Why it is “The Best Time of the Year”

Why do you think the Florida State Fair is “The Best Time of the Year”? Here is what the Florida State Fair’s Facebook Fans said.
“The Florida State Fair is the best time of the year since you can spend a fun day with family and friends. You've got rides, food, shopping, entertainment, animals, agriculture, art and some much more! There is no better time and value anywhere else then the Florida State Fair”.-Gary C Riggs Jr.
“It’s the best time of the year for all your new family members to be able to experience the fair, this year my children ages 5 -4 - 3 are coming along to enjoy the rides, animals, food, and music. We love the state fair”!!-Jamie Wilson
“Sometimes you want to be a responsible adult. Other times you want to eat things on sticks and ride in the Batcopter. It's the best time of year because it's the best time to let out your inner squealing five year old who just wants to wear footie pajamas and eat candy for breakfast, no matter what your actual age is”.- Dora Breckinridge
“For me and my twin sister, it's the best time of the year because it always falls around our birthday! We gather all our friends and go every year to celebrate our birthday. There's no better way to celebrate than with all sorts of rides and fried foods. No matter how old you get, it's the best reminder that everyone is still really a kid”.-Holly Hood
“It is the best time of the year because every one of ALL ages, backgrounds and lifestyles can come together to one place and have a blast! Whether you like animals, crafts, Elvis impersonators, carnival games, thrilling rides or interesting fair-unique food, you can come and share great memories at the fairgrounds every year! (Oh and it always falls on Valentine’s Day, which is really romantic!)”-Kassy Leasure
“My birthday usually corresponds with the state fair. This year will be the big 30, and we'll be celebrating going on all the rides one day and the next going to all the shows and junking out on all the delicious but bad for us fair food! I couldn't believe how much there is to see and do at the fair! Such a great value! Always something to do for ANYONE in your family! (young and old alike!)”-Allison Whitcomb
“So much to love! Fun rides, fantastic animals, and the food - we literally eat our way through the Fair! We spend hours there! Plus, it's close to home! All-around WINNER”!-Diane Dunphy Radtke
“Going to the Florida State Fair has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember! Even now that I'm married and living away from Tampa I am still meeting my family for the annual tradition, I can't wait”!-Cristina Rodriguez

2011 BATON TWIRLING CHAMPIONSHIPS AT THE FLORIDA STATE FAIR FEBRUARY 19th

More than 200 twirlers from across Florida will travel to Tampa to showcase their twirling talent in the 2011 Florida State Fair Baton Twirling Championships.

The competition begins at 9:00 A.M. February 19th in the Charles M. Davis Special Events Center, marking the eighth time the Florida State Fair hosts the championships. Participants range in age from five to adult and will be competing in various twirling categories, including fancy strut straight line, super X-strut, basic strut, military, solo, 2-baton, 3-baton and duets.

Entrants will be able to compete individually, or as members of a twirling group, and all middle and high schools are invited to bring their twirling teams to the competition.

“The twirling competition is open to the public and we hope to make people more aware of twirling as a sport,” said Lynann Hudson, committee member for the 2011 Baton Twirling Championships. “Because baton twirling is growing World-wide, hosting the competition at the Florida State Fair is a great way to let the public experience a very exciting event.”

The top three twirlers will be awarded gold, silver and bronze medals, and a special award will be presented to the Solo Twirl-Off Champions in the novice, beginner, intermediate and advance divisions. The top two groups competing will also receive trophies.

For more information on the 2011 Florida Baton Twirling Championship please log on to www.floridastatefair.com, or call 1-800-345-3247.

Midway Power Hour

The Florida State Fair puts together a great new program for its guests, where they can save on Midway rides. During “Power Hour”, each ride only costs one dollar, and will take place on Saturday the 12th and Saturday the 19th, between 10 am and 11am on the Midway.

This program was designed to let Fair guests experience more rides for a discounted rate. During the week, tickets are priced at a dollar each, and most rides require 3-6 tickets. Even the Family Friendly Midway on the east side of the property will be participating in this discount program. This will allow the Fair’s younger audience to take advantage of the savings.

Rip Stalvey, Director of Marketing and Museum Operations for the Florida State Fair Authority, comments, “For us, the Power Hour is a way to give back to our Fair ride fans. The most important thing to experience when you come to the Fair is fun, and the Midway Power Hour helps fair goers achieve that at a good value”.

The Fair ride enthusiast must choose wisely, for there are over one hundred rides that are included in the program. Attractions and Thrill Zone rides, will not participate in “Power Hour”.

The Florida State Fair, “The Best Time of the Year,” takes place at the Florida State Fairgrounds February 10th – 21st. For more information on tickets, rides, food, and free entertainment, visit floridastatefair.com.

Countdown to Fair…Time to Prepare!

It's Monday, and Monday’s are list making day. So I am going to help you out with a top 10 list of what you can do to prepare early for the “Best Time of the Year”.

