August 30, 2024 • 18 mins
It's State Fair Time again in Hutchinson! We visit with KSF Director Bryan Schultz about all the exciting things happening at this year's statewide get-together. www.kansasstatefair.com
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Wichit on weekend, the weekly public affairs program
from iHeartRadio Wichiton ninety seven, ninety ninety eight, Well O
two won the Bull Channel ninety sixty three and Ault
one O seven three.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
It's happening September sixth through fifteenth in Hutchinson. Of course,
I'm talking about the Kansas State Fair, celebrating all things
Kansas for many, many years, and I have the director
of the Kansas State Fair, Brian Schultz, on the line. Brian,
are you already for a fair time?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Well, we're getting close. Let's put it that way. We
have started moving in a lot of our vendors. On Tuesday,
we'll have all the indoor vendors starting, We've got the
carnival loading in, We've got everything getting ready, and we
will be ready for people to start moving in and
enjoying the fair next Friday.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Oh boy, it'll be here before we know it. And
I know you guys will be ready because the State
Fair always does it right. Let's say that there's somebody
listening this morning that hasn't been in a while. Maybe
they're you know, I don't know, maybe they're a older
couple or something. Let's invite them to the fair. What
could you say to them that would maybe invite them
(01:11):
and get them interested in coming back to the fair.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Absolutely well. One of the biggest things is we want
to make sure that people know that when they're coming
to the Kansas State Fair, it's a safe, enjoyable location
here in Hutcheson, and getting around the fair is very
easy as well. I mean, if you need to park
in a handicap accessible parking lot, we've got one right
outside of Gate five. We've got one over on the
(01:36):
other side of Gate nine, so we have plenty of
parking that way. And even that, we've got trams and
trolleys that will bring you in from the parking lot inside,
and then we've got a tram that will go around
the outside grounds of the fair, so you can jump on,
you can jump off, check out some things, and go
around there. We also have stroller and scooter rentals and
(01:59):
wheelchair rentals on the grounds. So just making your stay
here at the Kansas State Fair very safe and happy.
What our big goal is.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
That's right all for your comfort and convenience, because we
want you to come out and enjoy the fair, whether
you're going to be checking out, just the general midway
or some of the rides, or bringing the kids out
for the rides and man, oh man, what a lineup
for the concerts this year, Brian.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Yeah, we're really excited about our concert lineup this year,
as we are every year, but this year especially. I
mean when you start looking at bringing in someone with
the credentials of Wanona Judd and Kimberly Perry to kick
off the fair. Absolutely, that's going to be Friday night
at seven point thirty at the next Tech grand Stands,
and then Saturday we've got the Goo Goo Dolls. Sunday
(02:46):
we're doing our Hispanic Latin Day and we've got a
full line up there that'll start at three o'clock. We've
got Hispanic dancers, we have mariachi bands, we have a
DJ that's going to be playing some Spanic music, and
then to culminate the whole day, we have La Lanzia
Nortina that's going to top off the day. So we
(03:09):
have just a great line up there. Monday is our
traditional day for our demolition derby. That's at seven point
thirty Tuesday, we are bringing in a live band experience
celebrating Taylor Swift with Let's sing Taylor, Oh Boy. We
know Taylor's big into the industry right now.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Wednesday night is traditionally our Christian night, so we've got
Casting Crowns and Katie Nicole. Tickets are going just fantastic
with that and it's going to be a great night. Thursday,
we're bringing in kind of the nostalgic rock music and
we have Broadways Rock of Ages band. They are going
to be coming in and doing a lot of your
(03:48):
favorite rock and roll. And then Friday night again we
have Pop Evil and Diamante doing our rock side and
that's at seven thirty pm Saturday night. This is going
to be a really big concert. Our tickets are selling
really really well. This is Riley Green and Ella Langley
Oh Ye'll be on the stage and that'll be a
seven point thirty show on Saturday. And then to culminate
(04:10):
the whole Kansas State Fair and our entertainment lineup, we
have the Oakridge Boys with Rockland Road and I think
that is going to be a fantastic afternoon and that's
going to be a three o'clock show down at the
next Tech Grandstand.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Oakridge Boys living legends and so cool to see them.
