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The Dam Rock Station Playing Anything that Rocks!!
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — There’s a chance for attendees at the South Dakota State Fair to take advantage of some price breaks before the annual fair starts on Aug. 28.
The fair is six days this year and will close on Sept. 2. The regular daily adult admission is $10 and $5 for youth 6-15. If attendees buy those daily admissions before Aug. 28, they get a 20% discount. Weekly adult and youth passes are also available as well as a daily family pass for two adults and four kids.
Preseason for pheasant hunters
Ordering grandstand tickets on or before Aug. 27 can also save the buyer money. This year’s grandstand lineup includes bull riding on Aug. 28 and 29. There is also a mix of country and rock from Aug. 30 through Sept. 2. Tickets ordered on or before Aug. 27 will include grandstand admission. Buyers won’t need to pay the admission on the day of the grandstand event.
For those looking to save on gate admission in other ways, the state fair offers free admission after 3 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday, Aug. 27- Sept. 1 and after 3 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2.
The bull riding is featured on Aug. 28 and 29. The Goo Goo Dolls take the stage on Aug. 30. The music switches to more country before a Taylor Swift Tribute takes the stage on Monday.
Carnival ride discounts
Goldstar Amusements will provide the carnival midway rides.
All rides are $2 from 3 to 10 p.m. on Aug. 28.
There are two options to get discount ride passes. The first one is a $52 weekly pass bought at Olympic Motores on East Highway 14 in Huron. The $8 discount is available through 5 p.m. on Aug. 28. It must be bought with cash or check only.
Food and the Farmers Union
Candi Briley, of the state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, state fair division, said the 2024 fair includes 55 food vendors. Pot stickers, corn dogs, pancakes and pie are among the offerings. The state fair has a list and locations.
The fair features six stages of free entertainment with some performers starting in the morning. The entertainment in the beer garden starts at 10:30 p.m. and ends at 1:30 a.m. each day through Sunday. Sherwin & Pam Linton and the Cotton Kings return with multiple shows on the Centennial Stage every single day of the fair.
Briley said the fair will have more than 300 vendors this year. The fair also has a list and location for these vendors.
One of those vendors is the South Dakota Farmers Union. The organization is the sponsor of the Aug. 31 Farmers Union Day at the fair.
The day includes an 11:30 a.m. Farmers Share Lunch where diners pay what the farmers make from each lunch. SD Farmers Union executive director Karla Hofhenke said diners will pay 48 cents for a $16 meal.
“We want to educate the public about how much the farmer really gets,” Hofhenke said. A farmer receives about 15 cents from every dollar spent on a meal, Hofhenke said.
The lunch draws about 1,000 attendees.
The SD Farmers Union has a spot on West Third Street. Six years ago it added farm safety activity, Hofhenke said. “We get lots of participants,” she said. Youth learn, and adults, learn about PTO shaft safety, four-wheeler safety and other topics.
The vendors also include spots to buy boots or blankets.
Roaming robots
Robot Rangers will be strolling the fairgrounds throughout all six days of the fair.
People walking through the grounds will get a chance to see those Robot Rangers but also a chainsaw juggler and some big snakes.
The fair also has at least 17 specialty events or activities. Babies can even enter a diaper derby on Aug. 31. Another of those 17 activities is the Antique Tractor Show on Sunday, Sept. 1.
Big Jim 93.3 and Taco Johns are offering a $3 off coupon for daily ride bands on Thursday, Friday, and Monday. Coupons can be picked up at Taco Johns in Huron. The regular daily pass is $30.
Pigs, bugs, fish
The fair is steeped in its agricultural roots which means lots of livestock, FFA and 4-H exhibits. Open class, FFA and 4-H members bring pigs, sheep and other livestock to the fair.
The fair is also a chance for people to see fish on display from the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks.
Briley said the fair will have more than 7,500 open class livestock and static entries and 6,000 education entries.
Attendees can learn about insects or preserving photos and videos. They can also view photos and sewing projects from exhibitors.
The Farmers Union supports the state fair because of its role in the state’s agricultural industry, Hofhenke said. It’s a great event in which to educate the public about agriculture and the Farmers Union, she said.
Hofhenke also appreciates the community feel of the fair. And she invites everyone to experience the state fair.
“There really is something for everyone,” Hofhenke said.
The state fair is located on 190 acres in Huron.
Rapid City, South Dakota’s only commercial free unedited internet rock radio station; playing a little older rock and mainly newer rock. A fully licensed stream.
This station is part of the Deep Dive Radio Network.
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