Fair, fun, food: Your guide to 82nd annual Sioux Empire Fair

The Ferris wheel.

The farming community.

And, let’s be honest, the fried Oreos and funnel cakes.

It’s all coming back to the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds Aug. 5-14 when the Sioux Empire Fair returns for its 82nd year.

The kickoff for this year’s 10-day fair will begin Thursday with a live performance from Old Dominion with Carly Pearce.

“It will be a great event for inviting people to come out to the fair,” said Courtney Hokanson, director of marketing and public relations for the Sioux Empire Fair Association.

“They are very high energy. It will be a great night and just a great way to kick off the fair. Tickets are still available for those interested. The rest of the fair will have a full grandstand lineup with lots of great concerts, artists and even some family entertainment on Aug. 13. We will have ATV Big Air Tour, which will be fun watching the ATVs do jumps over hills and everything.”

Because of COVID-19, 4-H activities and bingo were unable to run last year, but they will both return this year along with rodeo performances, the Pipestone Discovery Barn, Old MacDonald’s Farm and local musicians on The Front Porch, Hokanson said.

“Like always, we will have a lot of fun rides. There will be something for all different ages,” she said.

“We have rides for younger kids, rides for those adventure seekers who like to do the flips and the spins and then ,of course, our classic ride, the Ferris wheel, which is always a highlight. We love putting that Ferris wheel in the center of our fairgrounds, so you can see it from the interstate. It always draws a lot of people in.”

And make sure you visit the Pipestone Discovery Barn, where there’s an especially fun addition for the baby chicks: Their own carnival.

The food

And, of course, what’s a fair without the food?

The classics will be back — think corn dogs and funnel cakes — along with new vendors.

Happi Lao Foods will join The Big Orange Food Truck, featuring Philly cheesesteaks, and Rock & Roll Tacos, selling steak tacos and nachos.

“One thing we always try to do is make sure we don’t have a ton of vendors that all have the same thing,” Hokanson said. “We always want there to be a variety of foods on Food Row so that everyone can find something they like.”

On Aug. 11, Joe Terello, 9/11 survivor and firefighter from New York, will speak.

“We wanted to do something special because it is the 20th anniversary this year, and he has quite the story to share,” Hokanson said.

“Everyone is invited, but we have a special invite to first responders, veterans and military personnel. They can get in free that night with their ID and get to bring one guest. We’re really honored to be able to hear him speak and grateful for an opportunity to say thank you to all of our first responders for all the service they do.”

For information regarding the fair’s schedule, visit siouxempirefair.com/events.