What a great way to kind of close out.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
And the neat thing about it is Dwayne Allen's daughter
is in the band Rockland Road and they will be
opening up for the Oakridge Boys. It's her, her husband
and their children that play in Rockland Road, so that's
kind of a family tie.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
How cool is that. That's going to be a great time.
That is going to be a wonderful time. And of
course for any of these shows to get on and
buy tickets and get into the Kansas State Fair, what's
the best way to do that?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Brian, Well, I'm going to tell you that there is
really only one way to do that, and that is
to go out to our website, Kansastatefair dot com, click
on the buy tickets because if you buy them from
somewhere else, we're not we can't guarantee that what you're
buying is what you're actually going to get. When you
buy them from the Kansas State Fair website, and then
(05:18):
that'll take you out to etics that's our ticketing company,
you will know that you've got a ticket that we
can back up. We can look it up in our
system and say, yes, you bought this ticket on this
date and here's how much you paid for it. We've
had some people call in and say, hey, you know what,
I bought these tickets, but they're three times more than
what you're selling them for. And it's like, you know,
(05:38):
we can't control that because you've gone to a third
party site. Yeah, and they're selling somebody else's tickets, and
you know, to be safe, only go to the Kansastatefair
dot com click on buy your tickets and that'll be
a safe and secure area there.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Love it not just the best way, but the only
way Kansastatefair dot com get those tickets. Brian, do you
recommend normally the that folks plan out their visit to
the fair? Is that a good idea?
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Yes? Yeah, absolutely Again, go out to our website. We
have a link up on the top that says plan
your visit. It'll talk to you about all the neat
things that we've got on the grounds, from our free
entertainment to our accessibility, to how do you get here?
What are our building hours, you know, all the special
events that go on out at the fair grounds, so
(06:23):
you can plan that. The other way you can do
it is go out and on the and download our app.
We have a brand new app this year, So go
out to the Android or Apple Store and download it.
It's a free app. The neat thing about that is
you can see all of the entertainment, you can set
your things you want to go to. And the fun
(06:45):
thing is it's got wayfinding. So if you're hungry and
you're saying, you know what today, I think I want
a Pronto pup. You can type in the word Pronto pup.
It'll show all the different locations you can hit on it.
It'll actually give you directions on how to get there.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Brian, that is the answer to many a prayer out there.
I'm sure that's fantastic to think about.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Literally, yeah, take me to the Prado. But hey, I
feel like a glass of iced tea. What about a
turkey leg Yeah? You type that in.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Right, Yeah, goodness. And if we don't have it, or
you're looking for a vendor that does has xyz, you
can type that in there and if it's somebody that's
on the grounds, it'll tell you that's either in the
Pride of Kansas, the middle arc, the sun north, Sun south,
or somewhere out on the grounds and it'll tell you
approximately where it's at and you can walk right there.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Again, it's all about making it easy for you to
come out and have a great time at this annual
celebration of all things Kansas at the Kansas State Fair.
It's going on September sixth through the fifteenth in Hutchinson.
We're talking with Brian Schultz. He is the director of
the Kansas State Fair. Brian, what's your personal history with
the fair? You been with him for a while.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
This will be my fourth fair. I've lived here in
hutch for three years. I started about six weeks prior
to the twenty twenty one fair. Oh wow, So again
this will be my fourth fair. And prior to that,
I was a fair manager up in North Dakota. I
did that for like fourteen years. And so, yeah, fairs
in my blood.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
You're from a long line, well not a long line,
but you're your own fair tradition of a career and everything.
So how does Kansas compare to North Dakota the fairs
you remember doing up there?
