2011 state fair of oklahoma

Supplement to The Oklahoman,

September 11, 2011

Welcome! We arepleased that you havechosen to join us at the2011 Oklahoma State Fair.We have planned anotheryear of great entertain-ment, family-friendlyactivities, livestock com-petitions, exhibits andattractions that promise toprovide something foreveryone in your family.

For this years event, wehave many wonderfulgrounds attractions, bothnew and returning favor-ites, including the ever-popular Sea Lion Splash,JUMP! Dog Challenge,Kids Celebration, FreddyFusion Science MagicShow, Swifty Swine Rac-ing Pigs, the Great LakesChainsaw Carving Show,Science Museum Okla-homa, Hedricks PettingZoo and the Rowdy Roost-er Puppet Show.

This year the Centen-nial Frontier Experiencehas added two new acts Mutton Bustin and TheSpirit Horse Dancer. TheOklahoma frontier comesalive in this fun and his-torical attraction featuringShenaniguns, The One-Armed Bandit and thePlains Indian Dancers.Each day at 1 p.m. and 7p.m., all the acts cometogether for The WildWest Showcase. This isboth a fun and educationalexperience for the entirefamily!

The Chesapeake EnergyStage again features avaried and exceptionallineup of free perform-ances. In addition to thatoutdoor location, we alsooffer live musical per-formances at OPUBCOPavilion, The

CONNECTION StagePlatforms and on theBandshell Stage. You cantruly find something forany taste at the OklahomaState Fair.

We start this years fairwith a spectacular event atthe Jim Norick State FairArena: Disney On Icepresents Disney/PixarsToy Story 3! The PRCAXtreme Bulls Tour featur-ing Easton Corbin onSept. 23, and The OakRidge Boys on Sept. 24,conclude our arena shows.

September is a greatmonth to spend time withyour family and friendsand make lasting memo-ries! Have fun and enjoyyourself at the 2011 Okla-homa State Fair. Thankyou for your patronage.

Clayton I. BennettChairman of the Board

Oklahoma State Fair Inc.

Timothy J. OToolePresident and CEO

Oklahoma State Fair Inc.

Greetings and welcome to the Great State of a Fair 2011

Above: Visitors to the2010 Oklahoma StateFair ride the Sky Glider.

OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTOS BY BRYAN TERRY

Left: Fairgoers enjoy aswing ride at the 2010Oklahoma State Fair.

OKLAHOMASTATE FAIRFor daily coverageand updates on theOklahoma StateFair, go online towww.newsok.com.Or go to www.wimgo.com and getdaily schedules andinformation on thestate fair.

SEE MEMORIES, PAGE 4S

The sights and soundsof the State Fair of Okla-homa linger for years even if some have faded in-to history.

In a decade that hasbrought some sweepingchanges to State Fair Park,one can still enjoy the live-stock shows, browse theMidway, stroll the exhibitbuildings and hear pitchesfor everything from stormwindows to amazingmassage machines. TheIndian tacos, roasted corn,funnel cakes and fudge areall as good as they were inour childhoods.

But strike up a conver-sation among Oklahomansand theyll also reminisceabout whats now missing the experiences theyyearn to share with theirchildren and grandchil-dren but can only recitefrom memory.

One could be forgivenfor thinking a few years agoa ride up the Space Towerwith a young child mightbe a last shot at sharingthis one-of-a-kind mem-ory. After all, anotherlongtime favorite, themonorail, had alreadybeen torn down, and thegrandstands were beingtargeted next. Sureenough, 2009 was a lastshot at going up the SpaceTower with its 360-degreeviews of the city. The ridehas been closed since, withno word on when or if itwill ever return.

The grandstands andmonorail were razed in thename of obsolescence andprogress. Some fairgoersare still wounded by theloss of such attractions.

For Debbie Lazzara, thegrandstand races were areminder of when shewould go out at night towatch her father contend

for first place. I guess itdidnt fit in with their newOklahoma City, Lazzaralamented.

