During the summer holiday, I planned to attend one of the fascinating events held in Indiana. I have always loved exposures and learning new things about the dance, music, food, activities and culture of various people. If I could remember, in my childhood stage, we used to visit festival and events during the summer periods, and that is when I developed a passion for events. To commemorate my childhood life, I attended the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis, Indiana. Initially, the festival was held to celebrate the state’s agricultural heritage and culture (Indiana State Fair n.d). Farmers used to gather, share ideas and celebrate what they have achieved in the agricultural industry. However, with time, Indian State Fair’s tradition has changed, and it now accommodates amusement park rides, deep fried fair food, and large animal exhibitions.

The festival attracted thousands of people who came to witness special exhibitions, foods, and various concerts. The Indiana State Fair was held from August 5 to 21, 2016. In my case, I attended the festival on Sunday, August 7, 2016, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E 38th Street, Indianapolis. I chose to participate in the event on Sunday because it was a day that my favorite performer would be on the stage. The cost of the ticket was favorable. I paid $8 to get an advance ticket; however, people who paid at the gate were charged $12 while children five years and below entered free. Gates were open by 8:00 a.m. and at that time; a large number of people were still buying tickets. I was lucky to have purchased mine in advance, and that gave me an easy task to participate in the event.

The Sunday events commenced at 9:00 a.m. and ended at 9:30 p.m. On that day, I had planned to attend livestock barns and buildings, the annual youth talent contest and the Hispanic music festival. On my arrival to the event, I first visited the livestock nursery at the West Pavilion that started at 9:00 a.m. The West Pavilion facility is a home to thousands of animals such as Beef steers, bulls, dairy cattle, heifers, and dogs (Indiana State Fair n.d). It was fun seeing animals of different colors and sizes. Regarding the dairy cattle, I witnessed the milking demonstrations and got a close-up look of dairy calves. After visiting the West Pavilion facility, I had the chance to check out one of the largest and amazing display of art at the Glass Ban. Glass Ban is a unique educational center within Indian State Fairgrounds. The facility has exhibitions and leading-edge technology that gives visitors an experience of what farming entails. Moreover, I learned that the experience demonstrated by Glass Ban shows the relationship farmers have with their land and how technology bridges them.

The youth talent contest consisted of the junior and senior divisions (Indiana State Fair n.d). For one to participate in the event, he/she must be an Indiana residence. The competition was held at the Farm Bureau Building from 11 a.m. On Sunday, I was able to watch novelty and dance from senior group. The group dance performance entailed tumbling moves such as aerials and cartwheels. The thrilling jazz music accompanied the dance, and you could hear shouts and excitements from the crowd. I did not want to miss the performance by favorite artist Graciela Beltran; therefore, I went to have fun at Midway Rides and Attractions. Precisely, I participated in the fireball and zero gravity rides, and it was an outstanding experience. A friendly environment featured well-maintained state-of-art ride machines operated by skilled personnel. Moreover, the flourishing flashing lights, colors, and music combined to produce a thrilling experience.

In addition, the Sunday schedule for the Hispanic/Latino music festivals started at 3:00 p.m. and ended at exactly 8:00 p.m. The music festival featured Graciela Beltran (Carter Allison 1). The free stage concert paid on admission to the Indiana State Fair attracted a large number of people, and I was happy to have taken the front seat. This concert is different from the others because one does not need to have an extra ticket to attend the various events inside the Fairgrounds. The only music performance schedule for Sunday was the Hispanic music presented by Honda featuring Graciela Beltran (Indiana State Fair n.d). Graciela Beltran is a famous American singer who showed immense musical ability at a tender age. In the concert, Graciela Beltran played her fans’ favorite Banda and mariachi music. The instruments used by the artists included violins, guitar, and trumpets. The high-pitched guitar provided a sensational rhythm that aroused the crowd. The renowned Queen of the people showed a splendid performance that excited the whole crowd. The atmosphere at the concert was amazing to the extent you could see people leaving their seats to swing their bodies for fun.

After the Hispanic music festival, I headed towards the food section. On Sunday, the event held food contest. It was an opportunity for participants to celebrate Indiana’s Bicentennial. Therefore, participating vendors showed their skills through food innovation with the focus to develop new and original fair food that exhibits Indiana history. The mouthwatering food on display were traditional turkey legs, grilled cheese sandwich, fried pickles, bison egg rolls, cheesy garlic fries and much more (Carter 1). Some of the Hispanic foods available included churrasco, Empanada, and ceviche. I enjoyed drinking batida with grilled cheese sandwich. Unlike other festivals, the Indiana State Fair allowed vending of alcohol and other beverages. Families and guests could be seen enjoying the drinks.

In conclusion, the Indiana State Fair was a thrilling event, and I experienced many things that I had never seen in my life. I could rate the whole festival with a five star because of the amazing lessons I learned. Indiana State Fair is a festival that is held to celebrate the state’s agricultural heritage and culture. Due to the changing environment and emergence of the new generation, the festival has incorporated amusement park rides, deep fried fair food, and large animal exhibitions. The event lasted for 17 days, and people had the chance to experience spectacular performances and competing contests from various artist. The livestock nursery at the West Pavilion facility and the Glass Ban provide visitors with educational experience in agriculture. The youth talent contest, stage performance by Graciela Beltran and foods offered at the event were excellent. The food contest to celebrate Indiana’s Bicentennial provided a basis to learn to learn the Indiana food history. Moreover, I learned a lot about the Fairgrounds culture, and it looked different from a few that I have attended.

Work Cited

Carter Allison. Everything you need to know about the Indiana State Fair 2016. August 2, 2016. Online <http://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/2016/08/02/everything-you-need-know-indiana-state-fair-2016/87968008/>

Indiana State Fair. About us. N.d. Online <http://www.indianastatefair.com/state-fair/>

 
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