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Well, my fair up in North Dakota was more of
a regional fair. We'd bring in about one hundred, one
hundred and twenty five thousand people here at the Kansas
State Fair. Our average attendance is about three hundred and
fifty thousand, so a little bit bigger, a little bit
bigger staff, which is fantastic. We have a lot more
opportunity to build programming for people when they're coming on
the grounds. And you know, my family is kind of
(08:48):
they've jumped into the fair industry as well. My oldest
daughter is the director of entertainment for the Nebraska State Fair,
so it kind of went into our lineage of being
a fair family. So we're really be excited about that.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Oh that's really cool. Well, what's your personal favorite part
about the fair? Brian? What when you go just strolling around?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
What do you like?
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Well? My big thing is I with such a fantastic staff,
I am able to talk to people, walk around and
talk to people, find out what what made them come
to the Kansas State Fair. What is some of the
things that they you know, they love about the fair?
What could we do different? That's where we get a
lot of our ideas, and it's also just finding out
the traditions that have been built over the last years.
(09:33):
I talked to a lot of grandmas and grandpa's that
have their grandkids or great great grandkids with them and
you know, talk about, hey, what what made you come here?
Was it? Was it the all the different things that
we have or what was it? And a lot of
it talks about the traditions from sitting and sharing an
ice cream cone to showing animals to you know, having
(09:54):
their first kiss on the double ferris wheel, all those
kind of fun things that that's what makes my heart
just so happy.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Well, and you know, it's kind of interesting how different
it depends on what part of Kansas you're from and
whether you're from a rural area or a more metropolitan area.
But people enjoy the Fair for different things, Like I
know that a lot of kids that were in in
the groups there, like the FFA and groups like that,
have a different experience. It's more education and more participation
(10:24):
for them than just coming out and having entertainment, which
is also a great time.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Absolutely. This year, we're celebrating our twenty fifth anniversary of
the Grand Drive and that is one of the largest
cattle shows. Well it's our largest cattle show here at
the Kansas State Fair and that happens the first weekend
and we're doing a lot of really neat things this
year prior to the Grand Drive starting On Saturday, we're
having the Peterson Farm Brothers come in and do a
(10:50):
free concert in the pavilion. We've upped our scholarships. Every
year we give ten thousand dollars with the scholarships out.
This year we gave out fifth teen thousand dollars in
scholarships because of their twenty fifth anniversary. So it's just
you know, getting the kids involved in the fair. Showing
animals is not a cheap experience, so we want to
(11:12):
you know, recognize that. And also these kids put in
a lot of time and effort into their animals. It's
a great learning part for them. And you know they
might not get a whole lot of time out on
the midway or going to a concert, but you know,
being out there with their animals and showing them and
learning things like that, that's a huge part of growing
(11:34):
up here at the Kansas State PAM.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Yeah, and it's been a long time tradition and one
that just keeps getting better year after year. And you know,
Brian too. We also ought to mention that a lot
of the commercial exhibits are there and there are some
vendors out there. When I say vendors, there's some implement dealers.
You know, you're you're all kinds of different businesses out
there that might offer some fair deals that are available
(11:59):
only during that at seven day event.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Right.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Oh, absolutely, yeah, that is something that is really big.
You hear a lot of the advertisements out there, you know,
come out to the fair, see us in booth whatever
it is, and we're having a fair time special.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Right.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
So it's a great opportunity. We know a lot of
people come out here and buy tractors and lawnmowers and
stuff like that, or beds. You know, we've got just
about anything you can imagine here at the Kansas State Fair.
So it's a great shopping experience as well. Well.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I would say that all the planning and the ticket
buying and everything just begins with a visit to the
website at Kansastatefair dot com. Go there, do a little planning,
get your tickets set up, and decide what days you're
going to do, what days you're going to go, and
what you're going to do, and you'll just have a
great experience, whether it's your first time or your fiftieth
(12:52):
time at the Kansas State Fair.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Yeah, and if you're a history buff, you know you
can go out to our website and click on the
general information. We've got the history of the Kansas State Fair.