Others, like LarryCrossland, rememberedwhen the grandstands,monorail and space towerall represented OklahomaCitys future.

I remember as a kid be-ing amazed at the tech-nology, Crossland said.

Retired Oklahoma Cityfirefighter John Long re-calls how another lostState Fair Park landmark,Cottonwood Post, repre-sented the beginning of ajourney the city promotedas Arrows to Atoms.

Back in the early tomid-60s, I alwaysthought that going to thefair was like traveling intothe future, Long said.The Arrows to Atomscampaign, the monorail,exhibits of new technologylike picture phones.

For Oklahoma City resi-dents who went to schoolin the 1960s and 1970s, thefair may be the one collec-tive experience shared byalmost everybody, thanksto Fair Day field trips.

The school day wasone of the best days, Mi-chelle Gilstrap said. I re-member seeing LBJ (Presi-dent Lyndon Johnson)when he came in an openCaddy. My dad and all ofus went to see him. As hedrove by, I said, he was

sure red I think he wassunburned from the con-vertible and Oklahomasun.

Debate over continuingFair Days began popping

Some state fair highlights now just a memoryBY STEVE LACKMEYERBusiness [email protected]

The State Fair monorail passes by the Space Towerduring the 2004 Oklahoma State Fair.

OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND

QUOTABLE

Count Gregore remembersWorking at WKY-TV, and remember this is the 50s, we

televised live direct from the state fairgrounds The Adventur-es of 3-D Danny and Satellite Four right around the OPUBCOPavillion. It was a very fun time, and they had kids from everysmall town and county during the special day for all those kids.It looked like a sea of yellow buses parked out there. We ac-tually televised some of the regular daytime live programs aswell. Times well remembered that will never happen again.

John Ferguson, aka Count Gregore

up in the early-1980s. Jean Bro-dy, a Moore school board mem-ber at the time, was among thosewho questioned whether FairDays fit into a schools basic mis-sion to teach reading, writingand math.

A few years later Moore PublicSchools dropped Fair Day. Moreschools followed as the state andfederal government imposedmore stringent requirements onminimal instruction time. ScottMunz, vice president for fairmarketing and public relations,notes shrinking budgets for fieldtrips and busing also led to thedemise of Fair Day altogether in2001.

Our contribution to that ef-

fort was we gave them freeschool kids tickets, Munz said.As the schools reviewed andceased supporting and offeringthat program for whatever rea-son, there wasnt any reason forus to offer free tickets. But weinitiated our own kids day, whichis on the Monday of the fair, andwe allow kids in free through 12thgrade.

Fairgoers in the 1980s and 90swill recall the bubble roof ofthe International Building (nowthe Cox Pavilion). The bubbleroof might have wowed visitors,but it was a headache for the fairto maintain thanks to OklahomaCitys tendency to suffer hail andice storms.

The displays from around theworld also are relegated to mem-

ory. Munz said fair officialswould travel to embassies tocompete for the exhibits, but afew years ago countries such asChina and Russia lost interest inusing fairs to promote tourism.

I remember all the differentcountries represented in the In-ternational Building, includingcountries from the former East-ern Bloc, Gary Epperley said.About the only place Ive comeaway with stacks of Intouristtourist brochures from the Sovi-et Union. Wish I still had em.Didnt want to go there, but thebrochures were kind of fun.

A discussion about state fairmemories will almost inevitablyinclude other faded attractions;the Cottonwood Post and B-52Plaza were removed as part of an

expansion of equine facilitiesand exhibit space. The lushlandscaping exhibits in the gar-dens building gave way to thespace being used for offices andstorage when the grandstandsand ballpark were razed.

Change, Munz points out, isinevitable. Old traditions fadeaway and new ones begin.AGtropolis, which allows visitorsto interact with various animalsand enjoy interactive learningabout farming, is building up astrong following after being in-troduced a few years ago.

