The 107th Kentucky State Fair kicked off last week, drawing people from all across the Commonwealth. Kentucky Public Radio's Devin Katamaya toured the fair, and brought his recorder along with him. The Kentucky State Fair brings hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Depending on your taste, you can see animals, catch a show, and eat foods that seem to surprise people every year."Fried Kool Aid. Never seen deep-fried Kool Aid before. Last year it was the Krispy Kreme hamburger."
A big part of the fair is ribbon competitions. Pigs, pies, quilts, sheep you name it, the Kentucky State Fair seems to have a contest for it.
Raymond Craft is a pigeon judge from Bowling Green. He grabs a pigeon from its cage and explains what he's looking for. To the untrained eye all the birds look very similar, but to Craft, the feather count, look and feel of the bird all mean something.
"When you get it in your hand, you judge it for how long the tail is. And one out of proportion will be too long, see?"
Harold Hunt has a good way of summing up the Kentucky State Fair:
"We come every year and just enjoy looking around, seeing the crowd, looking at different exhibits. It's Kentucky. I like the fair because it represents so much of Kentucky in one place."
The state fair runs through Sunday, August 28.