Every time I read that, I learned something new about
how it came about and all the different things that
have happened here at the State Fair, the transitioning from
a smaller fair up to the big fair that we
are now. So a lot of great history there if
(13:16):
you want to learn more about it.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
You know, I was going through the list of performers
that have been at the Fair over the years since
whatever the early twenties. I didn't know Johnny Cash played
the Kansas State Fair.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
You know.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Yeah, there's a lot of really interesting things out there
that you'll probably didn't realize. I mean, the Garth Brooks
is all those that have played here, and I believe
that the Oakrege Boys this is their fourth time that
they've played here. So yeah, I mean, there's a lot
of history to have for some of the They were
a small band and now they're you know, multimillion dollars
(13:50):
to get them in, so it's great.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
They're global and they are going to be at the
Kansas State Fair along with a great list of performers
at the next ten Next Tech grandstand. And what you
need to do is get online right now, go to
Kansastatefair dot com, plan your visit and get up there.
Maybe go more than once. I suppose some folks from
which don might go two or three times during the fair.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Right, absolutely, yep. And I mean you're an easy forty
five minute drive, so yeah, just plan your way. And
you know, one of the things that we get asked
a lot is how what are some ways of getting
into the fair a little less expensive. I've got a
you know, three or four children that are going to
be coming with me. We've always got opportunities for you
(14:35):
to save on admission. The first Friday, if you're fifty
five or older, it's two dollars to get in thanks
to Kansas Department of Aging and Disabilities. On Monday is
Dylan's Dollar Day, so if you're a Dylan's Plus card holder,
you get in for free with where one person does
with a card, the other people get in for a dollar.
Tuesday and Thursday it's four after four and then Friday,
(14:58):
if you are a play on member for the Kansas Lottery,
you show your membership and it's two dollars to get in.
And if you want. If you haven't bought your season
pass yet and you know you're going to be here
quite a few different times. By the season pass, it's
fifty bucks that will get you in all ten days.
It's a fifty dollars savings that ends as of September fifth,
(15:18):
so I would buy it early. But yeah, if you're
planning on coming, there's always ways to get to save
on your admissions.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Well, it's well worth your time no matter how long
you can stay. Come on out to the fair, stay
three four hours, or you know, come back three or
four times. Like Brian says, there's some great ways to
save some money. So go to the website Kansastatefair dot
com and we will see you in Hutchinson September sixth
through fifteenth, you know, celebrating all things Kansas. I'm kind
(15:47):
of excited about it. Brian. One last question here, can
you offer any tips on any hot food items on
the midway? Is there anything that's brand new that you're
going to be really excited about.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
We do have a few things that are brand new
on the on the concession side. One of them that
I think looks phenomenal is the Smorest kissadea that Do
six is putting out. It is a kissidia that is
made with marshmallows and chocolate and then fold it up
and then more chocolate and more marshmallows on the top.
We have pretzel wrap pickles, we have taco burger sliders,
(16:25):
grilled cheese slammers. I mean, there's so many really cool
new things that are going to be out there. Again,
this is out on our website, so you can see
that and kind of get it more of a feeling
of what kind of foods are out there. In the app,
you can hit a button like I said, and it'll
take you to that location. So yeah, let me happy.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Well, I can just think, I just imagine those some
more's case ideas. I'll take one of those, or maybe
six of.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Those, absolutely one each day you're here.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
There you go. Brian Schultz, director of the Kansas State Fair,
thanks so much for being with us on Wichita weekend.
You've got me all excited about heading out to Hutchinson
and I hope that folks that are listening here today
get the same idea and get that fair fever. It's
a it's a wonderful time of year to get out
and celebrate Kansas and by all means, head out there
(17:18):
and have a great time with the entire family. Kansas
Statefair dot com that's the website. That's where you need
to go to check out everything, do your research, get
your tickets, and get ready for the twenty twenty four
Kansas State Fair. Brian Schultz, thanks so much for being
with us on Wichita Weekend.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Don Thank you very much, and we appreciate all that
you do for us here at the Kansas State Fair
and we look forward to seeing your smile and face
out here next week.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
You bet we'll see you in hutch Thank you for
listening to Wichita Weekend, a service of iHeartRadio stations one
O two won the Bowl, Channel nine to sixty three
ALT one O seven three and ninety seven nine B
ninety eight. Listen every Sunday for Wichita Weekend.