And some favorites refuse tofade away. Memories like thoseshared by Donna Nance, a formerOklahoman now living in Hous-ton, can still be created today.

Pulling into the parking lot

and trying to find the closestplace ... walking up to buy a ticket.... pushing through the turn-stile, Nance said. My senseswould be on overload with all thedelicious smells, people laughing,lights flashing on the midway,eating my way through the foodbooths. My absolute favoriteswere candied apples, Indian Ta-cos, cotton candy, cinnamonrolls, buttered corn on the cob ona stick, corn dogs. I loved thehorse barns, looking through eachstall at those beautiful animals. Iloved touring the home and gar-den buildings and gathering freestuff. I would need a bag to hold itall. I loved to see the outside ex-hibits and then find a bench todrink my Coke and watch thepeople. I miss it so much.

Memories: A fond remembrance of state fairs pastFROM PAGE 3S

Certain aspects of OklahomaState Fair attendance are a deadgiveaway that the annual ElvisExtravaganza is under way, suchas a massive increase in menwith jet-black hair practicingtheir karate moves or passing outscarves. Bejeweled jumpsuits,standup collars and AmericanTrilogy blasting from the Ches-apeake Energy Stage mean thatElvis Presley fans are in the rightplace.

The Elvis Extravaganza, a tra-dition at the fair for the past dec-ade, will feature good rockin at7:30 p.m. Sept. 20-21. It is pro-duced by the Elvis ExtravaganzaFan Club, which organizer JamieCoyne describes as the largestPresley fan club in the world.The Elvis Extravaganza wasfounded in 1989 to fill a vacuumfor fans who never saw Presleylive or want to relive the experi-ence.

And, fortunately for bothCoyne and Presleys ever-grow-ing fan base, the singers 1977death spawned a cottage indus-

try of Elvis impersonators, andthe Elvis Extravaganza offersboth experienced and new per-formers an opportunity to singlike the King.

The contest continues to be amainstay. We go into premiervenues, theaters, fairs, festivalsand casinos, and the attendancenumbers are fantastic, Coynesaid in a 2010 interview.

Oklahoma State Fair is a goodexample. Its morphed into twodays, and Id estimate that 2,500,3,000 people a night come to thething, which is pretty amazing.

Winners who achieve 150points or more in the competi-tion will advance to the nationalfinals and fan competition, Feb.12-13, 2012, in Tampa, Fla.

Most performers at the ElvisExtravaganza favor the jump-suits, sideburns and capes ofPresleys 1970-77 performances,though occasionally an imper-sonator will adopt a different era.

One recent winner in the BestOverall category at the nationalfinals, Victor Trevino, won hisaward with a performance mod-eled on Presley, circa 1956.

The 70s (version) is so im-personated because Elvis simply

gave them a lot to work with interms of caricature I think to adegree, Elvis was a caricature ofhimself at that point, Coynesaid.

Guys like Vic Trevino havecome to the Oklahoma State Fair,and I think hes won a time ortwo. Its different: If you bringtogether 10, 12 or 14 contestantsand you have one guy who standsout because of being differentlike that and hes halfway de-cent, that will make all the dif-ference for him.

Coyne said the Elvis Extrava-ganza never experiences a short-age of performers to get onstagewith the Extravaganza ShowBand, a large group of experi-enced session musicians whocan perform Presleys entire rep-ertoire.

But the key to the events suc-cess are the large crowds thatshow up repeatedly to hearHound Dog, Are You Lone-some Tonight? and BurningLove.

It continually goes back tothe fans. Theyre the ones whokeep it going year after year afteryear, Coyne said. Thank good-ness.

Elvis Extravaganza swivels back to Oklahoma BY GEORGE LANGAssistant Entertainment [email protected]

Elvis Presley impersonator T.J. Rhea is shown at a past ElvisExtravaganza event. PHOTO PROVIDED

Singer/songwriter/pianist Leon Russell hasHome Sweet Oklahomaon his mind and his tourschedule.

