Indiana State Fair

August 14, 2021

Indiana State Fair

One of my absolute favorite events just happened to be taking place in Indianapolis while I was there and so it was with great anticipation that I drove over to Indianapolis from Cincinnati, knowing that I would be attending the Indiana State Fair when I arrived. In fact, I would be making multiple visits to the fair while I was in Indianapolis, even though technically I was on hand to attend the Indy Car/ NASCAR weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

My love of the state fair is ingrained into the soul of my being as I have attended regularly since I was a small child. The Fairgrounds was just over a mile from the home I grew up in and often during August when the fair was going on, my friends and I would walk, or ride bikes over to go to the fair usually multiple times during the run that the fair was open.

I love everything about it, the farm animals, livestock shows, the coming together of rural and urban populations, the midway, the lights and colors everywhere, the tractor pulls and dog shows, the demolition derby and horse racing, the old timey farm village with vintage farm implements and folksy music, even the countless tacky booths trying to sell everything from hot tubs to massage chairs.

But most of all, I love the food. The traditional favorites like corn dogs, fresh squeezed lemonade, tenderloins, ears of corn, elephant ears, saltwater taffy and more to the weird items like fried oreos, donut burgers and more. There is always a selection of weird foods, which are neither good for you or very appetizing. 

The first Indiana State Fair was held in downtown Indianapolis in what is now known as Military Park in 1852, in 1892 the fair was moved to its present location at the fairgrounds on East 38^th Street and is held each year in August. The fairgrounds features a one-mile dirt track and large grandstands, the Farmer’s Coliseum which seats 6,500 and is used for concerts, car shows, and livestock competitions and sales. It was once the home of the Indiana Pacers back when they were in the ABA.

Concerts are also held at the free stage located in the northwest corner of the property and this year I was able to see a few concerts there including Vince Neil, the former lead singer of Motley Crue. I had just happened to meet Neil the week before in the pits of the Indy Car race in Nashville and now here I was watching his show at the fair.

All I can say is that I am glad it was at the free stage as it was certainly not one of the better performances I have ever seen. He is out of shape and his voice is pretty much shot, making the lyrics almost impossible to understand. People seemed to enjoy it in spite of the poor quality, but it very much reminded me of when I saw Van Halen about 5 years ago and David Lee Roth was just about the same level of horrible.

Even a crappy concert could not dampen my enthusiasm for the fair, I had a great time each time I visited and am so glad that I happened to be in Indianapolis to attend the fair. I hope that I am able to come back next year once again.

https://www.indianastatefair.com/