Welcome to Wichit on weekend, the weekly public affairs program
from iHeartRadio Wichiton ninety seven, ninety ninety eight, Well O
two won the Bull Channel ninety sixty three and Ault
one O seven three.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
It's happening September sixth through fifteenth in Hutchinson. Of course,
I'm talking about the Kansas State Fair, celebrating all things
Kansas for many, many years, and I have the director
of the Kansas State Fair, Brian Schultz, on the line. Brian,
are you already for a fair time?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Well, we're getting close. Let's put it that way. We
have started moving in a lot of our vendors. On Tuesday,
we'll have all the indoor vendors starting, We've got the
carnival loading in, We've got everything getting ready, and we
will be ready for people to start moving in and
enjoying the fair next Friday.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Oh boy, it'll be here before we know it. And
I know you guys will be ready because the State
Fair always does it right. Let's say that there's somebody
listening this morning that hasn't been in a while. Maybe
they're you know, I don't know, maybe they're a older
couple or something. Let's invite them to the fair. What
could you say to them that would maybe invite them
(01:11):
and get them interested in coming back to the fair.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Absolutely well. One of the biggest things is we want
to make sure that people know that when they're coming
to the Kansas State Fair, it's a safe, enjoyable location
here in Hutcheson, and getting around the fair is very
easy as well. I mean, if you need to park
in a handicap accessible parking lot, we've got one right
outside of Gate five. We've got one over on the
(01:36):
other side of Gate nine, so we have plenty of
parking that way. And even that, we've got trams and
trolleys that will bring you in from the parking lot inside,
and then we've got a tram that will go around
the outside grounds of the fair, so you can jump on,
you can jump off, check out some things, and go
around there. We also have stroller and scooter rentals and
(01:59):
wheelchair rentals on the grounds. So just making your stay
here at the Kansas State Fair very safe and happy.
What our big goal is.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
That's right all for your comfort and convenience, because we
want you to come out and enjoy the fair, whether
you're going to be checking out, just the general midway
or some of the rides, or bringing the kids out
for the rides and man, oh man, what a lineup
for the concerts this year, Brian.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Yeah, we're really excited about our concert lineup this year,
as we are every year, but this year especially. I
mean when you start looking at bringing in someone with
the credentials of Wanona Judd and Kimberly Perry to kick
off the fair. Absolutely, that's going to be Friday night
at seven point thirty at the next Tech grand Stands,
and then Saturday we've got the Goo Goo Dolls. Sunday
(02:46):
we're doing our Hispanic Latin Day and we've got a
full line up there that'll start at three o'clock. We've
got Hispanic dancers, we have mariachi bands, we have a
DJ that's going to be playing some Spanic music, and
then to culminate the whole day, we have La Lanzia
Nortina that's going to top off the day. So we
(03:09):
have just a great line up there. Monday is our
traditional day for our demolition derby. That's at seven point
thirty Tuesday, we are bringing in a live band experience
celebrating Taylor Swift with Let's sing Taylor, Oh Boy. We
know Taylor's big into the industry right now.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Wednesday night is traditionally our Christian night, so we've got
Casting Crowns and Katie Nicole. Tickets are going just fantastic
with that and it's going to be a great night. Thursday,
we're bringing in kind of the nostalgic rock music and
we have Broadways Rock of Ages band. They are going
to be coming in and doing a lot of your
(03:48):
favorite rock and roll. And then Friday night again we
have Pop Evil and Diamante doing our rock side and
that's at seven thirty pm Saturday night. This is going
to be a really big concert. Our tickets are selling
really really well. This is Riley Green and Ella Langley
Oh Ye'll be on the stage and that'll be a
seven point thirty show on Saturday. And then to culminate
(04:10):
the whole Kansas State Fair and our entertainment lineup, we
have the Oakridge Boys with Rockland Road and I think
that is going to be a fantastic afternoon and that's
going to be a three o'clock show down at the
next Tech Grandstand.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Oakridge Boys living legends and so cool to see them.