But he isnt headed forTulsa this time; rather, heis bound for OklahomaCity and the 2011 Okla-homa State Fair.

After spending much ofAugust touring with fellowRock and Roll Hall of Fam-er Bob Dylan, Russell, 69,is playing what is believedto be the Oklahoma musicicons first showcase at thestate fair, said fair spokes-man Scott Munz.

When the Tulsa Soundpioneer plays for free Sept.16 on the Chesapeake En-ergy Stage, it will mark arare opportunity for fair-goers. After making astunning comeback lastyear with the help of hissuperstar friend EltonJohn, Russell is experienc-ing a level of success andpopularity he hasnt seensince his heyday in the1960s and 70s, when hecollaborated with an arrayof musical icons, from Dy-lan and Phil Spector to theBeach Boys and RollingStones.

While inducting Russellinto the Rock and Roll Hallof Fame, John listed evenmore of the veritable con-stellation of stars on whosealbums Uncle Leon played:Bing Crosby. Doris Day.Frank Sinatra. Dean Mar-tin. The Ventures. BobbyDarin. Jerry Lee Lewis. J.J.Cale.

In the late 60s, I hearda record by Delaney &Bonnie, and I thought,Wow, this guy who playson this record, hes got ev-erything I like, hes gotsoul and gospel and kind ofbluegrass. Hes got every-thing going, John said as

he ushered Russell into therock hall. He was my idol.To meet him, I was shak-ing. For me, he sang, hewrote and he played justhow I wanted to do it.

A Lawton native, Russellstarted playing Tulsanightclubs at age 14 andkept at it until graduatingfrom Will Rogers HighSchool in 1959.

An originator of theTulsa Sound, he moved toL.A. and became a popularsession musician in the1960s. He contributed tomany of the decades topsingles, including theRighteous BrothersYouve Lost That LovinFeelin, the Byrds Mr.Tambourine Man andGary Lewis & the Play-boys This DiamondRing.

After Joe Cocker scoreda 1969 hit with RussellsDelta Lady, the Okla-

homa native became ring-master of Cockers legend-ary Mad Dogs & English-men tour. Russell alsostarted his own label,Shelter Records, with of-fices in L.A. and Tulsa, re-leasing his self-titled solodebut and launching thecareer of Tom Petty andthe Heartbreakers.

Russell was already a vi-tal part of the rock n rollscene when he and Johnfirst met at Johns first U.S.show at the famous Trou-badour in Los Angeles in1970.

In 1971, Leon Russell &the Shelter People be-came his first gold album.The following year, Car-ney held No. 2 on Bill-boards album chart for amonth and produced hishighest-charting single,Tightrope, whichpeaked at No. 11. He playedwith George Harrison and

Friends at the Concert forBangladesh, the pioneer-ing 1971 benefit chronicledwith an album and concertfilm, and he won a Gram-my for his performance.

He also covered HankWilliams, recorded withWillie Nelson and intro-duced the world to fellowTulsans the GAP Band.

Although pianist BruceHornsby produced a 1992comeback album, Any-thing Can Happen, Rus-sell had slipped into rela-tive obscurity by 2009,when John decided to re-connect with his idol.

John invited Russell torecord a duet album theycalled The Union, withGrammy and Oscar winnerT Bone Burnett producing.

Last October, TheUnion debuted at No. 3on the Billboard 200, Fusetelevised live the openingdate of John and Russells

11-city tour (which includ-ed a Tulsa date), and theyearned a Grammy nomi-nation for album openerIf It Wasnt for Bad.

The folks at the rock hallsoon came calling, andthey werent the only ones.

In January, Russell per-formed at Oklahoma Gov.Mary Fallins inaugura-tion. In April, he and Johnplayed Saturday NightLive, and director Cam-eron Crowes (Almost Fa-mous) documentarychronicling the making of

The Union opened NewYorks Tribeca Film Festiv-al. In June, Russell andcountry music megastarGarth Brooks became thefourth and fifth Okla-homans to be inducted in-to the Songwriters Hall ofFame, after Woody Guth-rie (1970), Ralph Blane(1983) and Jimmy Webb(1986).

