A guide to the 2024 Ohio State Fair

The deep fryers are sizzlin' and the butter cow is mooin', which can only mean one thing: The 169th annual Ohio State Fair has arrived.

Driving the news: The fair opens this morning, with 12 full days of live entertainment, animal wrangling and food-truck munching.

---

Heads up: Organizers announced a new chaperone policy for young fairgoers.

• After 6pm, all children under 18 years old must be accompanied by someone 21 or older to enter the fairgrounds.
• An exception: Concert attendees under 18 can enter with a valid concert ticket and must leave the fairgrounds once the show ends, or meet up with their responsible adult.

What else is new in 2024:

🍟 Fresh eats. New Food Avenue is between the Main Street Stage and the Midway's north end. Debuts across the fair include:

• Six flavors of deviled eggs, ranging from espresso to dill pickle at Devilishly Good.
• Bombz, deep-fried puff pastries filled with your choice of buffalo chicken, steak or cheeseburger, and cauliflower tacos at Fork'et Me Not.
• A cotton candy-flavored-cream puff at Schmidt's.
• The "World's Largest Gummy Bear," weighing a whopping five pounds, at Brosco.

🏗 A glimpse at the future. Central Park will feature an Expo 2050 Project Showcase with renderings of the planned fairgrounds overhaul.

🐄 Buttery athletes . This year's Butter Cow sculpture depicts track, gymnastics and cycling athletes in honor of the Olympic Games .

This year's butter cow and calf, wearing butter medallions. Photo: Courtesy of the American Dairy Association Mideast

🎁 Inaugural contests for best gift wrapping, condiment flavors, Lego-making and mural designs.

• In total, 6,830 competitions will be judged.

What we're watching: Attendance eclipsed the million mark for the first time last year, with 1,006,228 total guests.

• Will Ohio set another record?

If you go: Admission gates are open 10am-9pm Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm Saturday and Sunday. Gates close Aug. 4 at 6pm.

• Rides and certain buildings have their own hours .
• Admission: $10 (ages 6-12 and 59+), $12 (ages 13-59) and free for kids under 6, veterans, military members and first responders.

Daily schedule … fair map … concerts .

Find Smokey Bear inside Natural Resources Park.

More state fair tidbits

🚗 Parking is free in the main lot and bike racks are located at the Cardinal Gate, OHIO Gate and Gate 10 (17th Avenue).

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The fair is designed to be accessible to all .

• The Aira and Ohio State Fair mobile apps offer audio descriptions for people who are blind.
• ASL interpreters are available at various events and ticketed concerts.
• Lights and volume will be turned down for a "sensory-friendly morning" between 10am-1pm July 25, and a designated quiet room is located in Central Park.

🤑 Snag cheap food on Thursdays with $3 options at dozens of vendors.

• Monday is Family Discount Day, with deals on admission and ride wristbands.

😎 Take a break from the crowds and heat at shady Natural Resources Park.

🥾 Keep an eye out for the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that is harmless to humans but destroys crops, plants and trees.

• "If you see any during your visit, please stomp on them," fair organizers request.

Here's what an adult spotted lanternfly looks like. Photo: Andy Lavalley/Post-Tribune/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images