When you're expecting about 300,000 people for your 100th birthday party, you have to be creative when it comes to birthday cake.
That's why the Delaware State Fair bought 30,000 packages of Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets, which will be doled out each night to some festivalgoers as part of the fair's centennial celebration.
The 100th annual Delaware State Fair kicks off Thursday with a one-dayadult admission price of $5, followed by nine more days of midway rides, decadentcarnival foods, livestock competitions and entertainment ranging from Grammy Award winners to a demolition derby.
The extravaganza will lean heavily on tradition and history, of which the fair has plenty from its early days asthe Kent-Sussex Fair to this year's jubileecelebrating the fair's century of good times.
Fair officials have workedfor two years on the big birthday party and they can't wait for the gates to swing open at noon Thursday,saysDelaware State Fair Board of Directors President Ron Draper.
"The staff has put in so much time and energy to make sure this is the best fair we can possibly put on," says Draper, president since 2011 and board member since 1992.
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General admission is$9for adults all other days and will be $4 forchildren 6-12and free for kids 5 and younger.
In addition to the discounted admission on Thursday and the Tastykake giveaway, the fair also has a few other centennial touches:
•Lewes' Big Oyster Brewery has brewed Delaware pilsner, a light pilsner with a 4.6% ABV that will be sold at The Roost beer and wine garden, along with at concert beverage sales locations at the Grandstand.
•A 15-minute fireworks show will light up the sky following every musical performance at the Grandstand, scheduled each evening for 10. A large-scale fireworks finale for the closing of the fair is slatedforJuly 27.
•For the first time at the Delaware State Fair,the Budweiser Clydesdales will be on site for Thursday's opening, appearing from noon when the gates first open until 7 p.m. The horses will also be there everynight except Wednesday.
•A new 9,500-square-footoutdoor Touch-A-Truckdisplay will feature eight to10giant trucks, special vehicles and construction equipment that children will be invited to climb on (with adult supervision) and take photos. The vehicles will rotate throughout the fair and include fire trucks, ambulances, police vehicles,concrete trucks,dump trucks, dune buggies and more.
•After skipping theLivestock Parade of Champions in recent years, the fair pastime will return on July 26at 6 p.m. If you missthe livestock exhibitions— everything fromcattle, goats andhorses torabbits, pigsand sheep—check out the parade with all the grand andreserve champions in one spot.
•Check out highlights of the fair's 100-yearhistorywith a screening of a new video in the Exhibit Hall, which will also be sold on DVD. A new, free exhibition called“The Delaware State Fair: A Century of Family Fun” is also on display at the Delaware Archives (121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dover) through September.
Draper, 73, of Felton, grew up on his father's dairy farm where he grew corn and soybeans and remembers hiswhole family going to the fair twice each summer.
While some of the food items, carnival rides and musical acts have changed over the years at the 10-day event,the core of what was once known as the Kent-Sussex Fair remains the same.
Friends and family reunite, children squeal with delight and politicians swarm to glad-hand potential voters, of course.
The fair's annual Governor's Day, to be held July 25 this year, will bring out Gov. John Carney. And expect to see Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons there as well as U.S. Rep.Lisa Blunt Rochester, along with plenty of state politicians throughout the fair's run.
"Some things never change and I hope they never do," Draper says. "Looking back over the 100 years, one thing has never changed: we're a family fair. Family means a lot and we're proud we've been able to keep it that way."
The first fair, which ran three days,was held in 1920 and was an immediate hit, according to news reports.
"Kent-Sussex Fair Success," read the headline in The Evening Journal on July 20, 1920.
"Only a personal visit to the Kent-Sussex County Fair being held here can convince one of the magnitude of this new project and the wonderful work accomplished in so short time," read the opening lines of the article.
It described girl groups canning fruits and vegetables, a baby weighing area at a "child welfare booth" and a visit from Gov.JohnTownsend Jr. The carnival rides came a few years later.
The most common fair foods were there, such as hot dogs, hamburgers and, yes, sweet fried dough that resembles today's funnel cakes.
"You always have to have funnel cakes at a fair, right?A fair isn't a fair without funnelcake," Draper says.
In time, more entertainment was brought in. Over the years, acts such as The Rockettes, Bobby Vinton and The Righteous Brothers have been replaced by high-powered national musical acts, leaning heavily on the country music world.
The country flavor has always remained at the fair, whether it be with livestock parades and pie-making competitions or concertsby country music stars.
By 1969, the fair was hosting everyone from Dolly Parton to Porter Wagoner. Since thenMerleHaggard, Loretta Lynn,The Statler Brothers,Charley Pride, Glen Campbell and Willie Nelsonhave performed at the fair.
Sometimes those stars get a full taste of the Kent/Sussex experience like when avid golfer Darius Rucker decided he wanted to golf in 2017.
Draper endedup bringing Rucker toThe Rookery in Milford, where he's a member. He ended up playing 18 holes with the "Wagon Wheel" singer.
"It was unbelievable," Draper says. "He's such a down-to-Earth family man. That's probably the most fun I've had with an entertainer."
Got a tip? Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Delaware State Fair's centennial celebration
WHEN: Thursday through July 27
WHERE: 18500 U.S. 13, Harrington
GATE ADMISSION: Adults ($9), children 6-12 ($4) and kids 5 and younger are free
COMPLETE SCHEDULE:delawarestatefair.com
DELAWARE STATE FAIR GRANDSTAND SCHEDULE
Thursday — Sugarland with Drew Parker ($44-$150)
Friday — Brothers Osborne with Jackson Dean ($30-$150)
Saturday — Reba McEntire ($57-$150)
Sunday — Demolition Derby ($10-$12)
Monday — Dan + Shay with Filmore ($34-$150)
Tuesday — Bethel Music with Stars Go Dim ($20-$150)
Wednesday — Darci Lynne ($20-$150)
Thursday — Harness racing (Free)
Friday, July 26 — Brantley Gilbert with Cale Dodds ($44-$150)
Saturday, July 27 — Gladys Knight ($32-$150)
