Utah State Fair coming to Salt Lake City

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Photo is of a previous event at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City. The 2021 Utah State Fair will be Sept. 9-19. (Courtesy of Larry Mullenax)

Some people have embraced the recluse lifestyle that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, while others crave the adrenaline of being with strangers in an exciting environment. 

For those that fall into the second group, the Utah State Fair is coming this September. And for those that prefer solitude, perhaps a fresh corn dog or a statue of a cow carved from butter will draw you to the fairgrounds. 

Brielle Waite, 20, is a junior from Bakersfield, California who is majoring in public health. “What’s bringing me to the fair this year is honestly the food scene. I love different vendors and getting food from places from Utah and its best food,” she said.

The event runs from Sept. 9-19 at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City. Tickets can be purchased online now until the first day for $8. Tickets can also be purchased at a discounted rate for groups.

“The fair will not resemble, hopefully, the 2020 fair. It’s a much closer resemblance to the 2019 fair,” said Larry Mullenax, fair executive director. He said the Fair Board of Directors decided to bring back the competitive entries which include art and agriculture submissions in an effort to recreate a pre-COVID-19 fair experience.

The Fair Board of Directors is taking precautions in an effort to keep fair attendees safe. Mullenax said fair organizers are encouraging guests to purchase tickets online and wear face masks on fairgrounds. Bathrooms will be sanitized periodically and the grounds will not exceed the limits set by the local and state health department.

“We are just looking forward to providing a family fun environment where people can reconnect on past or lost relationships or friendships and actually go out and have fun and maybe forget a little bit about the challenges we’ve been through. That’s not to suggest that we’re not going to be taking everyone’s safety into consideration. We’ll have the same level of protection that we had in place in 2020,” Mullenax said. 

Mullenax said that the fair has many new things coming this year.

“We obviously have the rodeo and some great concerts this year. There’s going to be some really neat high aerial act performances that you will be able to see that will be almost death defying,” Mullenax said. 

The 11-day event will feature photography, agriculture, fine art, creative art and 4-H exhibits. Musical performances cover many different genres from country and pop to folk, blues and jazz.

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