State Fair brings out the hidden child in you.”
anonymous
October
brings fall with its cooler weather, leaves changing colors, and
fairs. Yes, fairs and a great one is at the fairgrounds in Richmond
County, Georgia. The Georgia Carolina State Fair has arrived once
again and it is time to go out and have some fun. The fair is run
by the James E. Strates Show is going on from October 15th – 24th and has been a tradition in Augusta since 1923.
What makes this fair super unique is, it is the only “railroad
carnival” in America. In 1923, the first year they opened, it was
welcomed with a parade that went down Broad Street with four bands,
25 business floats, 20 fraternal order floats, and numerous military
organizations. Each night during that first year, they had
dedicated themes including, farmers, children, merchants, Augusta,
etc.
As
the fair grew, they had to move from the original location which was
on 15th and Laney Walker Boulevard to the 18 acres that
Richmond County bought between 3rd and 4th Street off of Hale Street. Just imagine that this same property
once was the field where Ty Cobb played his first professional game,
where he had his first hit, and his first home run. Amazing.
We
went on a lovely, clear night and walked around this exciting venue.
We enjoyed watching all the children squeal with excitement as they
ran from ride to ride. How could you not be excited with all the
amazing rides, bright colored lights, and the smell of fair food. We
entered through the main gate on Hale Street but there is also a gate
located inside the parking lot on Hale Street. It was crowded but
all the lines to the rides seemed to move fast. It was wonderful
seeing all the families out enjoying an evening out.
There
were plenty of rides for the kids as well as the adults. Their rides
were brightly colored and fun. They even had small paddle boats for
the kids to ride on. As far as rides for adults, they had some
thriller rides. You could hear the screaming from a long way off.
As far as fair food, you have plenty of choices from Oriental to
hamburgers and hot dogs, Flintstones size turkey legs, sausages,
pizza, popcorn, funnel cakes, ice cream, fried Oreo Cookies, and
more. Go hungry so you can try an assortment of tasty foods. If you like games, there are plenty to choose to give luck a chance and see what you can win. You know your child wants one of those gold fish.
Along
with the rides, there are a couple of shows. The one that was
happening the night we were there was a Jurassic Park show with large
stuffed dinosaurs that came bouncing out to meet the children. The
lively orator also showed fossils and spoke to the audience about the
dinosaur age. It was fun to watch with all the kids loving on the
dinosaurs. Then T-Rex came out and many thought he was scary but it
was great entertainment. They also have a Super Circus Show but that
wasn’t happening that night.
They
had agricultural and farm animals exhibits that were very
interesting. Children as well as adults could go in and see the
farm animals and even pet them if they wanted. There were many
pigs, cows, and goats. They have competitions held at the barn area
during the week. It is worth it to go and see their display.
The
fair is open Monday – Friday from 5 pm to 10 pm with the rides
staying open till 11 pm. On Saturdays and Sundays, the fair is open
from noon to 10 pm with rides open till 11 pm. If you buy your
tickets in advance, your admission ticket will be $5 and if you want
to do unlimited rides, it will be $25. If you buy your tickets at
the gate, it will be $8 a person admission and $25 for unlimited
rides from Monday through Thursday and $30 for Saturday and Sunday.
They also offer specials throughout the week, so check out their
website: www.georgiacarolinastatefair.com.
You
are running out of time to go check out this fair so get on up and
get going. Don’t miss this great event. Go out and be a kid again
and have some fun. Till next time. Bye for now.
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