Another mark of his tri-umphant comeback: Twoalbums hearkening back toRussells 70s success the flashback compilationThe Best of Leon Russelland previously unreleasedconcert chronicle Live inJapan have alreadybeen released this year.

The Master of Spaceand Time, as Russell isknown, has a busy touringschedule, including anAustin City Limits per-formance with B.B. King,through the end of No-vember.

But his Oklahoma StateFair concert looks to beRussells last home stateshow of his big year.

Leon Russell coming Home Sweet OklahomaBY BRANDY MCDONNELLEntertainment [email protected]

Inductee Leon Russell, who was born in Lawton and raised in Tulsa, performsonstage at the 42nd Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards on June 16 in NewYork. AP PHOTO

IN CONCERT

Leon RussellI When: 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 16.I Where: Chesa-

peake Energy Stage.I Admission: Free

with fair admission.I Information:

948-6700 or www.okstatefair.com.

For 11 days each Septem-ber, the Oklahoma StateFair springs to life as pop-ular entertainers, foodvendors, carnival workersand tens of thousands ofguests converge on a 435-acre expanse near NW 10and May that has beenhome to the annual extra-vaganza since themid-1950s.

But before the sounds ofamusement park rides, thesmell of corn dogs and thesight of animals groomedfor competition can lurefairgoers, a years worth ofplanning is required tomake sure the falls mostpopular event runssmoothly.

People are always sur-prised to learn that the fairis a year-round job. In fact,to manage State Fair Park,our staff is nearly 100 peo-ple, said Gina Burchfiel,vice president of the statefair division. If we dontget an early jump on all theplanning, it couldnt hap-pen.

Not long after one yearsfair concludes its run,planners begin lookingahead to the next. Compe-tition winners start receiv-ing their checks in Octo-ber. Booking nationallyknown performers for thefollowing year also takesplace during the fall.

We also begin to devel-op our theme and logo forthe next season, alongwith planning our outdoormedia and things likeFacebook and Twitter,said Scott Munz, vicepresident for marketingand public relations.Once in a while, schedul-

ing issues prevent one ofour big-name talents fromappearing, so we have tobook someone else as soonas we can.

By January, workers arebusy organizing the boothlayouts for the fairs nu-merous exhibition build-ings. Invitations are issuedto vendors who sell theirwares every year, livestockcompetitions are orga-nized and judges for vari-ous contests are hired.

In March and April,our commitments forcommercial spaces are fi-nalized, seasonal help andvolunteers are determinedand final touches are puton the maps we share withdifferent organizations,Burchfiel said.

Once winter gives wayto spring, grounds repairsand upgrades begin, ticketsellers and takers are linedup and people who assistwith parking are hired. Thefair staff also brings thetime-consuming task ofupdating the fairs website(www.okstatefair.com).

Competitive events,creative arts, livestock and

horse shows must be listedon our website so that thepeople who make up the25,000 entries of jellies,quilts, livestock and morecan find their categoriesonline, Burchfiel said.

It becomes a compli-cated scheduling matrix.

As the 2011 OklahomaState Fairs opening datenears, countless last min-ute details must be ad-dressed. Plans are finalizedfor the installation of the75 carnival rides, food ven-dors hire their booth per-sonnel, tickets are printedand distributed, and thefairs massive media blitzbegins.

Once the fair opens,its really cool to see whatweve been working on forthe past year take shape,Burchfiel said.

Of course, were alsorelieved when another faircomes to a close. For awhile, we have what we re-fer to as post-fair depres-sion. Then its time to startover. They say time flieswhen youre having fun,and we certainly have fundoing what we do.