What a great way to kind of close out.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
And the neat thing about it is Dwayne Allen's daughter
is in the band Rockland Road and they will be
opening up for the Oakridge Boys. It's her, her husband
and their children that play in Rockland Road, so that's
kind of a family tie.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
How cool is that. That's going to be a great time.
That is going to be a wonderful time. And of
course for any of these shows to get on and
buy tickets and get into the Kansas State Fair, what's
the best way to do that?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Brian, Well, I'm going to tell you that there is
really only one way to do that, and that is
to go out to our website, Kansastatefair dot com, click
on the buy tickets because if you buy them from
somewhere else, we're not we can't guarantee that what you're
buying is what you're actually going to get. When you
buy them from the Kansas State Fair website, and then
(05:18):
that'll take you out to etics that's our ticketing company,
you will know that you've got a ticket that we
can back up. We can look it up in our
system and say, yes, you bought this ticket on this
date and here's how much you paid for it. We've
had some people call in and say, hey, you know what,
I bought these tickets, but they're three times more than
what you're selling them for. And it's like, you know,
(05:38):
we can't control that because you've gone to a third
party site. Yeah, and they're selling somebody else's tickets, and
you know, to be safe, only go to the Kansastatefair
dot com click on buy your tickets and that'll be
a safe and secure area there.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Love it not just the best way, but the only
way Kansastatefair dot com get those tickets. Brian, do you
recommend normally the that folks plan out their visit to
the fair? Is that a good idea?
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Yes? Yeah, absolutely Again, go out to our website. We
have a link up on the top that says plan
your visit. It'll talk to you about all the neat
things that we've got on the grounds, from our free
entertainment to our accessibility, to how do you get here?
What are our building hours, you know, all the special
events that go on out at the fair grounds, so
(06:23):
you can plan that. The other way you can do
it is go out and on the and download our app.
We have a brand new app this year, So go
out to the Android or Apple Store and download it.
It's a free app. The neat thing about that is
you can see all of the entertainment, you can set
your things you want to go to. And the fun
(06:45):
thing is it's got wayfinding. So if you're hungry and
you're saying, you know what today, I think I want
a Pronto pup. You can type in the word Pronto pup.
It'll show all the different locations you can hit on it.
It'll actually give you directions on how to get there.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Brian, that is the answer to many a prayer out there.
I'm sure that's fantastic to think about.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Literally, yeah, take me to the Prado. But hey, I
feel like a glass of iced tea. What about a
turkey leg Yeah? You type that in.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Right, Yeah, goodness. And if we don't have it, or
you're looking for a vendor that does has xyz, you
can type that in there and if it's somebody that's
on the grounds, it'll tell you that's either in the
Pride of Kansas, the middle arc, the sun north, Sun south,
or somewhere out on the grounds and it'll tell you
approximately where it's at and you can walk right there.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Again, it's all about making it easy for you to
come out and have a great time at this annual
celebration of all things Kansas at the Kansas State Fair.
It's going on September sixth through the fifteenth in Hutchinson.
We're talking with Brian Schultz. He is the director of
the Kansas State Fair. Brian, what's your personal history with
the fair? You been with him for a while.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
This will be my fourth fair. I've lived here in
hutch for three years. I started about six weeks prior
to the twenty twenty one fair. Oh wow, So again
this will be my fourth fair. And prior to that,
I was a fair manager up in North Dakota. I
did that for like fourteen years. And so, yeah, fairs
in my blood.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
You're from a long line, well not a long line,
but you're your own fair tradition of a career and everything.
So how does Kansas compare to North Dakota the fairs
you remember doing up there?
Speaker 3 (08:25):
Well, my fair up in North Dakota was more of
a regional fair. We'd bring in about one hundred, one
hundred and twenty five thousand people here at the Kansas
State Fair. Our average attendance is about three hundred and
fifty thousand, so a little bit bigger, a little bit
bigger staff, which is fantastic. We have a lot more
opportunity to build programming for people when they're coming on
the grounds. And you know, my family is kind of
(08:48):
they've jumped into the fair industry as well. My oldest
daughter is the director of entertainment for the Nebraska State Fair,
so it kind of went into our lineage of being
a fair family. So we're really be excited about that.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Oh that's really cool. Well, what's your personal favorite part
about the fair? Brian? What when you go just strolling around?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
What do you like?
