But the fair’s core events — livestock shows, cooking and sewing competitions, and education opportunities for young people — will remain constant, the fair’s general manager said.
Randy Stephenson was busy making the final preparations for this year’s 10-day fair, which begins today, when asked about what was new this year.
“Our livestock programs are bigger and better than they’ve ever been,” he said.
One change that will please fairgoers is the lowered price — tickets this year are $10, down from $12 last year. That was done to offset an increase in parking fees at Garrett Coliseum that will be for all major events there, not just the fair, Stephenson said.
The Wild West show is gone, but in its place for the kids are the Flying Houndz Frizbee Trick Dog Show, the Aussie Kingdom animal show and the Swampmaster Gator Show, all new this year.
On the Garrett Coliseum stage, this year’s music lineup is a little beefier than in past years, Stephenson said. The fair cut back from five or six concerts to four, and focused on getting larger acts. Crooner Josh Turner and legend Ronnie Milsap will please multiple generations of country music fans; Grammy-winner Anthony Hamilton brings his soulful R&B sounds; and classic rock station mainstays Foreigner will close out the concerts on Oct. 12.
Glenda Yarbrough has taken over as the new director of the Creative Living Center, following the retirement of Martha Barber. The center is the home of the many cooking, sewing and woodworking contests, and it’s her job to manage them all. Some contests have been discontinued, but others, such as a wild game cooking contest, have been added to bring in new contestants.
There won’t be a program for the military this year, but today is still a “salute to veterans,” with all active military, National Guard, Reserve and retired military personnel admitted free. The first 500 will receive a challenge coin made especially for them.
Wednesday night will be gospel night, with a choir competition sponsored by Hallelujah 104.3 FM. The eight top gospel acts, determined through an online competition, will perform live for the top honors, with the audience voting on the winner.
No list of what’s new at the fair is complete without at least one or two new fair foods, and this year is no exception. Building on the popularity of last year’s red velvet funnel cake (which returns this year) will be the maple bacon funnel cake, something Stephenson said he was particularly interested in. For a little added cholesterol, check out the new cheddar cheese jalapeno corn dog.
Another constant is the fair’s charitable purpose. The fair is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which raises money to distribute to worthy causes through the Kiwanis Club of Montgomery. This past spring, the Kiwanians made grants of more than $350,000. They also donate more than 5,500 hours of volunteer time to the fair.
Other than general repairs, the occasional repainting and general cleaning, there isn’t much new at Garrett Coliseum, the 1950s entertainment venue that’s home to the fair as well as various agricultural and equine shows and concerts throughout the year.
The staff of the Alabama National Fair manages the day-to-day operation of the coliseum, on what Mayor Todd Strange and others have called a “shoestring budget.” Though onlookers often complain about the coliseum and its dated appearance and mechanical systems, just about everyone involved with the coliseum, including state, city and county officials, praises the work of the fair staff and the Kiwanis Club to manage the facility.
The fair staff did put in about $55,000 worth of capital improvements in 2012, which included major repairs to the parking lot.