2011 Indiana State Fair Day One

Nora will use this blog to chronicle her daily adventures at the Indiana State Fair. 

Opening of the 2011 Indiana State Fair

I was afraid that my decade-long streak of attending the Fair every single day was going to end on the first day. I had work (the very awesome Second Helpings) commitments that stretched from 9:00 in the morning to 10:00 at night. 

A friend saved me with an invitation to the 6:45 a.m. Pork Producers Ham Breakfast.

The tent was chock-full of Indiana Agriculture leaders, but the standing ovation was saved for First Lt. Bart Lomont. Bart was part of the  Indiana 3-19th Agribusiness Development Team returning to Indiana after nearly a year in Afghanistan.  I was lucky enough to sit next to his parents - who were surprised by his early arrival the night before.

I was happy to learn that the Opening Day Ceremony was going to take place in Pioneer Village, my favorite corner of the Fairgrounds. The Village has new exhibits this year to celebrate their 50th anniversary (Pioneer Village and I are the same age - they seem way more excited about 50 than I am).

The ceremony had everything a State Fair Opening Day Ceremony should have. 4-H'ers, FFA kids, corny jokes- whoops, it is the Year of the Soybean - beany jokes, the Mayor of Indianapolis, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Fair Queen, washboard music and a ten-year 4-H member singing the National Anthem.

A fabulous kick off to the 167th Indiana State Fair.