THE BALLOON MAN

State fair is only days away
New this year: Fried cheese sandwiches, African acrobats and ‘Ohio Idol’ contest


Amusement of America employees wash off the roof of the Hampton ride in preparation for this year’s Ohio State Fair.
By  Kathy Lynn Gray
The Columbus Dispatch
Monday July 23, 2012
Want to join a world-record attempt at stuffing people into a balloon? How about tasting an elephant-ear-flavored latte or trying the perennial favorite, milking a live cow?

It’s time for the Ohio State Fair, when carnies and crafters, pigs and poultry, corn dogs and cotton candy converge at the Ohio Expo Center for the annual extravaganza.

“You’ve got everything in 12 days you’d want for a vacation in good old Columbus, Ohio,” said David P. Corey, fair-board chairman.

The curtain goes up at 9 a.m. on Wednesday with an opening ceremony at the Ohio Gate on the south end of the fairgrounds. It won’t go down until darkness descends on Aug. 5.

In between, there’s plenty to try, or try again, said Alicia Shoults, the public-relations director for the fair.

 

Amusement of America employees assemble the Elephant Ride at the Ohio Expo Center for this year’s state fair.
New on the fried-food front are grilled-cheese sandwiches breaded and dunked into sizzling oil and an entire booth with funnel cakes in flavors such as pumpkin spice, chocolate brownie and pineapple-upside-down cake.

For the health-conscious, many stands will fry their offerings in high-oleic soybean oil for the first time. The new oil has 20 percent less saturated fat than regular soybean oil.

Roaming the fair’s grounds will be a juggling beatboxer, a stuntman who’ll try to jam more than 18 people into a 6-foot latex balloon and African acrobats who have starred on America’s Got Talent.

New competitions include a search for an “Ohio Idol,” modeled after the American Idol television show, and a jousting match. New visiting exhibits include the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile and Lizard Lick Towing & Recovery, a TruTV show about repo men.

Last year’s Ag is Cool program returns, giving “city kids” (and adults) a chance to climb on a tractor, compare their weight with farm animals and spin wool. Ohio youngsters who have completed fourth grade can once again get free admission by presenting their report cards at the entrance gates. Ohio beer and wine will be sold at the fair for the second year. And nearly every day will feature a ticket special that reduces the price of admission.
Last year’s fair attracted 833,304 visitors, the biggest crowd since 2004, despite a few steamy days.

This year’s weather forecast, according to AccuWeather, includes temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s at the end of this week, followed by cooler temperatures and some rain next week.

Corey expects the weather to cooperate because “it always does. If it gets too hot, people can go inside our air-conditioned buildings or cool down on the rides.”

Those rides, more than 100 in all, include the 144-foot Giant Slide and the half-mile Skyglider, with Kiddieland offering options for young children.

For the technologically savvy, a Mobile Food Finder app for smartphones will offer access to fair schedules and a map, and a “park & pin” app can be used to remind people where they’re parked when the time comes to leave.