Great Escape: State Fair Opens Thursday

Your teens are holding a car wash at the high school Saturday. The grandparents volunteered to take the younger children to a movie Sunday afternoon. Your tweens take tap on Wednesday evening. It’s your time. Take it.

Each week, we’ll tell you about great ideas to give you a much-deserved break and make your life a little easier—maybe a whole lot easier.

The 79th-annual North Georgia State Fair will open Thursday and continue every day through Oct. 2 at Jim R. Miller Park in Marietta, including several new attractions this year.

This largest fair in metro Atlanta draws nearly 300,000 people every year from north Georgia and neighboring states.

The fair features live music, free attractions and shows, farm animals, flower shows, blue-ribbon competitions, local entertainment, and delicious fair foods. There also are games and rides on the Great James H. Drew Exposition Midway, one of the largest carnival midways in the United States.

Each day starting at 8 p.m., free concerts will include appearances by country and contemporary Christian artists, including:

• Colt Ford on Friday
• Josh Kelley on Saturday
• Chris Young on Sept. 28
• The Band Perry on Sept. 29
• Big Daddy Weave on Sept. 30
• Mark Wills on Oct. 1

New attractions for this year will be:

• Kachunga and the Alligator Show with Kachunga stepping into the pool with a 9-foot-long alligator
• Nationally renowned hypnotist Tammy Harris Barton
• Keith King Bike Stunt Show, including high-flying aerial stunts and mind-boggling technical moves

Popular returning attractions include:

• K-9's in Flight
• Oscar the Robot,
• Brian Ruth, the Master of the Chainsaw
• Wit Carson’s Petting Zoo and Pony Rides
• Cobb EMC Local Entertainment Stage

Schedule

• Thursday ~ 4-11 p.m.
• Friday ~ 4 p.m. to midnight
• Saturday ~ 10 a.m. to midnight
• Sunday ~ 12:30-10 p.m.
• Monday through Sept. 29 ~ 4-11 p.m.
• Sept. 30 ~ 4 p.m. to midnight
• Oct. 1 ~ 10 a.m. to midnight
• Oct. 2 ~ 12:30-10 p.m.

Costs

• Adults ~ $5
• Students (ages 7 - 18) ~ $2
• Children (6 and under) ~ free
• Parking ~ $3
• Ride tickets ~ $1 each, $20 for 22 tickets and $50 for 55 tickets. All rides require more than one ticket.
• All concerts are free with fair admission.

Discounts

Through Friday, discount fair tickets are available at all Metro Atlanta Walgreens:

• $2.50 for adults (instead of $5)
• $1.25 for students (instead of $2)
• $11 for 22 ride tickets (instead of $20)

Daily Specials

• Thursday for Opening Day ~ $18 Unlimited Ride Special
• Monday, Tuesday and Sept. 28 ~ $15 Unlimited Pay-One-Price Ride Special
• New Saturday Special (on both Saturdays) ~ $25 Pay-One-Price Ride Special from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the tickets good until the midnight closing

Contact: 770-528-8989.