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Well? My big thing is I with such a fantastic staff,
I am able to talk to people, walk around and
talk to people, find out what what made them come
to the Kansas State Fair. What is some of the
things that they you know, they love about the fair?
What could we do different? That's where we get a
lot of our ideas, and it's also just finding out
the traditions that have been built over the last years.
(09:33):
I talked to a lot of grandmas and grandpa's that
have their grandkids or great great grandkids with them and
you know, talk about, hey, what what made you come here?
Was it? Was it the all the different things that
we have or what was it? And a lot of
it talks about the traditions from sitting and sharing an
ice cream cone to showing animals to you know, having
(09:54):
their first kiss on the double ferris wheel, all those
kind of fun things that that's what makes my heart
just so happy.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Well, and you know, it's kind of interesting how different
it depends on what part of Kansas you're from and
whether you're from a rural area or a more metropolitan area.
But people enjoy the Fair for different things, Like I
know that a lot of kids that were in in
the groups there, like the FFA and groups like that,
have a different experience. It's more education and more participation
(10:24):
for them than just coming out and having entertainment, which
is also a great time.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Absolutely. This year, we're celebrating our twenty fifth anniversary of
the Grand Drive and that is one of the largest
cattle shows. Well it's our largest cattle show here at
the Kansas State Fair and that happens the first weekend
and we're doing a lot of really neat things this
year prior to the Grand Drive starting On Saturday, we're
having the Peterson Farm Brothers come in and do a
(10:50):
free concert in the pavilion. We've upped our scholarships. Every
year we give ten thousand dollars with the scholarships out.
This year we gave out fifth teen thousand dollars in
scholarships because of their twenty fifth anniversary. So it's just
you know, getting the kids involved in the fair. Showing
animals is not a cheap experience, so we want to
(11:12):
you know, recognize that. And also these kids put in
a lot of time and effort into their animals. It's
a great learning part for them. And you know they
might not get a whole lot of time out on
the midway or going to a concert, but you know,
being out there with their animals and showing them and
learning things like that, that's a huge part of growing
(11:34):
up here at the Kansas State PAM.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Yeah, and it's been a long time tradition and one
that just keeps getting better year after year. And you know,
Brian too. We also ought to mention that a lot
of the commercial exhibits are there and there are some
vendors out there. When I say vendors, there's some implement dealers.
You know, you're you're all kinds of different businesses out
there that might offer some fair deals that are available
(11:59):
only during that at seven day event.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Right.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Oh, absolutely, yeah, that is something that is really big.
You hear a lot of the advertisements out there, you know,
come out to the fair, see us in booth whatever
it is, and we're having a fair time special.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Right.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
So it's a great opportunity. We know a lot of
people come out here and buy tractors and lawnmowers and
stuff like that, or beds. You know, we've got just
about anything you can imagine here at the Kansas State Fair.
So it's a great shopping experience as well. Well.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
I would say that all the planning and the ticket
buying and everything just begins with a visit to the
website at Kansastatefair dot com. Go there, do a little planning,
get your tickets set up, and decide what days you're
going to do, what days you're going to go, and
what you're going to do, and you'll just have a
great experience, whether it's your first time or your fiftieth
(12:52):
time at the Kansas State Fair.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Yeah, and if you're a history buff, you know you
can go out to our website and click on the
general information. We've got the history of the Kansas State Fair.
