Archive for the ‘General News’ Category

The state’s largest youth livestock event, the Oklahoma Youth Expo, kicks off today at State Fair Park and runs through March 26. Last year was a record-breaking year for OYE and the show brought in over 7,000 exhibitors from all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties! Over the course of the entire event, OYE has an approximated $24 million dollar impact on Oklahoma City.

2012 Oklahoma Youth Expo Sale of Champions

Why is the Oklahoma Youth Expo such a big event?

Out of Oklahoma’s 44 million acres of land, 35 million acres are used for farming, and the state’s 86,600 farms make our agriculture industry one of the best in the nation.  Oklahoma ranks 5th in the nation in cattle and calf production, 8th in hogs production and 17th in broiler production.

When the Oklahoma Youth Expo first began, almost a century ago, it was a place for the youth in our state to compete against the best of the best.  With the goal of promoting Oklahoma agriculture, OYE has definitely stayed true to its roots over the years. It is no wonder that the annual sale of champions raises nearly $750,000 for the exhibitors.

We are expecting another huge crowd that will fill up all of our barns and the Jim Norick Arena. Special events and workshops will include a wide variety of topics, including: the 6^th Annual This One’s for the Girls, a celebration of women in agriculture, will be held on March 19; OSU Day at OYE will be held on March 20 so don’t forget to wear your orange; and the Sale of Champions will take place on March 22.

For more information on this year’s Oklahoma Youth Expo including a complete schedule of events, please visit: www.okyouthexpo.com

This week, State Fair Park will host the 2013 Oklahoma International Auto Show. This much anticipated annual event is much more than just sitting in cars and trucks, so consider the following five activities when making your plans to attend:

1. Camp Jeep Indoor Obstacle Course: 
 An incredible indoor obstacle course where attendees can experience the handling of a Jeep over a mountain and other “trail rated” obstacles including vertical stumps to demonstrate ground clearance, 30 degree wedges to demonstrate stability, horizontal log obstacles to demonstrate climbing and suspension, and log ramps to demonstrate articulation. Sounds like fun to us!
2. The Chrysler Drive: If you are 18 years or older, here’s your no-pressure, no-hassle opportunity to drive and evaluate the latest models including: Chrysler 200, Chrysler 300, Chrysler Town & Country, Jeep Compass, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Dodge Durango, Dodge Dart, Ram 1500, and the FIAT 500!
3. Toy Car Treasure Hunt: Five toy cars will be hidden around State Fair Park every day of the show. Four of the toy cars will reveal a prize valued at $50; ONE grand prize toy car will reveal a prize valued between $500 and $1,000!  (Hint, hint…toy car hunters also need to be on the lookout for t-shirts because 20 t-shirts will be hidden every day too!)
4. Alive @ 25 Don’t Text and Drive: Sponsored by Oklahoma Safety Council, Red Carpet Car Wash, and AT&T. Students in grades 7 thru 12 who attend the 20 minute seminars at the Auto Show will receive an iTunes gift card for participating. Seminars are held at the top of the hour each day of the show.
5. Route 66 Auto Show:  This classic car exhibit offers dynamic displays and shopping opportunities!

The OKC Auto Show is March 7 – 10 at State Fair Park. In addition to these awesome activities, they’ll be other great events including daily door prizes, Ladies Night Out & VIP Preview Party (March 6), guest appearances, and new cars and trucks from 25 different brands.  Plan your trip at www.okcautoshow.org. Adult admission is $10 per person.

Since we first came to work here at State Fair Park back in May, every project my fellow interns and I have completed has led us closer to the huge, exciting event that has consumed our lives for the past 11 days- the 2012 Oklahoma State Fair.

As the Fair drew nearer and nearer, someone would remind us (almost daily) to “get ready, the Fair’s almost here” or “only a few more days now”.  It’s no wonder that these warnings caused us a bit of unease, since none of us really knew exactly what to expect.  So, when the count-down on our wall read only ‘One day until the Fair’, I had braced myself for a wild ride, and I’m not talking about the Mega Drop.

Here’s a pic of me in my rain gear during the Great Taste of a Fair Contest

Opening Day definitely threw me into ‘Fair mode’ head first.  We held the Third Annual Great Taste of A Fair vendor competition despite the uncooperative weather, and I was charged with transporting our vendors and their food entries through the downpour via golf cart to our eager panel of judges.  I was rewarded with a taste of these mouth-watering concoctions, which included the Oklahoma Cabernet Chocolate Souffle’ from Coco Flow, a Chocolate-Dipped Belgian Waffle On-A-Stick from Sophie’s Sidewalk Café’, a Deep-Fried Bacon Brownie from Layne’s Concessions and a famous Sweet Shop Deep-Fried Cinnamon Roll.  Not a bad way to start things off!

For the most part, my daily routine during the Fair was very similar to what I had done before it began.  I spent time interacting with fans through our Facebook page, answering questions, posting updates on what was going on here at the Oklahoma State Fair each day and helping with a few giveaways.

We often gave away Meet and Greet passes for the performers we had on the Chesapeake Energy Stage.  I particularly enjoyed these Meet and Greets, not only because I had the chance to introduce myself to some very talented musicians, but also because I got to see how wonderful an experience a Meet and Greet opportunity was for our Fairgoers.  It is a great feeling to know I helped make it possible for Fairgoers to meet artists they admire and create very special memories here at the State Fair.

I know it sounds like I’ve spent the past week and a half just stuffing my face and hanging out with awesome people (which I have), but like with anything else, there have also been some crazy, hectic, and stressful moments.  As interns, we are very fortunate to work with supervisors who are always there to help us with whatever problem we may encounter, and who do anything they can to make our experience better.

Here’s me with Eddie Money and a fellow intern!

Now that the 2012 State Fair has drawn to an end, I can say with confidence that it has been one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my collegiate career.  Were there rough patches?  Of course.  Was it exhausting? Yep, 14-hour days will get to you.  But I have learned more and done more in my 5 months of interning at the Oklahoma State Fair than I ever would have expected, and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this amazing organization.

It makes me sad when I think that my time here is almost over, but I know that, thanks to my truly awesome boss and the hands-on experience I have gained, I am so much better prepared for my soon-to-be professional career.

I hope you all had as wonderful a time visiting the Oklahoma State Fair as I have interning here, and I look forward to the next great thing the future has in store.

It’s not too late to enjoy one of Oklahoma’s beautiful lakes from the comfort of your very own boat!  The Oklahoma City Summer Boat Clearance sale will be at State Fair Park this weekend in the Travel and Transportation Building, featuring a wide variety of boats, personal watercraft, and outdoor accessories from dealers around the state.  Tickets can be purchased at the door for $7.00 per person and $12.00 per couple, and children under 12 are FREE!

The Goodtimes Car & Bike Show will be held in the Cox Pavilion this Saturday, July 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The show boasts over 34 classes of motorcycles and cars, and $1,500 in prize money.  Tickets are $10.00 for adults, and can be purchased at the door.  Kids 12 and under are FREE!

To round out the week of shows, the Greater Oklahoma Hunter Jumper Preview & Horse Show continues through Sunday, July 29.  Admission is FREE, so now is your chance to come out to State Fair Park and catch some of the action!

We apologize for any problems you have experienced today trying to access okstatefair.com to buy tickets for the 2012 Oklahoma State Fair. We are having issues with our website, but we are aware of the problems and we are doing everything we can to fix them.

If you are trying to buy ticket online, and you can’t access okstatefair.com, you can buy tickets online here.

We hope to get this issue resolved shortly. Thank you for your patience and we’ll see you in September!