Planning the annual fairstarts a year in advanceBY RICK ROGERSStaff [email protected]

Gina BurchfielVice president of theOklahoma State Fair

Scott MunzVice president formarketing and publicrelations

NW 122

Hefner

Britton

Wilshire

NW 63

NW 50

NW 36

NW 23

NW 10

Reno

SW 15

SW 29

SW 44

SW 59

SW74

CountyLine

Council

Rockw

ell

MacArthur

Meridian

Portland

May

Pennsylvania

Western

Eastern

Bryant

Sunnylane

35

44

4435

35

4040

240

235

66

StateFairPark

How to get there

LakeHefner

LakeOverholser

OklahomaRiver

When it comes to park-ing at the Oklahoma StateFair this year, it might notbe as important where youpark as when you do.

State Fair spokesmanScott Munz said parking atthe fair this year will bejust like recent years withfree parking in more than245 acres of open grassplus paved lots.

Handicap parking willbe available in each sectionof parking, including thenorth side of State FairPark off NW 10, south sideentrance off Reno and theMay Avenue entrance.

For those wishing to parkclose so as not to walk toofar, there is $5 parking atthe May Avenue entrance.

We have acres andacres of parking, Munzsaid. If you want to cometo the state fair, well havea spot for you.

Munz did advise if youare trying to make it to ashow or event at a specific

time, then it is probablybest to get to fair park earlyto give yourself enoughtime to find a spot.

On some of the morecrowded days, parkingclose could be a problem,Munz said. You may haveto walk a little while, but ifyou have to be there duringa crowded time, then comeearly.

State fair offers plenty of parking for everyone FROM STAFF REPORTS

This week business andcivic leaders from acrossthe state held one-on-oneand group interviews withthe 12 finalists for Okla-homa Teacher of the Year.

The states 2012 winnercould already be selected,however, the rest of theworld doesnt get to knowwho gets the title of topteacher until the Okla-homa State Fair.

Its a tradition to an-nounce the winner anddeliver the swag thatcomes with the title atState Fair Park. This yearthe event will take place at10 a.m. Sept. 20 in theCarriage Hall.

The winner will get theuse of a car for a year, alaptop, $6,500 in cash and150 free credit hours from avariety of state universi-ties.

Every single sponsorthat sponsored last year isfully on board in the exactsame level they were at lastyear, said Erin Nation, thestates coordinator ofTeacher of the Year pro-grams.

One large change is thatthere is no money this yearto allow the winner toleave the classroom for ayear and travel the stateand nation as an ambassa-dor for Oklahoma educa-tion. Last year, Nationsaid, funding for theteacher ambassador pro-gram also was cut, but theprogram used reservefunds to make the 2011Teacher of the Year, Eliza-beth Smith, an ambassa-dor teacher.

Sometimes its best forthat teacher to stay in theclassroom so they get moretime to spread theirknowledge for their stu-dents, and then have a lit-

tle bit of time to share itwith everybody else, Na-tion said.

It would take between$20,000 and $34,000 tocontinue the ambassadorprogram as a full-time na-tionwide tour.

Oklahomas winner isalso a finalist for the na-tional Teacher of the Yearaward, which is presentedin Washington, D.C.

Nation said people notinvolved in education areselected as judges for thefinal round, because atthat point theyre notpicking the best teacherbut the best representativefor Oklahoma.

They have free rein onhow they choose that,Nation said. We let themtalk it out. Most statesdont do it that way. Its re-ally unique.

Each of the finalists willreceive $1,000, and thewinners school will re-ceive a $5,000 award. In allthis year, there are morethan $100,000 in dona-tions and in-kind servicesfrom a variety of compa-nies for the winner and fi-nalists.

One of the finalists thisyear, Jody Bowie, had todrop out of the competi-tion because he accepted ajob with the state Educa-tion Department. Howev-er, his slot was filled byAnthony Rose, a scienceteacher from Edmond.

Teacher of the YearfinalistsIAnthony Rose, a biol-

ogy teacher at EdmondMemorial High School. Hehas four years of experi-ence.

