There aren’t many places where you can see all of the following things: miniature pigs chase after Oreos, professional eaters slam a few dozen Sloppers within minutes and country music stars sing their biggest hits.
Actually, it’s probably safe to say the Colorado State Fair is the only place to catch that combination of sights.
The 11-day event, which kicks off Aug. 27 and runs through Sept. 6 in Pueblo, offers more than that, including rodeo shows, carnival rides, 4-H competitions, demo derby, tractor pull and a parade.
As fair general manager Scott Stoller says, “There’s too much to list. People just need to wander around to see it all.”
As fair-goers wander, they’ll have an experience that proved impossible in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic nearly shut down the event for the first time since launching in 1872.
With pandemic restrictions in place, last year’s fair was closed to the general public as it carried on some livestock shows and sales. Stoller and his staff got creative by offering a drive-thru fair food event and live-streaming a bunch of events and concerts.
“We did a lot of things that were in the spirit of the fair, but most people experienced it from their car or from their living room,” Stoller said. “We were able to keep the state fair history going and not miss a year and that’s important to us.”
This year, Stoller hopes to put on a fair that’s more in line with “what people expect.” That means building a lineup of attractions with the potential to bring a total of 450,000 or more attendees to the 102-acre fairgrounds over 11 days.
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Bigger events include concerts from country stars like Dustin Lynch, Casey Donahew, Jon Pardi and Diamond Rio. The rapper Nelly, who is no stranger to country music collaborations with songs like “Over and Over,” is also a headliner.
So far, Stoller said tickets are selling steadily, “more so than in previous years.”
“I don’t know if it’s the lineup we have this year or if it’s just people wanting to get back out there and do stuff, but there’s a ton of interest,” he said. “It looks like people are really chomping at the bit to see our featured attractions this year.”
Just walking around the fairgrounds will offer something to see, smell or smile at.
Attendees can watch a mural being painted during the fair in celebration of the event’s 150th anniversary in 2022. In honor of this year’s theme, “All roads lead to the Colorado State Fair,” two authentic Colorful Colorado murals will welcome people in and hopefully create that “Instagrammable moment,” Stoller said.
The fairgrounds coming to life will be a different sight from a few months ago, when it served as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site.
In light of the ongoing pandemic, Stoller said he strongly encourages attendees to wear masks. He also said he is prepared to follow “whatever health protocols” are in place during the fair.
“We’re ready if, on day 1, we have to go back to what it looked like last year,” Stoller said. “If we have to adjust, we will adjust.”
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