This year’s Sioux Empire Fair: New rides, tech, kids’ activities, Justin Moore and more

The Sioux Empire Fair is celebrating its 83rd year, and it’s coming with plenty of changes and improvements to the annual event.

The fair, hosted at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds, will run from Aug. 5-13, with several musical performances scheduled.

This is the first year fairgoers can purchase tickets and weekly passes online in addition to a booth. The fair also is adding another ticket booth and a mobile kiosk with self-serve ticket machines, president and CEO Scott Wick said.

“We’re excited about being a little more modernized with technology out here,” Wick said.

Other improvements include expanding the asphalt and adding entrance and exit lines to ease traffic flow. Fine arts will be moved to the northern section of the Expo Center, which includes air conditioning. The building that formerly housed the fine arts will now feature children’s entertainment: Messy Mania is a sensory exploration experience for kids, and the Ninjas is a mini-obstacle course for kids. They’re included with admission.

Four new rides have been added to the fair. Here’s the full list:

• Alien Abduction
• Arctic Blast
• Bear Affair
• Carousel
• Charlie Chopper
• Crazy Dance
• Disco Fever
• Downdraft
• Genesis
• Giant Wheel
• Happy Swing
• Honky Tonk
• Kamakaze
• Looney Airport
• Motorcycle
• Quad Runner
• Ring of Fire
• Scooter
• Slide
• Scorcher
• Speedway
• Spider
• Surf Shack
• Swing It
• Swings
• TAS Super Shot
• Tea Cup
• Thunder Bolt
• Tilt
• Tornado
• Train
• Vertigo
• Wacky Worm
• Wheel
• Wiggle Wurm
• Zero Gravity

For food, old favorites are back, plus there’s a new gourmet mac-and-cheese vendor with locations in the Expo Building and under the grandstand. Visitors will be able to top their dish with items such as shrimp and barbecue.

Along with musical acts, the fair will host the Big Air ATV Show and the Sioux Empire Championship Rodeo.

The curfew for unattended minors — those 17 and younger — is 9 p.m. After that time, they must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who is 25 or older.

All concerts, with the exception of Old Dominion and Nelly, are free with paid admission to the fair.

The grandstand lineup includes:

• Aug. 5: Old Dominion, 8 p.m.
• Aug. 6: Justin Moore with special guest Julie Eddy, 8 p.m.
• Aug 7: 38 Special, 8 p.m.
• Aug. 8: Sawyer Brown, 8 p.m.
• Aug. 9: Nelly, 8 p.m.
• Aug. 10: Country Comeback Tour, 8 p.m.
• Aug. 11: Hairball, 8 p.m.
• Aug. 12: Big Air ATV Show, 8 p.m.
• Aug. 13: Sioux Empire Championship Rodeo, 1:30 and 7 p.m.