DNREC upgrades Delaware State Fair showing

HARRINGTON — Toward the rear of the Delaware State Fair, at the corner of Holloway Avenue and East Rider Road, lies a building with a rustic wooden entrance.

For 10 days each July, it houses exhibits from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

And it’s where visitors can learn all about conquering the outdoors.

“It’s almost like walking in a library in a sense. It’s got a lot of information here, but we’re trying to do it in a friendly manner,” said Pat Emory, the director of the department’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. “So, it’s working out pretty good. We’ve been perfecting it each year and then changing and modifying, but it’s working out well.”

Inside are a variety of attractions and activities, like a sea life touch tank, informational boards about the agency’s missions and three large fishtanks with a variety of creatures found in bay water, ocean water and freshwater. It all sits by a massive satellite map of Delaware along the ground.

Various DNREC divisions have booths, as well, like the Division of Water, Natural Resources police and the Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy.

Fairgoers can even obtain hunting and fishing licenses, with every purchase going into a raffle to win a low-digit hunting license and a low-digit boat registration.

New this year is the recently renovated backroom, displaying several dozen taxidermy animals organized by habitat. Wolves, foxes, owls and dozens of duck species found in the First State are on display, closer than visitors could ever get in the wild.

Outside the building is a trailer that sells Delaware State Parks-themed hats, T-shirts, passes and more.

Plus, the department’s offerings are far from static, with new things popping up nearly every day until the fair ends July 27.

On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. will be the Delaware State Duck and Goose Calling Championship, a short walk away, in front of the M&T Grandstand.

Then, on Monday, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary will present a booth in the building, allowing visitors to learn about the estuary and Delaware shorelines.

Later in the day, the Division of Air Quality will take over, teaching how it monitors and protects the state’s atmosphere.

Tuesday is Kids’ Day, with several activities for young visitors. From 10 a.m. to noon, Colonial games will be offered, followed by the opportunity to build bluebird boxes from noon to 2 p.m.

Birds of prey will be on display from 2-3:30 p.m. And, beginning at 3 p.m., the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays will present, with visitors building sand art tubes.

On Wednesday, which is Armed Forces Day at the fair, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will offer a booth.

An internship and career fair is set for Thursday, featuring the return of the bluebird boxes at 11 a.m., the birds of prey at 12:30 p.m. and sand art tubes at 2 p.m.

Also Thursday, the Governors’ Day tour of the building and DNREC awards will go from 1-1:40 p.m.

Lastly, on July 26, the Delaware chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will take up a booth.

And, every day of the fair, starting at noon, an archery trailer and vehicle display will be set up near the building.

Such activities have attracted upwards of 25,000 attendees to the DNREC Building in past years, Mr. Emory said, adding that he expects that number to grow.

“We’re here 10 days, and the more people can come, the better we like it. I mean, I always enjoy it because we see people we don’t get to see any other time of the year, and people come in and have some great questions,” he said.

He believes altering the offerings is the secret to a good showing.

“The key to the whole thing is changing things up every once in a while, so it’s not the same stuff every year,” he continued. “So, it kind of keeps us on our toes trying to figure out what we’re going to put in there this year that gets people to come in the door.”