February 7, 2024 • 6 mins
The 2024 Florida State Fair opens Thursday (Feb. 8) and runs through President's Day. Executive director Cheryl Flood talks about what's going on at the first state fair of the season.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. The Florida State Fair reopens Thursday,
February eighth for its annual run atthe Fairgrounds at US three oh one and
I four in Tampa. We havethe fairs executive director, Cheryl Flood here
to join us and talk about what'sgoing on and what's new this year.
Cheryl Flood, thank you very muchfor joining us on Beyond the News.
(00:21):
Thank you for having me well.Now, driving by the fairgrounds and watching
them putting up the ferries wheel andthe midway and doing other things, I
saw the sign as I drove byand it said fireworks are back, So
tell us about that. You're goingto be doing a fireworks show for the
first time in a while. Itake it it is so. We have
surveyed our fair patrons and it wassomething that was very popular among our guests.
(00:46):
So we have brought back fireworks bothweekends. The first weekend'll be on
Friday and Saturday, and then onthe second weekend it'll be on a Saturday
and Sunday. So we invite everybodyto come out and see the beautiful fireworks.
Now, you're also going to bemaking noises in a lot of other
ways. You're going to be doingsome musical entertainment as well. We are.
(01:07):
We've got three music stages with alltypes of different genres of music on
the first weekend, which is reallyexciting. On Saturday, we're going to
have Tiger Lily Gold out of Nashville. There a sister's duo group, country
music up and coming and group,and so we'd love for you to come
out. It's free with admission.Now, the roots of the Fair,
of course, are in agriculture,and so what are some of the exhibits
(01:30):
that people might find interesting this year? You know, these kids work year
round. We have kids that showcasetheir animals at the State Fair. They're
located all the way from the Panhandleto Miami, so they've worked year round
to showcase their animals. So ifyou want to come out and see a
steer show or a swine show,we've got all different types of species of
(01:53):
animals, dog shows, all differenttypes of animals, So come out and
enjoy. We also have a lotof exhibits that teach the public about how
important Florida agriculture is to the state. So we've got a exhibit this year
in the ag Hall of Fame.That where the kids will learn how to
(02:15):
squeeze orange juice and learn all typesof hands on activities about Florida Agriculture's industry.
So we encourage you to come outinto our ag Hall of Fame.
We've got two different petting zoos,so a lot of kids don't get the
opportunity to see and touch animals,so we certainly want the kids to have
that opportunity and we have two differentavenues for that this year as well,
(02:35):
So lots of showcase in Florida Agriculture. During the ag Hall of Fame during
the day from three to five,you'll get to actually come and meet with
a farmer and learn about the industryand how we grow our food here in
Florida. So we certainly invite thepublic to come out well. Of course,
the Florida State Fair is the firstbig fair of the season because of
the time of year at which ittakes place, and a lot of new
(02:59):
things get introduced there, and ofcourse any talk about fairs wouldn't be complete
without mentioning fair food. So whatare some new things and what are some
old favorites that are looking for thatwe're looking forward to this year? Well,
you know, we're the deep friedcapital of the world, so you
know everybody knows fairs for fried foods. But we've got some really cool neat
foods this year I think the publicwould enjoy. We've got the deep fried
(03:23):
pickle with that is called the popRock pickle, which is a pickle dipped
in a fruit roll up, dippedin chocolate with pop Rock and or free
Doo's and so something very very different. This year. We've got the Oreo
cinnamon roll. One of my favoritesis the cinnamon caramel bacon apple fries.
(03:46):
So all different types of fried food. We've also got some healthy options as
well. We've got a Greek standhere that's really got some really fresh salads
and wraps and things. So we'vegot a lot of different types of foods
over two vendors here on property,and I can guarantee you we have something
for everyone's taste buds here on siteto check out. Some of the other
(04:09):
foods we've got is the pickle,ranch loaded French fries. We've got lemonade
funnel cake. We've got a friedspam grilled cheese, which is different kind
of a wacky food. A bananacream pie nacho and then Bang Bang Taco
is also something that's more hearty ifyou'd like to check that out as well.
(04:30):
Well. Now, what are someof the special days and special deals
this year? You can check outof our promotions on Floridastatefair dot com,
but we encourage you to check themout in advance. One great thing about
the buying your tickets and advance isabout a thirty percent savings. And then
we've got special days during the weekHeroes Day, three dollars Thursday, all
(04:53):
different types of celebrations to give familiesaffordable options to come to the State Fair.
They're all listed on our website undertwenty twenty four State Fair Promotions,
so go check them out ahead oftime. We've got two days in which
kids get in free with a paidadult, which is the last Friday of
the fair, which is the eighteenthand I'm sorry, the sixteenth, and
then the last day of the fair, which is the nineteenth, which is
(05:15):
on President's Day. Again, kidsget in free. They must have an
adult with them twenty one years orolder, but they do get free admission.
So please check out our promotions onour website, and they're also listed
on our social media accounts as well. What else do people need to know
before they get to the fair grounds? Plan ahead. We encourage people to
(05:36):
go to our website. We've gotfrequently asked questions. We encourage you to
buy your admission in our bands inadvance. They're on sale now through the
start of the fair at wah Wahlocations. And we encourage you to plan
ahead, know where you park well, know which gate you come in.
We're comfortable shoes. If it's goingto be a sunny day, which we're
(05:57):
expecting, great weather, sunscreen,make sure that you're prepared for a long
day because once you get here,there's so much to see that you don't
want to leave, and it canbe a very long day. So dress
comfortable, wear comfortable shoes, andbring your family and have a great time
and develop some great memories. Andthat's what we're here for, is to
make sure you have a wonderful time. Cheryl Flood, Executive director of the
(06:21):
Florida State Fair, thank you verymuch for joining us on Beyond the News.
