"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!

Tampa Bay Boat Show to bring the boating sales event of the season!

Hey Fairgrounds followers, Jennifer here. Are you in the market for a boat or just looking for a fun way to spend your afternoon? Come visit the Fairgrounds this weekend (Friday November 19th-Sunday November 21st) and see 2011 boat models, the latest in boating and fishing supplies, and millions of dollars of boating inventory.

St. Pete Times presents
the Tampa Bay Boat Show

This three-day sales event offers a great way to see and compare all available makes and models in one location. The main floor will be filled with new boats, trailers, docking and safety equipment, and many outdoor-related exhibits! The show will feature everything from wave runners to pontoons.

Also, come in on Saturday and Sunday and learn from the area’s top fishing experts & captains sharing their expertise in a variety of fish-y topics—presented by the Gulf & Bay Florida Fishing School.

Admission is free!--$5.00 for Parking

Friday, November 19, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 20, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday, November 21, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

This event is located in Entertainment Hall. Please enter through the 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.