Crazy rides, diverse food and amusing animals: Bluegrass Fair is underway

Wild rides, a variety of funnel cakes and an incredible dog show were just a few of the sights attendees saw this weekend at the Bluegrass Fair.

The fair, at Masterson Station Park, opened Thursday and hosted a variety of events during its debut weekend. The festival boasted entertainment for newcomers and veterans alike, such as camel rides, a Ferris wheel, a dog show and bumper cars. Although temperatures were in the high 80s Sunday, that didn’t stop plenty of people from enjoying the annual event.

One fair-goer, 12-year-old Kieran Taylor was driving a bumper car while being watched by Shelby Palmer. Once Kieran got off the bumper cars, he called his experience “good” and was visibly energized, giving Palmer multiple high-fives.

Palmer said she likes to take Taylor to fun events to get him out of the house.

“We just like to find stuff to do when I’m in town and (I) happened to hear about this,” said Palmer.

The two were some of the first through the gates when the fair opened Sunday afternoon.

“He was counting down the minutes,” Palmer said of Taylor.

Robert Aubrey, 17, and friend Devin Sherman, 25, were also enjoying the fair. The two rode the Scrambler, a version of the Twister amusement ride.

Sherman called the fair “awesome” and said he has been going to the fair about every year since 2012.

“This is my second night here,” he said of this year’s fair.

Aubrey, who also had his fair share of preferable rides, also liked the food.

“The one (aspect of) the fair that you always like better than anything else is (the) funnel cakes,” he said. “Because you can get food sometimes at other places ... but you can’t get funnel cakes like you can at the fair.”

Aubrey said he was cautious about eating a funnel cake before he went on a turbulent ride.

Funnel cakes flavors such as Snickers, Reese’s, and Milky Way were proudly on display at the fair. Other treats included giant ice cream cones and tacos.

The fair, presented by the Lexington Lions Club for over 55 years, runs until July 23. Other events planned for this week include a lamb show at 6 p.m. Monday, Kids Activity Day starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday and the Equine Parade of Breeds starting Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

This story was originally published July 16, 2017 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Crazy rides, diverse food and amusing animals: Bluegrass Fair is underway."