25 and will run through Labor Day, which is Monday, Sept. 4. Those 11 days will be packed with a multitude of activities and events ranging from animal exhibits and shows to live entertainment by the likes of the Oak Ridge Boys and comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias to 4-H and FFA exhibits to a veritable feast of vendors offering that famous “fair food.” 
“You know, each year we try to have new things,” Parr said. “The perfect balance or blend that we try to achieve every year is the balance between our traditional state fair aspects and then, you know, spicing them up and keeping them interesting by having some new things in there as well. But we certainly have new food items at this year’s fair and we do have some new experiences as well.”
One of those new experiences planned for this year’s fair is a VIP experience called Birthing Pavilion After Hours. Parr says it’s an opportunity for small groups to visit the pavilion after it has closed for the day. 
“You can get up close and personal with some of those babies that have been born and ask more questions, one on one actually with the veterinarians and the vet students who are in the pavilion,” Parr said. “So it’s a more intimate experience for a small group of people to get in there and have some quality time in the Birthing Pavilion.”
“Another experience new this year would be Llama Yoga on opening night where you have an opportunity to reserve a mat and do yoga in our livestock arena with llamas,” Parr continued. “And the yoga mat is super cute; it’s branded with a llama on it... We also have some VIP offerings for bull riding and our bullfighting, some behind the scenes before the show kind of tours, as well as meet and greets with performers who are the athletes who participate in those sports.”
On opening day of the fair, riders in the Ultimate Bullriding Tour will compete at 7 p.m. at the U.S. Foods Outdoor Arena. Often called the most dangerous eight seconds in sports, bullriding challenges some of America’s toughest cowboys to stay aboard 2,000 pounds of bucking bull for eight seconds or receive a no-score. Fairgoers who’ve witnessed the Ultimate Bullfighters Tour know the thrills in store at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3, at the same location.

Free entertainment
In addition to the various ticketed entertainment at the fair, attendees will also have a plethora of free entertainment options available. Fairgoers will find free magic, music, science and high-flying stunt shows all over the grounds. For instance, fairgoers can join the crew of WOW! Water Circus as they climb the rigging with aquatic mermaid aerialists, tumble the surf with amphibious acrobats and even catch and release some fishy jugglers. In doing so they will help turn the tides for the castaway pirate clown set adrift in the Aurora Coop Park.
“We want to give our guests not only variety but also value,” said Ray Massie, director of marketing. “Once they pass through the gates, visitors will find fun and exciting things everywhere they look, and most of them don’t carry any additional cost.”
Other events planned for this year’s state fair include the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pull, cattle Dog Trials, a demolition derby, cooking demonstrations, visual arts contests, quilt displays, vendors and, of course, a full midway of rides and attractions by Wade Shows.

Calling Nebraskans far, near
With the fair’s having moved from Lincoln to Grand Island in 2010, some Nebraskans in the Omaha area have been heard to complain that Grand Island is too far to drive to attend. (However, Parr says many didn’t attend when it was less than an hour away in Lincoln.) So, this year the fair board bought billboards in Omaha to promote the state fair which speak to that objection and raised some eyebrows in the process. 
The billboards, list the dates of the fair next to what appears to be a text conversation. The first text states, “Grand Island is too far away.” The reply is simply a bull emoji followed by the popular poop emoji.
Dispite the someone edgy theme, Parr said the campaign has been overwhelmingly well-received. “I know that there are a few people who think that it’s gone a bit too far,” Parr said, “but I think it’s right on the cusp, and that’s where we wanted to be. When we were talking about how do we speak to those larger metro areas like Omaha and even LincoIn, we would love to see more attendees come from those large metropolitan areas. But that’s not what our numbers show... basically, we just wanted Omaha to even know that there is a Nebraska State Fair. We wanted them to know that it’s in Grand Island... and we wanted them to consider is that really that far? So we were just sharing that and making sure that they know that we’re here and we want them to know that they’re invited. So I hope they feel that.”
A Nebraska State Fair booklet listing all the flavors, events, shows and exhibits can be obtained free of charge at the Aurora News-Register office while supplies last. 
For folks who live in Hamilton County, Parr agrees they have a double benefit. They can experience all the variety of flavors the state fair has to offer during it’s 11-day run and then they can drive home afterwards and sleep in their own beds.