By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH Indiana Correspondent
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The 2015 version of the Indiana State Fair kicks off this Friday and runs through Aug. 23. This year’s event will celebrate the “Year of the Farmer.” As a part of the “Year of” promotion, producers representing a variety of commodities grown and raised in the state will be honored daily. Crops and livestock to be featured include corn and soybeans, dairy and beef, poultry, pumpkins and strawberries. Dow AgroSciences, based in Indianapolis, is sponsoring the “Year of” promotion. Banners and signs throughout the fairgrounds will have facts about agriculture, said Lesley Gordon, media and community outreach manager for the state fair. Crops representing the seeds Dow sells will be growing around the grounds. “(The renamed) Harvest Pavilion has added new educational features,” Gordon noted. “Light up the Night, an illuminated parade, will feature tractors and old and new agricultural equipment.” The parade begins at 9 p.m. on the fair’s opening night, Aug. 7. The fairgrounds coliseum is now the Indiana Farmers Coliseum, thanks to a 10-year, $6 million deal for naming rights between fair officials and Indiana Farmers Mutual Insurance. A Pedestrian Plaza at the Coliseum’s entrance is also new. Shows scheduled for the Coliseum include country singer Jake Owen and radio personality Garrison Keillor. This year, the price of tickets purchased for Coliseum concerts will not include the fair admission. This will allow attendees to take advantage of discounts on fair admission, Gordon said. Nine of the fair’s 17 days will be discount days. Free concerts include those by country artists Rodney Atkins, Craig Morgan and Big & Rich, and 1970s bands the Village People and KC and The Sunshine Band. Events on the free stage are no additional charge, with paid admission to the fair. Tickets purchased online before the fair starts are $8, a discount from the regular admission fee of $12, Gordon noted. Online orders are subject to a service fee. Tickets won’t be available at retailers as they have in the past, she explained. Midway wristbands are $20 in advance of the fair’s start and $30 after. Last year’s attendance was about 958,000. The state fair’s free app for attendees is available at online stores such as Google Play and iTunes. For more information, including a complete schedule, fair hours and information on purchasing tickets in advance, visit www.indianastatefair.com |
