Copyright Baton Rouge Advocate
Pet friendly farm animals. Take a whirl in a helicopter. Those attractions and a whole lot more are in store for visitors to the Greater Baton Rouge State Fair, which will open Thursday and run through Sunday, Nov. 2. Hot Glass Academy from Americus, Georgia, is a first-timer at the fair. "Every day of the fair, they'll be doing glass blowing demonstrations and talking about glass blowing and actually producing items while they talk," said fair president and CEO Cliff Barton. "Something we've never had before. And it's kind of a neat thing to watch." Cheramie Farms in Cut Off will be hauling in a mini horse, mini cow, mini donkey, sheep, goats, a pig, ducks, geese, a tortoise and a kangaroo for the petting zoo. "It's the first time for them, too, and we're kind of excited about that," said Barton. "Our other big new thing is we have a company that's going to be selling helicopter rides." Fly Bama will be offering 3-to-5-minute rides, affording passengers a view of all the fun from above. This is one of the few events not included with regular admission, Barton pointed out. The helicopter liftoff area will be located on what was the old stage area, down the hill behind the food court. It will be roped off and set up to ensure safety, which will also include constant monitoring, Barton said. On the subject of security, the fair maintains a clear-bag policy, making an exception for diaper bags. Security will be screening fairgoers at the gate for weapons. "Sheriff's deputies will provide security every minute that we're open, and then even after we close in the evening, they're there until the crowd is dispersed," Barton explained. "And we also have first responders on staff all of the working hours of the fair. We try to pride ourselves as being a safe family environment." Even though the fair endured two days of rain during last year's run, it still attracted between 40,000 and 45,000 people. A volunteer pool of 75-100 people work the festival over its 11 days, Barton, who's marking his 53rd year as a volunteer, said. A separate entity, the GBRSF Foundation, disperses fair profits back into the community throughout the year in the form of grants, scholarships and sponsorships. The fair has raised almost $5 million since 1987 for programs involving children, families and quality of life.
