LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Kentucky State Fair is officially underway in Louisville. The fair lasts until Aug. 24 and features plenty of activities, events, food, and fun for the entire family.
“This is our first time at the Kentucky State Fair so far,” said Dwight Hudgins, co-owner of Barbara’s Kitchen. “Everything's been excellent.”
Hudgins and Sharon Young have a myriad of jams on display, along with other tasty things available for purchase. They are just one of many vendors inside the halls at the fair.
However, not everything is part of a sale. There are plenty of competitions and showings going on up and down the hall. Emma Thomas, a nine-year-old from Campbellsville, spent her morning getting ready to go show cows in Broadbent Arena.
“My parents showed cows growing up,” Thomas said, adding she’s been showing cows since she was a toddler.
The people that you meet here, that you make a relationship with and you build on that relationship year after year, you become a summer family because you only see these people during the summer,” said Vicki Sanford-Baird, who has been showing cattle for more than five decades.
“My older brother, who is three years older than me, he started showing dairy cattle,” she explained. “Through him showing dairy cattle at age nine, I started at age six, and I have been here 51 years this year at the state fair. I've never missed it.”
Sanford-Baird shared memories of meeting her idols at the state fair when she was younger. Now, she's the one today's kids can look up to.
“We have an adopted daughter who is just learning how to show cows this year,” she added. “We've been foster parents for nine years and we got her through foster care and she's age 15 and just decided she wanted to show cattle.”
If someone has never visited the state fair, Sanford-Baird gave a reason why they should visit.
“The State Fair is something that you're only going to get to do one time a year. If you don't show up these two weeks, you're going to miss it till the next year.”
The State Fair runs through Aug. 24. You can learn more about the various events, concerts, and fun things to do at kystatefair.org.
