Become Royalty at the 2011 Ohio State Fair!

Who hasn't dreamt of one day becoming a prince or princess?

Well, unless you're Kate Middleton, that dream probably hasn't come true just yet. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have your very own throne anyway!

That's why the 2011 Ohio State Fair has extended the deadline for its "Decorated Thrones" contest to July 13!

Ok, so maybe a toilet wasn't exactly what you pictured when you were a little kid. But you can use your imagination, along with any decorations you want, to make your throne truly fit for royalty, or just your personality.

On July 28, Five Star Plumbing and Drains will provide the thrones / toilets for a maximum of 12 - 15 participants, who will have two hours to decorate their porcelain privies however they wish, from 2 pm - 4 pm.

The thrones will then be judged and displayed throughout the Fair at the DiSalle Creative Arts Center.

First, second and third place winners will be awarded. The winner will receive $100 ($50 of which will be a gift certificate to Home Depot) for their crowning achievement.

Click here for more details, or contact the Entry Department at 614-644-4052 to enter.

You have until July 13, so sign up to decorate your perfect throne for a chance to win a princely prize!

A list of other Fair competition deadlines can be found below:

July 1
Agriculture, Horticulre, & Floriculture
Largest and Specialty Exhibits
Horse Show
Scholarships

July 13
Decorated Thrones
Baton Twirling
Culinary Arts

July 22
Cheer and Dance Competitions
Wrestling
Boxing Tournament

July 30
Bench Press / Dead Lift

July 31
Ohio State Fair 5K Run & Walk

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Tweet for Tix! Ke$ha On Coco!

Pop superstar and soon-to-be Ohio State Fair performer Ke$ha is deinitely on Team Coco, as she brings her "Get $leazy" Tour to the red-head's show TONIGHT!

The glittered singer / songwriter will perform on The Conan O' Brien Show at 11 pm / 10 pm central on TBS as part of the show's Summer Concert Series.

Ke$ha, an intense performer known for her electro-pop style and mixture of singing and rapping in her songs, last graced the Conan stage just a couple of months ago in May 2011.

With glitter-gun in tow, the California-native and self-described "animal" discussed her off-beat obsessions with both quarters and beards at her last Conan appearance.

Tune in tonight to see what she will talk about next and hear "Tik Tok," "Blah Blah Blah" and more of her smash hits!

If you like what you hear, don't forget to buy tickets to see Ke$ha perform LIVE at the 2011 Ohio State Fair on Thursday, July 28 in the WCOL Celeste Center.

Buy your concert tickets in advance and Fair admission is included, so make sure to come early and enjoy all kinds of Fair fun before the show!

Or, head over to our Twitter page for a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Ke$ha at the Ohio State Fair simply by retweeting our post!

"The party don't stop" til Ke$ha walks in...and she wants you to join her at the 2011 Ohio State Fair!

You never know what will happen when Ke$ha takes the stage. Tune in to Conan tonight to see!

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Every Day is Father's Day at the Ohio State Fair!

You probably spent this past weekend celebrating your dear ole dad for Father's Day. Well, here at the Ohio State Fair, we say, why not make every day Father's Day?

With plenty of activities that families can enjoy together, there's no better place to spend some quality time and pay your parent back for all of the great things they do all year. Here are just a few ideas:

Giant Slide
Sometimes dads like to be kids too! Make the 105-stair trek up to the top of the enormous yellow slide that premiered at the Ohio State Fair in 1969. Grab a couple of burlap sacks and race dad to the bottom!

Natural Resources Park
Explore the outdoors with dad at your side. With fishing, kayaking and archery at this beautiful eight-acre park, there are not only plenty of activities, but many things to observe as well, such as Ohio wildlife, a log cabin and a tall grass prairie.

Dairy Products Building
With so many things to do, you and dad will surely build up an appetite. Visit the Dairy Products Building and treat yourselves to some delicious Ohio-produced ice cream while admiring the famous butter cow display, a Fair tradition since 1903.

There is truly an endless amount of things to do at the Fair with your dad, mom or special someone. So, take that person to the 2011 Ohio State Fair and show them that they are truly Fairtastic!

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2011 Fine Arts Exhibition - Artists announced and New Events!

