PALMER, Alaska (KTUU) – Long lines formed outside the gates prior to opening Friday as the Alaska State Fair kicked off its 90th year.
“It’s a lot of anticipation building up to this day,” Blake Allen, the Alaska State Fair CEO, said.
The Alaska State Fair was first held in 1936. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of Golden Wheel Amusements, which hosts all of the fair’s carnival rides.
“It’s an incredible honor to be given the opportunity to lead this fair, especially in the 90th year,” Allen said.
Allen said the carnival has a new ride this year called the Sea Ray, along with a new food vendor, Papaya Tree.
This year’s fair features around 70 food vendors and various activities ranging from carnival rides to the Brad’s World Reptile exhibit.
“It’s my first event here and I’m really, really excited,” Lucy Acker, who is visiting with her family from Oregon, said. “I’m hoping to go on some rides.”
Special this year, Allen said, the fair will feature 15 performances, each one different.
“It’s amplifying,” Allen said. “We really think this year that the lineup has really something for everyone despite their taste in music.”
Allen said the fair has had 15 shows in a single year before, but not 15 different acts. He said the fair had record attendance last year, with more than 388,000 people, and organizers hope to surpass that this year.
Allen advised fairgoers to arrive early, follow the direction of parking attendants, avoid double parking, and take a photo of where they parked. He also suggested parents write a phone number on their child’s wristband or arm in case the child becomes separated from the family.
The fair is open Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., running Aug. 21 through Sept. 7.
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