Food, fun, festivities abound at the State Fair
Pigs in costumes, cows for milking and double-fried foods with enough cholesterol to kill a small whale are making their way into the city tomorrow.
No, USC isn’t playing Clemson this week; Columbia is gearing up for the annual South Carolina State Fair, which opens tomorrow and runs through Sunday, Oct. 21.
This year’s fair is expected to be bigger than in years past, with a goal of at least 500,000 guests, according to Doreen Sullivan, owner and president of Post No Bills, the advertising and marketing company in charge of the fair’s campaign.
For those 500,000, there is plenty to do, see and of course, eat.
“We have lots of yummy foods like fried cheese curds and a raspberry chicken sandwich and — of course — the Elvis,” said Nancy Smith, the assistant manager of the S.C. State Fair. “Have I tried any of that? No, but I think I’ll just leave that up to y’all.”
While the fair offers other delicacies, like a turkey leg, the foods Smith mentioned are only for the brave. If the raspberry chicken sandwich doesn’t immediately sound unorthodox, that might be because it leaves out a key word — “doughnut.” The deep-fried chicken breast is tucked two of them, both raspberry-filled. It’ll no doubt be a juxtaposition of flavor unlike any other.
And it only gets better from there. The aforementioned “Elvis” is a burger made of bacon, peanut butter and bananas — and unless you have a stomach of steel, it could leave you yelping like a “Hound Dog” into a nearby port-a-john.
Besides the unique cuisine, other major attractions of the week include the Famously Hot Chef Showdown; an elaborate blown-glass exhibit; and the Pepsi Grandstand, featuring O.A.R., Hot Chelle Rae, Jake Owen and Boyz II Men, just to name a few.
This year marks the first partnership between the State Fair and USC. Students will be able to purchase separate tickets to the fair and special events with their CarolinaCards on the Russell House Patio today and Wednesday. Saturday, Oct. 13 will be “Student Day,” Sullivan said, which will culminate in the O.A.R. concert at 7 p.m.
On “Student Day,” buses will be shuttling students back and forth from Greene Street to the fairgrounds from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
One major new development this year for the fair is refocusing its base in agriculture, according to Sullivan and Smith. The newest attraction is the “America’s Farmers Mobile Exhibit,” a 1,000-square-foot tractor trailer which celebrates the importance of agriculture, Smith said.
“It shows global agriculture and it also shows that farmers are truly the solution to global hunger and other problems,” Smith said.
After taking a tour of the farm-on-wheels, take a stroll to the second annual Famously Hot Chef Showdown on the WLTX stage Thursday, Oct. 11 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Showdown will feature chefs from the best restaurants in Columbia in an Iron Chef-style competition that will be judged by Celebrity Chef Darren McGrady, the previous executive chef of royalty like Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana.
Guests can see the Showdown, along with a variety of other shows and events for free with their regular fair tickets. The beloved pig races and Sea Lion Splash shows will be held several times daily, and NASCAR Night next Wednesday, Oct. 17 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. will showcase the legends of racing, including Rusty Wallace and his Hall of Fame car.
If NASCAR doesn’t tickle your southern fancy, then the Horse, Donkey and Mule Fun Day in the Abernathy Arena on Sunday, Oct. 14 may do the trick.
“They do all kinds of crazy stuff,” Smith said. “It’s great and so much fun. The kids are out there trying to rope a calf or milk a cow. The wild cow-milking contest is on the first Sunday. I’m not real sure what that is or how it works but I know it’s wild.”
But in all seriousness, the State Fair offers a unique variety unavailable at almost any other event — from the kids’ paintings in the Fine Art Gazebo Gallery to the Greatest Grandparent Essay Contest — there’s a little something for everyone.