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Missing It Seems Unfair

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 16, 2008

Our State Fair is a great State Fair

Don't miss it; don't be late.

It's dollar to doughnuts that our State Fair,

Is the best State Fair in our State.

Lyrics of "State Fair"

by Rodgers and Hammerstein

TAMPA - If you haven't made it to this year's Florida State Fair, there's time to take in some of the country flavor and Vegas glitz. Dance contests, an Elvis impersonator competition, parades, fireworks, agriculture exhibits and a rooster-crowing contest are yet to come before the fair closes Monday night. Here are some fun facts you may not know:

•More than 3 1/2 tons of sugar will be consumed during the fair's 12-day run.

•Fairgoers eat about 4 1/2 tons of hot dogs each year. If laid end to end, that many wieners would stretch to Orlando and back.

•About 16 tractor-trailerloads of ice are used each year during the state fair.

•The trip down the fairgrounds' giant slide is 80 feet.

•More than 1,200 youngsters will have exhibited animals by the time the fair ends, competing for more than $180,000 in prize money.

•The highest temperature recorded at the fair was 88 degrees; the coldest was 24 degrees.

•More than 1,100 noncommercial exhibits are on display.

• A 2006 study by the University of South Florida showed the economic contribution to the state from the events at the fairgrounds in 2004-05 included 1,267 jobs, $171.4 million in sales and $43.4 million in wages and salaries. Hillsborough County was the major beneficiary, with 1,023 jobs, $142.6 million in sales and $35.6 million in wages.

•The fair is 104 years old. Henry B. Plant started a smaller version of the event on the grounds of his Tampa Bay Hotel in downtown Tampa before 1900. In 1904, on that same site, T. J. Laud-Brown revived the concept with the first Gasparilla celebration. In 1977, the fair opened at its 355-acre site at Interstate 4 and U.S. 301. It is held in February.

•Agricultural Adventure is a hands-on tour designed to teach visitors about the importance of agriculture. Visitors can learn about plants and food unique to Florida, watch live demonstrations and make arts and crafts to take home.

•Cracker Country is a Florida folk life museum where visitors can experience life in rural Florida more than 100 years ago. The buildings date to that era, and workers dress in period attire.

•Numerous educational attractions for all ages are offered at the fair, teaching visitors everything from how to prevent fires and how milk is made to how horseshoes are made and fitted for horses.

•In the Salute to Ag Tent, next to the Agriculture Hall of Fame building, guests can watch baby calves being bottle-fed, see corn being ground for feed or hold a baby chick.

•There are more than 90 rides and about 70 games on the Florida State Fair midway, nearly three-fourths of a mile long and one of the largest independent midways in the Southeast with coasters, water rides, food and an area with rides for younger children. Some rides have restrictions on age, height, health and other factors.

Sources: Florida State Fair Authority, www.floridastatefair.com

Compiled by Tom Brennan and Susan Anastasia, who can be reached at (813) 657-4528 or (813) 657-4530.

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