The Indiana State Fair has plans to break a world record at this year’s event.
Building the world’s largest popcorn ball is what workers at the fair plan to do. They are shooting for a 5,200-pound popcorn ball to unveil on Aug. 3.
“We’re doing this because a lot of people don’t realize how important the popcorn industry is to our agricultural economy here in the state. We are actually the second largest producer of popcorn in the country,” said Andy Klotz, the director of publicity and media relations for the State Fair.
Robert Ziegler, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Agriculture, said 220 million pounds of popcorn are produced each year in Indiana and it’s definitely a multi-million dollar industry.
Along with the new popcorn theme, the fair is bringing a plethora of other new things this year.
Partnering with the Indiana Soy Bean Alliance, the fair will have a new facility called the Glass Barn, a 4,500 square-foot barn built with a unique design. Klotz said the purpose of this structure is to help people better understand where their food comes from and the process in which it is grown.
This year, the fair is debuting a Kiddie Land Midway for smaller children. Klotz said there will be a section with “kiddie rides” and games for smaller children to enjoy. He said this midway is the first thing people will see when they enter Gate 6 on the eastside of the fairgrounds.
For those who love animation, the fair will have an exhibit called Get Animated. The 8,000 square-foot exhibit is for everyone to see how their favorite movies and cartoon characters from Walt Disney, Pixar, Sony Animations and DreamWorks came to life.
The fair will also present a Sinbad High Dive Show where divers tell the story of Sinbad, a fictional sailor in a DreamWorks film, searching for his treasure. Divers will jump into a pool from heights as high as 80 feet in the air. There will be three performances each day of the fair.
In addition, the fair has a long list of performers this year, including Karmin, a pop duo and YouTube sensation known for their remixes to other artists’ songs. Coco Jones, a teen pop singer who starred in the Disney movie “Let It Shine,” will perform on Aug. 3. BET’s Sunday Best Season 5 Winner, Joshua Rogers, will perform Aug. 18 for Pepsi Gospel Music Day.
Along with all the new and fun events, the State Fair has a new comprehensive emergency management plan to enforce safety at the event. Klotz said the plan was in effect last year and it was very successful.
“We have a very large presence of Indiana State Police officers on the grounds constantly. We also have other emergency responders and law enforcement personnel … and we have security people on staff,” said Klotz. “We have a very thorough plan and we are looking forward to another smooth fair this year.”
The Indiana State Fair runs from Aug. 2 to Aug. 18 this year and discount tickets are available online now.
For more information, visit indianastatefair.com.