Congratulations to the 2011 Amateur and Professional artists who were selected to be a part of this year's Fine Arts Exhibition! They are as follows:

ACCEPTED AMATEUR
Albon, Timothy
Balson, Prem
Barnes, David
Beiter, Darlene
Benson, Kevin
Bleakney, April
Caryle, Karrie
Cook, Rob
Curry, Marilyn
Daily, Kit
Daily, Sharon
Darwin, Beverly
DeLay, Pamela
Doll, Barbara
Enterlin, John
Fogt, Juli
Ford, David
Garel, Jules
Gentilini, David
Golovin, Helen,
Gordon, Dennis
Hairston, Jr., Samuel
Halbert, George
Hart, Tom
Hazen, Judy
Hernandez, April
Jozwiak-Butler, Bethany
Kasson, Dylan
Kramer, Paul
Laxton, Bradley
Libbey, Elaine
Murray, Kristane
Nelson, Elizabeth
Ockuly, Sarah
Owen, Larry
Petrosky, Alyssa
Potts, Tara
Reeder, Douglas
Relick, Julia
Rence, Marisa
Ritchie, Melissa
Ruegsegger, Brenda
Ryan, C. Guillot
Savage, Molly
Seabaugh, Jerry
Simonson, Owen
Skapik, Aaron
Smith, Isaac
Snyders, Jim
Stewart, Laura
Taft, Rebecca
Telatnik, Sharon
Wales, Craig
Webb, Kimberly
Weller, Nova
Williams, Cherry
Young, Judi

ACCEPTED PROFESSIONAL
Adams, Janet
Antczak, Brandon
Bachman, Laine
Baker, Lawrence
Barnes, Ben
Beery, Art
Bell Smith, Catherine
Bogle, Bridgette
Borham-Hays, Carol
Borg, Rick
Brod, Undine
Brouillette, Adam
Buckland, Kevin
Bryne, Julie
Campbell, Karen
Carmean, Matt
Chrisman, Elizabeth
Cline, Georgie
Dotson, Suzanne
Douglas, Jeff
Dover, Diane
Emory, Paul
Engle, Gary
Fochtman, Frederick
Fogt, Chad
Folder, Kelley
Freeman, Elaine
Freiman, John
Gage, Angela
Glaeser, Bill
Glover, Jim
Goldie, Beverly
Graham, Amandda
Greenwalt, Tracy
Gregory, George
Griffith, Carol
Hays, Michael
Heyward, Bryan
Hill, Nicholas
Hudson, Andy
Ina, Andrew
Jackson, Morris
Jaeger, Tamara
Johnson, Dale
Kalb, Marty
Keiser, Kevin
Kella, Lori
Kistler, Virginia
Kloss, Kristi
Knowlton, Jules
Kortlander, John
Koff, Bernice
Lane, David
Langille, Nicoel
Leviton, Linda
Loderstedt, Michael
Mangino, Fran
May, Michael
Montague, Juliette
Moorhead, Emily
Mullet, Sherry
Nees, Paula
Nelson, Ardine
Oldfather, Dana
Owen, Jeffrey
Pereyma, Christine
Polansky, Tara
Quinones, Jose Luis
Reeser, Katelin
Rond, Stephanie
Rosen, Mark
Rosenfeld, Debbie
Routson, Jason
Rutkowski, Nikos
Sarri, Eliana
Schanberger, Francis
Schreiber, Daniel
Scanto, Jenny
Sheets, Michael
Shellhouse, Ashley
Siculan, Mike
Snyder, Carol
Sorenson, Alissa
Summauen, Grace
Tallan, Joan
Trout, James
Tursich, Crystal
Vogel, Barbara
Vogley-Woods, Melissa
Wesner, Linda
Wilbur, Paul
Woods, Eileen
Zimmerman, Dennis

As you can tell, there will be plenty of art to check out in the Cox Fine Arts Center this year. Plus--it's a great place to escape the summer heat and enjoy the local talent.

There are also two new events this year that you should definitely see!

New this year is The Short Film/Agricultural Film Festival Division who will showcase short films of any genre; they just have to be less than 10 minutes in length. This contest is open to any resident of the United States, so go ahead and get creative! If this is something you're interested in, check out the entry form here: http://www.ohiostatefair.com/osf/downloadbooks/specialevents/2011/2011fap.pdf.

Another new contest for 2011 called "A Roll in the Hay..." is calling for ten artists from all over the state to compete for $600 in prizes! Each artist must create their art out of straw/hay which will be judged by a panel to determine the winner. If you're up for the challenge, check out the fine arts page at www. ohiostatefair.com. To see some neat examples of hay art, go here: http://www.zuzafun.com/great-hay-art.

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2011 Ohio State Fair Concert Series Lineup - Something for Everybody!

Like music? Enjoy great food and a fun atmosphere? The 2011 Ohio State Fair Concert Series in the WCOL Celeste Center won’t disappoint! Ke$ha will perform at the 2011 Ohio State Fair as part of her Get Sleazy Tour.

