"Good Family Fun": Cobb Celebrates Final Weekend of North Georgia State Fair

MARIETTA — Fairgoers from Cobb County and beyond celebrated the final days of the Superior Plumbing North Georgia State Fair at Jim R. Miller Park over the weekend.

The fair was closed Wednesday and Thursday due to inclement weather from Tropical Storm Helene.

The storm hit Cobb County late Thursday night and early Friday morning, flooding several roadways, downing dozens of trees and leaving thousands of residents without power.

Fair manager Tod Miller said the fairgrounds received between 8 to 10 inches of rain. After reopening Friday afternoon, the fair continued all regular operations before closing Sunday.

Miller said the fair, prior to closing Wednesday, was on track to surpass its attendance total of 375,000 from 2023.

“When we closed Tuesday night, we were up over last year — our record year — which is a great thing in not-ideal weather,” Miller said. “To not even be open for two days — from that aspect, it was a little disappointing, but we’re going to finish strong.”

Once the storm passed Friday, crews were at the fairgrounds early in the morning to prepare for guests later that afternoon.

Despite losing two days of business, Miller said the fair was still on track for 300,000 guests to attend this year, depending on the turnout from Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday’s fair celebrated Superior Plumbing Family Fun Day, with free admission and free rides for the first hour.

Fairgoers could get free admission throughout the day if they donated five non-perishable goods to the MUST Ministries Food Drive. The fair also offered guests a $35-per-person deal for unlimited rides.

Other attractions at Saturday’s fair included a chainsaw-carving auction, featuring works from the “Master of the Chainsaw,” Brian Ruth. A special bull-riding show from the American Bull Riders Tour also took place Saturday night.

Fairgoer Keena Clark brought her daughter, Armani Wilson, and grandchildren, Amari, Arya and Ashton Wilson, to the fair for its final weekend. Amari Wilson said she loved getting to ride the horses on the carousel.

Clark said her favorite part of the fair was seeing her grandchildren happy and “allowing them to ride the rides and eating the food.”

For Sunday’s “Last Blast,” students were offered free admission and free rides for the first 90 minutes after opening. A $30-per-person deal for unlimited rides was sold to guests.

MUST Ministries once again offered fairgoers free admission in exchange for a donation of five non-perishable food items and the American Bull Riders Tour held its final show.

Emily Wetzel, of Acworth, said she and her family love getting to see the animals from the petting barn and petting zoo.

“The kids love the food, they love to pet the animals, and it’s just good family fun,” Wetzel said.

Miller said this year’s fair was most definitely a success.

“We pride ourselves with being a place of old-time traditions, but then giving people a good deal of family value and somewhere where they can go and enjoy themselves,” Miller said.