Tennessee State Fair offers plenty of affordable fun
Now, it would be possible to spend a small fortune at the Tennessee State Fair — if you went all out on the midway and if you gave in to the temptation to load up on funnel cakes and corn dogs. Or if you ponied up $45 to go to the Craft Brewers Festival that is part of this year's fair.
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But it is equally possible (and really quite easy) to simply pay the modest gate fee and then take full advantage of all of the free things to do at the Tennessee State Fair, which starts its 10-day run on Friday.
Heck, you could easily spend less going to the fair than you would if you went out for a movie night — and I'm willing to bet that it is an experience that is decidedly different from most of your regular outings.
I mean, where else could you go for as little as $5 and witness racing pigs, a dog agility show, some cowboy trick riding and roping, a mule pull, a sheep show, celebrity cow milking demonstrations, a parade and lots of mini concerts featuring groups such as the WannaBeatles — all in one place.
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And that is not all. The TSU band will perform one night, there is a chance to see the Tennessee Walking Horse Champion strut his stuff, you could enjoy a race on the speedway (complete with Sterling Marlin) and there are several Nashville Rollergirls games you can watch.
"There is a lot of good entertainment here," said Tennessee State Fair manager Scott Jones. "For the money, there is a lot to see and a lot to experience."
Regular admission is $8 for adults, but the very best deal is to get your tickets at Kroger for $5 in advance. Or you can get $2 off your ticket if you bring a non-winning lottery ticket to the gate. (I bet they would take a winning one, too. Haha!) And ages 50 and older can get in free between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesday, and get a free lunch to boot.
Jones, who has been associated with the state fair for 27 years, predicts that this may be the best Tennessee State Fair ever because of the ramped up agricultural education offerings, such as the free daily "Ag Tours" and the increased family focus, with parades, international music and all kinds of demonstrations and interactive things to do.
"It is a great opportunity to learn about agriculture and to let people know where our food comes from. And it is a very family-friendly, clean, good atmosphere, with great shows," he said.
So get your tickets cheap, and then enjoy all that our fair has to offer. And I'm not saying that you can't splurge on a corn dog or a funnel cake as part of your fair experience.
Stay cheap!
Reach Ms. Cheap at 615-259-8282. Follow her at www.tennessean.com/mscheap, at Facebook.com/mscheap and on Twitter @Ms_Cheap, and catch her every Thursday at 11 a.m. on WTVF-Channel 5's "Talk of the Town."
If you go
What: The 108th Tennessee State Fair
When: Friday through Sept. 14. The fair opens at 5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday and noon Sunday. Visit the website for a complete schedule.
Where: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, 500 Wedgewood Ave.
Tickets: Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for ages 3-18 and seniors ages 55 and older, free for ages 2 and younger. There are special presale tickets for $5 at Kroger. Parking is $5, and there are shuttles from the parking lots to the fair site.
Details:www.tnstatefair.org or 615-862-8997
New this year at the fair
Here are some things that are new this year on the fair's free front:
• There are daily FFA "Ag Tours" where area Future Farmers of America student members will take fairgoers on a tour of the barns to see the various livestock, cow milking, a working bee hive, displays of fall produce such as gourds and pumpkins, as well as the rabbit barn, swine barn, etc. Fair manager Scott Jones says these FFA high school students will give 30-minute tours between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on weeknights and 1 and 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Just show up at the Milking Parlor.
• There are parades down the fair's Main Street at 3 p.m. on both Saturdays and Sundays, with acrobats, Shrine clowns and lots of live animals.
• The Kid Pickers "Pick and Sell" Flea Market is new, where you can see what local kid pickers between the ages of 7 and 13 have researched and brought to the fair to sell. The "picking" ramps up on Sunday when Mike Wolfe of "American Pickers" will be at the fair to award scholarships to the national winners of the national Kid Pick and Tell contest.
• The Festival of the Nations is a cultural festival stage, where you can enjoy international entertainment such as African drumming, Hispanic music and performances by local groups from the Kurdish, Chinese and Filipino communities on the Cultural Arts Stage daily through the fair.
• And then there is the Tenne-Flea Market, where you can shop for locally made crafts and other goods on Saturday. The one-day market is on the racetrack and is in conjunction with the super regional World Food Championship competition.
Fair fun fact
The first Tennessee State Fair took place in 1869 and was held at the Old Fairgrounds at the end of the West End Avenue streetcar line. In 1906 the fair was moved to its current location and has been held annually, except for four years during World War II.