There’s something for everybody in this year’s lineup, ranging from headliner Ke$ha with the Semi Precious Weapons on July 28 to the Bat Out of Hell himself, Meat Loaf, on July 30. And we’re only getting started! What makes a lineup like this even better? Concert tickets purchased before arriving at the Fair include Fair admission!
Big Time Rush will perform with New Albany natives, New Hollow

Up-and-comers Big Time Rush (from the popular Nickelodeon television series) will be performing with opening act and New Albany natives, New Hollow, in the WCOL Celeste Center on Aug. 3. In the mood to rock out?Journey will perform with Foreigner and Night Ranger in Crew Stadium on Aug. 5.

Maybe country music is more your style? Brad Paisley featuring Blake Shelton and Jerrod Niemann will perform in Crew Stadium on Aug. 7. Trace Adkins will be in the WCOL Celeste Center with Brantley Gilbert on Aug. 4.

Other artists performing at this year’s Concert Series include David Crowder Band, Loretta Lynn, The Oak Ridge Boys, Melissa Etheridge, Seether and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Free events held in the Celeste Center this year include the Ohio Lottery Cash Explosion Road Show, the Sale of Champions Livestock Auction, Buckeye Sports Fest (complete with OSU athletes and coaches!), and the All-Ohio State Fair Band and Youth Choir Concert.

How Fairtastic is that? To purchase tickets visit Ticketmaster online at Ticketmaster.com/OhioStateFair or call 1-800-745-3000.

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It's Not a Bake-Off, It's a BAC-ON!

Sssssssss. Think back to the good old days: the sound of bacon sizzling in a frying pan awaking you on a Saturday morning, its aroma wafting into your room and drawing you down to the kitchen, where you have a hearty breakfast awaiting you: the perfect start to a relaxing weekend.

The Great Sugardale BAC-ON, to be held at the Ohio State Fair on Saturday, July 30, will be celebrating this classic breakfast meat all day as bacon lovers from all over the state unite to enter their original bacon recipes and compete for top prizes. Although the bacon is the same, one thing is for sure: it ain't how you used to make it.

To be judged by celebrity judges, the recipes are organized into three different categories: Appetizers / Sides / Entertaining, Ready Bacon©, and Main Dish.

Claire Robinson, Food Network television host and judge for the 2010 Great Sugardale BAC-ON, tries a Sugardale Bacon Flutternutter Sandwich (Provided by Sugardale©)

Three finalists from each category will even be given the chance to show off their frying-pan skills on the Main Street Stage presented by CD101 @ 102.5 on July 30 at 10 am. Each category winner will receive $500 and a year's supply of Sugardale bacon, as well as the chance to compete in a final round to win $3,000 and take home the top pork prize: the title of "Grand BAC-ON Champion"!

Think you can out-bac last year's winners, which include Butterscotch Cheesecake in a Bacon Cup, Bacon Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits, and Red, Hot & Blue Bacon Bites? Sugardale is still accepting entries for free online at http://www.greatsugardalebacon.com/! Anyone with a frying pan, a spatula and a passion for pork is invited to enter!

If you're a klutz in the kitchen and just feel like pigging out, the Taste of Sugardale mobile kitchen will be at the event with cooking demonstrations, coupon distributions and free samples of Sugardale products throughout the day.

Hurry! The last day for recipe entry is this Sat., June 19. So get your recipes in and get ready to get your BAC-ON!

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Ag is Cool

Parents and guardians, do you have a soon-to-be fifth grader in your household? How does free admission to the Ohio State Fair sound?


Exiting fourth grade students and one parents or guardian can come to the Fair to learn waht makes agriculture cool - for free! But how? Just present your final grade card at the gate for one free day of admission.


Imagine going on an adventure: learning how to milk a cow, care for baby animals or even riding a simulating tractor. Sound like a good afternoon to you? Come to the Fair between July 27 and Aug. 6 to recieve a passport for participating in Agriculture is Cool and earn stamps as you complete each activity. Personally, I am most excited about milking a cow!


These educational activities, presented by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, the Fair and Ohio's agriculture commodity groups, will show you how Ohio's agriculture affects your daily life from the clothse you wear to the food you eat.


Exiting fourth graders also have the chance to win one of four $500 scholarships, provided by the Ohio State Fair Youth Reserve Program. Students should complete the program and enter the contest by writing a typed, one-page essay or creative story explaining waht they learned at any of the interaction stations.


How Fairtastic is that?


Entries must be submitted, by email to info@expo.state.oh.us, no later than Friday, Aug. 19.


For more information and complete rules, please visit this website or call (614) 728-6201.

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