IAmy Braun, a first-grade teacher at North-moore Elementary Schoolin Moore. She has eightyears of experience.

IEbony Harris, an Al-gebra 1, Algebra 2 and

geometry teacher at Semi-nole High School. She has13 years of experience.

IDawn Poyndexter, afirst- and second-gradeteacher at Cedar RidgeElementary School inTulsa. She has 22 years ofexperience.

IKristin Shelby, afourth-grade teacher atSallie Gillentine Elemen-tary School in Hollis. Shel-by has 16 years of experi-ence.

I Lori Sosenko, afourth-grade teacher atJames Griffith Intermedi-ate School in the Choc-taw-Nicoma Park SchoolDistrict. She has 18 years ofexperience.

I Jill Steeley, a second-grade teacher at CentralElementary School inCoweta. Steeley has 40years of experience.

ITonya Stites, a phys-ical education teacher atLiberty Elementary Schoolin Sallisaw. Stites has 12years of experience.

I Lyndal Westmore-land, a literature, English,reading, speech, dramaand debate teacher atOkarche High School. Hehas 29 years of experience.

IMark Thomas, a ge-ometry, Algebra 2, trigo-nometry and AdvancedPlacement calculus teach-er at Stillwater HighSchool. He has 16 years ofexperience.

ITrina Evans, anEnglish, Algebra 1, Algebra2, pre-calculus, AdvancedPlacement calculus andAdvanced Placement sta-tistics teacher at LibertyHigh School in Mounds.Evans has 12 years of expe-rience.

IBetty Henderson, anAdvanced PlacementBiology 2, anatomy andphysiology teacher at Bar-tlesville High School.Henderson has 23 years ofexperience.

One teacher will move to the head of the class BY MEGAN ROLLANDStaff [email protected]

Anthony Rose Amy Braun Ebony Harris

Dawn Poyndexter Kristin Shelby Lori Sosenko

Jill Steeley Tonya Stites Lyndal Westmoreland

Mark Thomas Trina Evans Betty Henderson

The OPUBCO Pavilionis the place at the 2011Oklahoma State Fair tofind things that make yousay, Hmmm.

Science Museum Okla-homa will offer four showsin the Pavilion demonstra-ting many of the excitingand inspiring principals ofscience in a format thatgets kids and adults in-volved.

We take all of thethings that make us as 27-year-olds or 5-year-oldsgo Wow! and show thattheres science behindthose things, said BretMahoney, the museumsacademic networking co-ordinator.

We blow some stuff up,we make a fire tornado,stuff like that, and make a

lot of poop jokes to hope-fully get kids very excitedabout science and whatthey can do if they reallyget involved and engagedwith science.

The museum has coor-

dinated several shows thatwill concentrate on chem-istry, physics and otherscientific principals.

One of the performanc-es that Mahoney likesmost is a chemistry show

that features demonstra-tions with liquid nitrogenand explosions made fromchemical reactions.

We like to do a scienceof magic ... to show that99.7612 percent of whatyou see as magic is reallyjust science. Its optics orchemistry, Mahoney said.

The museum shows alsowill feature some of theactivities from their newScience Live Show, calledUse the Forces, Otto!This show demonstratestypes of forces, for exam-ple, elastic, and shows theprinciples of manipulatingair currents, etc.

Science Museum Okla-homa shows will be at 1:30p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and7:15 p.m. daily in theOPUBCO Pavilion. Themuseum will offer specialshows on the KitchenStage at 11 a.m., noon and 1p.m. Sept. 19, 20, 22 and 23for student groups.

Science Museum Oklahoma plans explosive events

Science Museum Oklahoma will perform shows atthe 2011 Oklahoma State Fair with interactive scien-tific demonstrations. This photo is an archive photoprovided by the Museum in which Clayton P. Mooregives a child a fire tornado demonstration.