Every time I read that, I learned something new about
how it came about and all the different things that
have happened here at the State Fair, the transitioning from
a smaller fair up to the big fair that we
are now. So a lot of great history there if
(13:16):
you want to learn more about it.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
You know, I was going through the list of performers
that have been at the Fair over the years since
whatever the early twenties. I didn't know Johnny Cash played
the Kansas State Fair.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
You know.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Yeah, there's a lot of really interesting things out there
that you'll probably didn't realize. I mean, the Garth Brooks
is all those that have played here, and I believe
that the Oakrege Boys this is their fourth time that
they've played here. So yeah, I mean, there's a lot
of history to have for some of the They were
a small band and now they're you know, multimillion dollars
(13:50):
to get them in, so it's great.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
They're global and they are going to be at the
Kansas State Fair along with a great list of performers
at the next ten Next Tech grandstand. And what you
need to do is get online right now, go to
Kansastatefair dot com, plan your visit and get up there.
Maybe go more than once. I suppose some folks from
which don might go two or three times during the fair.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Right, absolutely, yep. And I mean you're an easy forty
five minute drive, so yeah, just plan your way. And
you know, one of the things that we get asked
a lot is how what are some ways of getting
into the fair a little less expensive. I've got a
you know, three or four children that are going to
be coming with me. We've always got opportunities for you
(14:35):
to save on admission. The first Friday, if you're fifty
five or older, it's two dollars to get in thanks
to Kansas Department of Aging and Disabilities. On Monday is
Dylan's Dollar Day, so if you're a Dylan's Plus card holder,
you get in for free with where one person does
with a card, the other people get in for a dollar.
Tuesday and Thursday it's four after four and then Friday,
(14:58):
if you are a play on member for the Kansas Lottery,
you show your membership and it's two dollars to get in.
And if you want. If you haven't bought your season
pass yet and you know you're going to be here
quite a few different times. By the season pass, it's
fifty bucks that will get you in all ten days.
It's a fifty dollars savings that ends as of September fifth,
(15:18):
so I would buy it early. But yeah, if you're
planning on coming, there's always ways to get to save
on your admissions.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Well, it's well worth your time no matter how long
you can stay. Come on out to the fair, stay
three four hours, or you know, come back three or
four times. Like Brian says, there's some great ways to
save some money. So go to the website Kansastatefair dot
com and we will see you in Hutchinson September sixth
through fifteenth, you know, celebrating all things Kansas. I'm kind
(15:47):
of excited about it. Brian. One last question here, can
you offer any tips on any hot food items on
the midway? Is there anything that's brand new that you're
going to be really excited about.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
We do have a few things that are brand new
on the on the concession side. One of them that
I think looks phenomenal is the Smorest kissadea that Do
six is putting out. It is a kissidia that is
made with marshmallows and chocolate and then fold it up
and then more chocolate and more marshmallows on the top.
We have pretzel wrap pickles, we have taco burger sliders,
(16:25):
grilled cheese slammers. I mean, there's so many really cool
new things that are going to be out there. Again,
this is out on our website, so you can see
that and kind of get it more of a feeling
of what kind of foods are out there. In the app,
you can hit a button like I said, and it'll
take you to that location. So yeah, let me happy.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Well, I can just think, I just imagine those some
more's case ideas. I'll take one of those, or maybe
six of.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Those, absolutely one each day you're here.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
There you go. Brian Schultz, director of the Kansas State Fair,
thanks so much for being with us on Wichita weekend.
You've got me all excited about heading out to Hutchinson
and I hope that folks that are listening here today
get the same idea and get that fair fever. It's
a it's a wonderful time of year to get out
and celebrate Kansas and by all means, head out there
(17:18):
and have a great time with the entire family. Kansas
Statefair dot com that's the website. That's where you need
to go to check out everything, do your research, get
your tickets, and get ready for the twenty twenty four
Kansas State Fair. Brian Schultz, thanks so much for being
with us on Wichita Weekend.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Don Thank you very much, and we appreciate all that
you do for us here at the Kansas State Fair
and we look forward to seeing your smile and face
out here next week.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
You bet we'll see you in hutch Thank you for
listening to Wichita Weekend, a service of iHeartRadio stations one
O two won the Bowl, Channel nine to sixty three
ALT one O seven three and ninety seven nine B
ninety eight. Listen every Sunday for Wichita Weekend.
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