At the Arizona State Fair, the past and present come together, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun.

The fair, happening this year Oct. 6-29,  dates back to the Arizona Territorial Fair, first held in 1884. It had periods of hiatus during the Great Depression and the World Wars but has continued without interruption for over 70 years.

Deputy director Michael Searle said although the fair changes every year, it continues to have something for people of different generations.

“We are definitely trying to blend roots and tradition with what’s modern and intriguing for the young demographics,” Michael said.  

Michael’s wife Karen Searle, the director of competitive events, said the last few years, the fair has begun to focus even more on community. She said being part of the fair has great meaning to Arizona residents.

“People are so excited to know that what they’ve put their passion into is on display for residents of our state to see,” Karen said.

Karen said the event can allow attendees to learn more about agriculture or discover something new.

“The exposure for those people, I believe, is completely inspirational and also changes lives, whether they go, ‘Oh my gosh, Mom, I want to learn how to make a quilt’ or just the fact that they learned milk doesn’t come from the grocery store,” Karen said.

Here’s a look at what visitors can expect from this year’s fair:

New attraction

For the first time, the fair will host Dragon’s Den, a traveling exhibition featuring six life-size animatronic dragons. The exhibition offers different experiences, including a smell test in which participants match smells to the dragons. For an additional fee, guests can take part in a virtual reality dragon experience.

Performers

Along with national entertainers in the concerts series, the fair spotlights local dance groups, choirs, Native American dancers, bands and musicians. Many of the acts featured at the fair have interactive performances, during which fair guests can become part of the show.

Each day of the fair, 18 street artists will showcase their skills onstage, creating intricate murals on plywood canvases. Each artist will start at the beginning of the day and complete their pieces by the close of the fair on the same day.

The Freestyle Mania Thrill Show Oct. 13-15 will feature monster trucks; Transaurus, a 30-foot, car-eating dinosaur; a fire thrill show and the Hillbilly Deluxe Monster Truck Ride Experience before and after every show.

Food

New offerings at the fair this year include deep-fried and chocolate tamales. Guests also can try deep-fried candy bars, cookies, cheesecake, lemon bars or cookie dough. Want to opt for a healthier selection? Give sofritos-seasoned tacos, vegetarian Indian tacos, beverages served in fresh fruit, roasted nuts or kettle corn a shot. Traditional fair options such as cotton candy, turkey legs, funnel cakes and corndogs are also available.  

Fairgoers can test their eating prowess against others by competing in one of the pie-eating competitions, held every Saturday at 2 p.m. The competition is broken up into different age categories.

Skilled cooks, bakers and chefs will have the chance to take part in cooking competitions such as pie or cookie baking, fruit carving, cake decorating and salsa making.

In the floriculture/horticulture department, members of the audience can show off their talents as part of competitions such creating themed centerpieces with random items from baskets.

Rides

This year, the Le Grande XL, a large observation wheel with climate-controlled cabs, will debut at the fair. Adventurous fairgoers can also ride favorites such as the Cyclone, Tilt-A-Whirl and Galaxy Coaster.

Special Events

On Oct. 21 in the Backyard, the fair will celebrate 11 different cultures as part of a special day highlighting the Phoenix Sister Cities, a program through which the city of Phoenix fosters partnerships with different countries throughout the world.  

On Oct. 27, the fair will host Pride Night, during which members of the LGBT community can meet Phoenix Mercury players, take part in special raffles and giveaways, sign a unity pledge and speak with community leaders about LGBT issues.

Discounts

3 Every Day 3 Dollar Discount: Bring a receipt showing the purchase of dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt to receive a $3 discount on any day of the fair.

We Care Wednesdays: Receive free admission before 6 p.m. for bringing five non-perishable food items, such as peanut butter or canned fruits and vegetables. Donations will go to St. Mary’s Food Bank.  

Fair Friends 55+ Day: On Wednesday, Oct. 18, seniors 55 and older will receive free admission with a printed ticket available at the fair’s website.

Armed Forces Day: On Friday, Oct. 20, active duty military and veterans will receive free admission to the fair.  

$2 Fridays: The fair offers special $2 rides, games and food deals on Fridays from noon to 7 p.m.

Fee-free Fridays: With the purchase of $50 or more at Fry’s stores throughout the Valley, shoppers will receive two Friday adult tickets.

Competitions

As part of the livestock competitions, people ages 8 to 75 exhibit animals – angora goats, beef cattle, rabbits, llamas and sheep among them – and compete to win top honors such as Grand or Reserve Champion. The livestock competitions will be open to people of all ages from across the country except for the weekend of Oct. 18-22, which will highlight youth from Arizona.  

Along with standard competition, the fair also has nontraditional events: owner and animal costume, llama obstacle, parlor rolling and turkey gobbling contests.  

For artistically-minded people to showcase their talents, there are photography, fine arts, scouts, student art and quilting competitions. The art exhibition area will display the work ofpainters, sculptors, wood workers and jewelers. This year, the quilt display has expanded, with an entire room dedicated to the traditional art form.

For those with green thumbs, the fair has a floriculture/horticulture area with top fruits, vegetables, cactus gardens and flowers. This year, the display will include a 450-pound pumpkin and a 300-pound squash.

Artisans will have the opportunity to compete in home arts such as sewing, model rocket building, quilting, wood working, knitting or jewelry making.

Rodeos

During the third weekend of the fair, the Wild West will visit as cowboys and cowgirls compete in themed rodeos. As part of the High School Rodeo on Oct. 19, youth will show off their skills in events such as tiedown and breakaway calf roping, pole bending, goat-tying and steer wrestling. This year, male and female contestants from around the country will come to Phoenix for the All Indian Rodeo on Oct. 20 and 21 to compete in events such as calf and team roping, bull riding and saddle and bareback bronc riding.

Up Close Animal Encounters

During the fair, visitors have a chance to get up-close to animals such as ducks, llamas, chickens, pygmy and dairy goats, potbelly pigs, zebus and Australian wallabies inside the petting zoo. They can learn more about raising animals during farm tours.

Arizona State Fair

When: Noon-9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. Noon-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Friday, Oct. 6-Sunday, Oct. 29.

Where: 1826 W. McDowell Road, Phoenix.

Admission: Adults, $10; seniors 55 and older and children ages 5 to 13, $7; free for children under 5. Additional costs for rides, Dragon’s Den and certain other activities. (double checking, program and website have conflicting information)

Details: 602-252-6771. azstatefair.com.

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