Butters D. Cow Is On the Mooove!

Ohio State Fair's beloved mascot, Butters D. Cow, will be out on the town this week!   

He'll be making his first appearance at Sunny 95's neighborhood block party on July 16. Butters D. Cow will be giving away four free Fair tickets and a free parking pass at the block party, so be sure to come out and sign up for the contest! If you live in Gahanna, keep your eyes peeled for details about the party's location.

Grab a bite to eat with Butters at the Columbus Commons on Thursday, July 18 from 11 am until 1 pm. You can meet your favorite mascot and enjoy a delicious lunch from the Food Truck Food Court at the Commons in downtown Columbus.

Of course, you can always catch Butters at the Ohio State Fair from July 24 – August 4. While you're there, keep an eye out for strolling performers, comedians, musicians and more!

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Win a Fairtastic family getaway!

There are still a few days left to enter to win a Fairtastic family getaway. Head over to our Facebook page and click on the "contest" tab to enter!

What's the big prize? A package of Fair goodies valued at more than $300!

• Four (4) tickets to the WCOL Celeste Center concert of your choice
• Parking pass
• Your very own copy of the brand-new Fair board game, "The Fairtastic Express"
• A voucher good for a one-night stay at the Hampton Inn Downtown 

So, hurry up. The deadline to enter is this Sunday, July 14! Enter now.

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Behind the Scenes: Cox Fine Arts Center

Though the Ohio Expo Center and State Fair’s parking lot is fairly empty during most days in the early summer, inside the Cox Fine Art Centeremployees are busy sorting through and setting up hundreds of pieces of artwork.

From early May to July, a dozen gallery assistants arrange and rearrange artwork as the pieces are delivered by Fair exhibitors. The building begins as a bare white space. Walls are then arranged and the team creates a mock layout of the exhibition using printed thumbnails of the works of art. When a piece is delivered, the crew might discover that it is not the same size or shape as they imagined, or perhaps it doesn’t look right in a certain space. Because of this, gallery assistants move 75 percent of the pieces between the time they are assigned a spot during the original mock-up and the time of the exhibition.

Larger pieces tend to serve as “pivot points” in the gallery, earning specific works of art a particular spot in the room. This year, “The Details II” a 16-foot sculpture of clothing is one of the gallery’s main pivot points. Positioned in the center of the room mainly because of its height, the piece serves as a tribute to the artist’s late grandmother. According to the artist, her memory was so detailed she could remember the exact clothes people were wearing in her stories. Originally, the piece was several feet taller but layers were omitted to prevent the sculpture from scraping the building’s 18-foot ceiling. A forklift helped the artist assemble the sculpture in small chunks.

This year, the Fine Arts Exhibition features 282 entries, 72 by amateur artists and 210 by Ohio professionals.  The exhibit also received 19 film entries, 12 of which will be screened at the Fair. The team will preview the films prior to the Fair to determine which select films will be shown.

Visitors can view the Cox Fine Arts Center exhibit at the Ohio State Fair between 9 am and 9 pm, July 24 - August 4.

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New Hollow to open for Carly Rae Jepsen on July 31

New Albany pop trio New Hollow will replace Hot Chelle Rae as the opening act for pop star Carly Rae Jepsen when her tour makes a stop at the Ohio State Fair on July 31 at 7 pm.

New Hollow's blend of arresting vocal harmonies and modern rock rhythms has landed them a spot in a recent Billboard magazine article as one of the "Bands to Watch" in 2013. 

Buy your tickets now

Hot Chelle Rae has been asked to join Justin Bieber’s "Believe" tour throughout June and July. The band is canceling its performance at this concert to join Bieber in Newark, N.J.

Original tickets already purchased for this show are still valid and include admission to the Ohio State Fair when purchased in advance, allowing visitors to arrive early and enjoy all the Fair has to offer. For those interested, tickets will be refunded at the original point of purchase through the day of the show. Visit Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, or call the Ticketmaster support at 800-653-8000 to purchase tickets or for ticket refunds.

Click here to see the full concert line-up

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Are you ready for some Fairtastic fun?

The Ohio State Fair is only one month away, which means that in four short weeks fairgoers will enjoy hundreds of competitions and contests, delicious food, thrilling rides and more. With so much to see and do, it can be tricky for visitors to fit their activities into one day.

We’ve created a quick run-down of this year’s Fair happenings to help you plan your visit.

Admission

Take advantage of Fair discounts by planning ahead of time! Advance-sale tickets can be purchased at Kroger stores, AAA and Ticketmaster locations for $6. Additionally, remember to look into our Special Days. These daily promotions allow fairgoers to save money on gate admission nearly any day of the Fair!

Free Entertainment

Exciting magicians, acrobats, celebrity impersonators and more perform for free everyday at the Fair. A list of performers can be found here.Performance times, as well as other Fair events, are listed on the daily schedules.