5- Get advanced tickets and save $4 per adult ticket. Visit Sweetbay stores , or http://www.floridastatefair.net/home.

4-Coming from far away? Or want to have a fair getaway weekend? Book one of our preferred hotels now before they fill up. http://www.floridastatefair.com/state-fair/lodging/hotels

3-Get your “Corndogs and Country” tickets online. $20 plus fees, gets you an awesome country concert plus admission into the fair! http://www.floridastatefair.net/home

2-Buy your 2011 Florida State Fair coupon books and ride tickets/armbands online. http://www.floridastatefair.net/home

1-Follow us on Twitter @flstfairgrounds and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/floridastatefairgrounds for chances to win tickets leading up to the fair.

Get excited because fair time is less than 25 days away!! I can already smell the funnel cakes and_____on a stick! Oh and deep fried_______!!!

"Corndogs n' Country"

What are two of the best things in the world? Food on a stick and country music. Jackpot! On Friday February 11th at 6pm, the 2011 Florida State Fair welcomes the “Corndogs n’ Country” concert presented by WQYK at the Live Nation Entertainments’ 1-800 Ask Gary Amphitheatre. This concert will feature performances by country superstars Craig Morgan, Joe Nichols, Colt Ford, Sunny Sweeney and Brett Eldredge. $20 (plus fees) is all you need to partake in this awesome night of fun. Come early because with the concert, the $20 also gets you an armband to gain access between the concert and the State Fair. You can’t beat that value! Tickets can be purchased at LiveNation.com, TicketMaster.com, FloridaStateFair.com, WQYK.com, and all TicketMaster Outlets.

“We are excited to be able to offer fairgoers the opportunity to enjoy the State Fair and some great country music”, said Charles Pesano, Executive Director for the Florida State Fair Authority.

Besides having fun you will also be able to stick to your New Year’s resolution by contributing to a good cause. The Amphitheatre will donate a portion of each ticket sold to support the University of South Florida Tutor a Bull Program, which pairs USF college students with middle school students in need of tutoring.

So get your ticket, rally up some friends, pull the boots and 10 gallons out and head on over to the “Best Time of the Year” for some “Corndog n’ Country” fun!
See Y’all Soon!

Stained glass, cozy quilts, and other unique gifts

Hey fans of the fairgrounds, the 17^th Annual Buckler’s Craft Fair will be here at the Fairgrounds this weekend! Come see award winning exhibitors and crafters displaying and selling handmade items. Grab a friend and come browse through unique one-of-a-kind items and gifts, custom home décor, sample delicious fudge and gourmet delights, try on custom made gold and silver jewelry, find that perfect piece of handcrafted furniture. You’ll also find country and traditional crafts, folk art, dolls, hair accessories, candles, baskets, baby items, artwork, pet items, quilts, wearable art, flags, painted glass, yard art, CD’s, framed prints, note cards, scrapbooking, herb pax, primitive, personalized items, and much more. Hourly giveaways of $20 shopping sprees!!

Adults $ 6, Kids 4-12 $1. One paid admission good all weekend with a hand stamp. BUY ONE ADMISSION – GET ONE FREE. Print this out or bring a canned good for this offer. Benefits the local food bank. 

Times:

Saturday 10am-5pm & Sunday 10am-4pm

Parking & Location:

Located inside Entertainment Hall. Please enter through 301 gate.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Blog of the Florida State Fairgrounds.  We hope you visit often to learn about all things Fairgrounds related.  Whether its updates about the annual Florida State Fair or other events coming to the fairgrounds, you’ll find information about it here.

Fairgrounds staff are working very hard since the fall and early winter months are always busy ones.  There are lots of great events scheduled to be held here in the months ahead.  Other events many don’t think about us hosting are horse shows.  The Florida State Fairgrounds has one of the premier horse show facilities in the state, the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center.  For information about upcoming horse shows you can visit http://www.bobthomasequestriancenter.com to learn all about them.

In just about three months the 106^th Florida State Fair will debut.  The 2011 Florida State Fair promises to be one of the best on record.  There’s so much to see and do and it’s also one of the best values around.  Make sure to save the dates, February 10-21, 2011, so you can savor all the great fair food, ride all the thrill rides you can, plus see lots of great entertainment as well as agricultural shows and displays.  When you buy your tickets in advance you can save up to $4 on the regular adult admission price.  Check back often to learn more about everything that we have in store for our fair guests.  You can also visit us on-line at www.floridastatefair.com for updates to the Florida State Fair.

We are committed to offering guests and exhibitors a great experience while they’re here at the Florida State Fairgrounds.  If you have suggestions or ideas for us, I would love to hear from you.  You can email me, Rip Stalvey, Director of Marketing and Museum Operations, at stalver1@doacs.state.fl.us to share your thoughts.