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. The Florida State Fair reopens Thursday,
February eighth for its annual run atthe Fairgrounds at US three oh one and
I four in Tampa. We havethe fairs executive director, Cheryl Flood here
to join us and talk about what'sgoing on and what's new this year.
Cheryl Flood, thank you very muchfor joining us on Beyond the News.
(00:21):
Thank you for having me well.Now, driving by the fairgrounds and watching
them putting up the ferries wheel andthe midway and doing other things, I
saw the sign as I drove byand it said fireworks are back, So
tell us about that. You're goingto be doing a fireworks show for the
first time in a while. Itake it it is so. We have
surveyed our fair patrons and it wassomething that was very popular among our guests.
(00:46):
So we have brought back fireworks bothweekends. The first weekend'll be on
Friday and Saturday, and then onthe second weekend it'll be on a Saturday
and Sunday. So we invite everybodyto come out and see the beautiful fireworks.
Now, you're also going to bemaking noises in a lot of other
ways. You're going to be doingsome musical entertainment as well. We are.
(01:07):
We've got three music stages with alltypes of different genres of music on
the first weekend, which is reallyexciting. On Saturday, we're going to
have Tiger Lily Gold out of Nashville. There a sister's duo group, country
music up and coming and group,and so we'd love for you to come
out. It's free with admission.Now, the roots of the Fair,
of course, are in agriculture,and so what are some of the exhibits
(01:30):
that people might find interesting this year? You know, these kids work year
round. We have kids that showcasetheir animals at the State Fair. They're
located all the way from the Panhandleto Miami, so they've worked year round
to showcase their animals. So ifyou want to come out and see a
steer show or a swine show,we've got all different types of species of
(01:53):
animals, dog shows, all differenttypes of animals, So come out and
enjoy. We also have a lotof exhibits that teach the public about how
important Florida agriculture is to the state. So we've got a exhibit this year
in the ag Hall of Fame.That where the kids will learn how to
(02:15):
squeeze orange juice and learn all typesof hands on activities about Florida Agriculture's industry.
So we encourage you to come outinto our ag Hall of Fame.
We've got two different petting zoos,so a lot of kids don't get the
opportunity to see and touch animals,so we certainly want the kids to have
that opportunity and we have two differentavenues for that this year as well,
(02:35):
So lots of showcase in Florida Agriculture. During the ag Hall of Fame during
the day from three to five,you'll get to actually come and meet with
a farmer and learn about the industryand how we grow our food here in
Florida. So we certainly invite thepublic to come out well. Of course,
the Florida State Fair is the firstbig fair of the season because of
the time of year at which ittakes place, and a lot of new
(02:59):
things get introduced there, and ofcourse any talk about fairs wouldn't be complete
without mentioning fair food. So whatare some new things and what are some
old favorites that are looking for thatwe're looking forward to this year? Well,
you know, we're the deep friedcapital of the world, so you
know everybody knows fairs for fried foods. But we've got some really cool neat
foods this year I think the publicwould enjoy. We've got the deep fried
(03:23):
pickle with that is called the popRock pickle, which is a pickle dipped
in a fruit roll up, dippedin chocolate with pop Rock and or free
Doo's and so something very very different. This year. We've got the Oreo
cinnamon roll. One of my favoritesis the cinnamon caramel bacon apple fries.
(03:46):
So all different types of fried food. We've also got some healthy options as
well. We've got a Greek standhere that's really got some really fresh salads
and wraps and things. So we'vegot a lot of different types of foods
over two vendors here on property,and I can guarantee you we have something
for everyone's taste buds here on siteto check out. Some of the other
(04:09):
foods we've got is the pickle,ranch loaded French fries. We've got lemonade
funnel cake. We've got a friedspam grilled cheese, which is different kind
of a wacky food. A bananacream pie nacho and then Bang Bang Taco
is also something that's more hearty ifyou'd like to check that out as well.
(04:30):
Well. Now, what are someof the special days and special deals
this year? You can check outof our promotions on Floridastatefair dot com,
but we encourage you to check themout in advance. One great thing about
the buying your tickets and advance isabout a thirty percent savings. And then
we've got special days during the weekHeroes Day, three dollars Thursday, all
(04:53):
different types of celebrations to give familiesaffordable options to come to the State Fair.
They're all listed on our website undertwenty twenty four State Fair Promotions,
so go check them out ahead oftime. We've got two days in which
kids get in free with a paidadult, which is the last Friday of
the fair, which is the eighteenthand I'm sorry, the sixteenth, and
then the last day of the fair, which is the nineteenth, which is
(05:15):
on President's Day. Again, kidsget in free. They must have an
adult with them twenty one years orolder, but they do get free admission.
So please check out our promotions onour website, and they're also listed
on our social media accounts as well. What else do people need to know
before they get to the fair grounds? Plan ahead. We encourage people to
(05:36):
go to our website. We've gotfrequently asked questions. We encourage you to
buy your admission in our bands inadvance. They're on sale now through the
start of the fair at wah Wahlocations. And we encourage you to plan
ahead, know where you park well, know which gate you come in.
We're comfortable shoes. If it's goingto be a sunny day, which we're
(05:57):
expecting, great weather, sunscreen,make sure that you're prepared for a long
day because once you get here,there's so much to see that you don't
want to leave, and it canbe a very long day. So dress
comfortable, wear comfortable shoes, andbring your family and have a great time
and develop some great memories. Andthat's what we're here for, is to
make sure you have a wonderful time. Cheryl Flood, Executive director of the
(06:21):
Florida State Fair, thank you verymuch for joining us on Beyond the News.
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