Other ongoing fun includes the free petting zoo and sand sculpture in Kiddieland, the butter cow in the Dairy Barn and the Sea Lion Splash presented by The CW in Kiddieland.

Free Music

Free concerts are held at the Fair daily in a wide variety of genres, so there is something for everyone! You can find a list of performers and the time of their shows on the Ohio State Fair website.

Also, remember to check the daily schedules for the performance times and locations of the All-Ohio State Fair Band and All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir.

Food

Make sure to download the Ohio State Fair Food Finder mobile app for your iPhone or Android phone so you can locate your favorite Fair foods! The app also includes daily schedules for the Fair, a map of the grounds and a “Park & Pin” tool that allows users to pinpoint their parking location on the map to help locate their car at the end of their visit. Learn more about how to get the app here.

In addition to your Fair food favorites, these new items are making their debut at the 2013 Ohio State Fair:

• Apple Uglies - A twist on the classic deep-fried apple pie, lightly glazed and as ugly as can be!
• Banana Puddin’ Funnel Cake - A French vanilla funnel cake loaded with homemade banana pudding, crushed Nilla wafers, whipped cream and marshmallows.
• Giant Deep-Fried Gummy Bear - A five inch cherry gummy bear on a stick, deep-fried in vanilla or chocolate batter.
• Make Your Own Pixie Sticks - Mix your own flavors to create your own unique flavor of this classic candy.

Concerts

Tickets for WCOL Celeste Center concerts are on sale now. The performers are as listed below:

·        Jeff Dunham

·        Ladies' Night Out Tour featuring Eric Benét, K'Jon and Noel Gourdin

·        Martina McBride with special guest Angie Johnson

·        Will Downing / Lalah Hathaway

·        Styx / REO Speedwagon

·        Justin Moore with special guest The Farm

·        Austin Mahone with special guest Jake Miller

·        Carly Rae Jepsen

·        Steve Miller Band

·        The Oak Ridge Boys / Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers / Crystal Gayle

·        Hillsong Live

The following shows are also in the WCOL Celeste Center, but are free and do not require a ticket:

·        Buckeye Sports Fest

Meet and mingle with Ohio State athletes and coaches, get discounts on upcoming Buckeye sporting events and try out some of the Buckeye interactive activities.

July 27 | 11 am - 1 pm

·        All-Ohio State Fair Band & Youth Choir

July 28 | 1 pm

·        A Salute to America presented by the All-Ohio State Fair Band & Youth Choir

July 30 | 1 pm

·        Sale of Champions Livestock Auction

Aug. 4 | 2 pm

For more help planning your Fair visit, check out the Guest Services section of our website, which includes parking and accessibility information. A list of nearby lodging can also be found on our website.

How do you plan for your visit to the Ohio StateFair each year? What will first-time fairgoers not want to miss? Leave us a comment!

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Discounted fun with group purchase program

You know the saying: “The more, the merrier!” So why not share the fun of the Ohio State Fair with your large group or organization? By taking advantage of the group purchase program you can enjoy the all excitement the Fair has to offer at a special discounted price.

Through the program, groups can save up to $4 on general Fair admission and up to $3 on each Midway ride-all-day wristband voucher.

The group discount program is an excellent way to bring some excitement and variety to your next family reunion, group outing or summer camp trip. Groups can also rent out the Cardinal Shelter for picnics and catered events.

Seniors can also enjoy these same discounts on July 30 in celebration of Senior Day. More information about this event can be found here.

With almost 200 food vendors, thrilling rides, free

concerts, live shows, shopping, outdoor recreational activities and more, the Fair has something for everyone, regardless of one’s age or interests. 

Group purchase forms can be found on our website.

The Cardinal Shelter can be reserved by calling Concessions by Cox at 614-297-0735. 

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Don’t forget! Competition deadlines are fast approaching

It’s already mid-June which means that deadlines for many Ohio State Fair competitions are coming up soon! The Fair hosts contests and competitions in a wide array of categories, so there is something to suit the skill levels and interests of everyone. Have you registered yet?

Upcoming deadlines:

June 20

Art & Crafts, Antiques and Fashion

Cooking, Baking and Decorating

Open Livestock

Junior Livestock

July 1

Agriculture, Horticulture and Floriculture

July 6

Open Horse Show

July 10

Baton

July 12

Boxing

July 19

Cheerleading and Dance

July 22

Plein Air

Street Painting

July 24

Wrestling (pre-registration)

July 26

Taekwondo

July 27

Wrestling (day of)

Sunburst Beauty Pageant

July 28

5k Run and Walk

July 30

Kiddie Tractor Pull Open

August 3

Power Lifting

The deadlines for Fine Arts and the Homebrew competition have passed, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the hundreds of other competitions and contests that the Fair offers!

A full list of competitions and information about how to enter can be found at http://ohiostatefair.com/index.php/competitions-37. 

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