BY HEATHER WARLICKMOOREStaff [email protected]

Back for the third year, 411 Band will perform ItsMotown Live! twice daily in the OPUBCO Pavilion atthe 2011 Oklahoma State Fair.

The band performs a high-energy R&B Las Vegasstyle show. With powerhouse vocalists, a wind andrhythm section, this show is a crowd-pleaser that issure to get you moving to the beat.

The 411 Band plays at 6 and 8 p.m. every day of thefair.

The 411 Band

411 Band to rock live show

ALSO AT THE OPUBCO PAVILION

Easton Corbin has no-where to go but down. TheFlorida country croonersfirst two singles went toNo. 1 as A Little MoreCountry Than That andRoll With It racked upradio requests and digitaldownloads.

Corbin became the firstmale country artist in 17years to have his first twodebut singles reach the topspot. The success has beeninstant. Now Corbin hopeshis lightning start leads toa steady career.

When youre a newartist you dont reallyknow what to expect,Corbin said. For me,these were songs that Iloved. Its the music I grew

up on, which is traditionalcountry music. Andtheres not a lot of it outthere.

Corbin will perform atthe Oklahoma State Fair onSept. 23 immediately fol-lowing the Xtreme Bullscompetition. He said fans

can expect a 75-minuteshow of songs from hisself-titled debut alongwith a few covers.

Whats cool about afair show compared to aclub is you get all ages,Corbin said. Theresmore people, and its a dif-

ferent atmosphere.Corbin has lived a char-

med life the past two years.He won a CMA Award forbest new artist, and hisself-titled debut wasnamed the Country Break-through Album of the Yearby iTunes Rewind, among

other honors. The 29-year-old moved

to Nashville after earning abusiness degree from theUniversity of Florida. Heworked at Ace Hardwareduring the day and per-formed at writers nights inthe evening. Several breaksled to an album deal withMercury Records. Havinggrown up in rural GilchristCounty, Fla., Corbinwasnt averse to hardwork. But he wasnt awareof the monotonous grindthat surrounds being acountry music star.

The travel is pretty in-tense, Corbin said. Im ahomebody, and you dontget to be at home but a fewdays a month.

Corbin spent the sum-mer touring with RascalFlatts and has joined past

tours with country super-stars Blake Shelton andBrad Paisley. Watchingbackstage is an education,he said, especially with anartist such as Paisley.

You learn what to doand what not to do, hesaid. You learn how toentertain and how to inter-act with the crowd.

Corbins third single, ICant Love You Back, is onthe charts, and hes work-ing on his sophomore ef-fort. Eight songs are in thecan, and Corbin knows ex-pectations will be high.

Were using the sameformula as last time, Cor-bin said. When youremaking a second record,youre only competingagainst yourself becauseyou want to do as good orbetter.

Country chart-topper Easton Corbin to croon at state fair

Easton Corbin PHOTO PROVIDED

BY BEN SCOTTSpecial Correspondent IN CONCERT

Easton CorbinI When: Sept. 23,

following 7:30 p.m.Xtreme Bulls com-petition.I Where: Jim Nor-

ick State Fair Arena.I Tickets: Buy For

Less locations, tick-ets.com or (800)511-1552.

11 fun things 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

There are countlessways to save on admissionat the Oklahoma State Fair.

Schoolchildren, olderadults, members of themilitary or simply some-one with a Dr Pepper canobtain discounts at the fair,which runs Sept. 15-25.

The discount opportu-nities begin on openingday of the fair.

Admission will be $2 onopening day, a savings of$7 off the regular $9 adultgate admission price.

The School Kids Day

promotion on Sept. 19gives free admission tochildren through 12th

grade.Super Saver Tuesday on

Sept. 20 offers $3 gate ad-

mission for everyone. Alsoon that day, Armed ForcesDay, armed forces person-nel and their spouses willbe admitted free with mil-itary ID.

Senior Citizens Day onSept. 21, a popular dayamong older adults, offersfree admission to people 55and older.

Meanwhile, Dr PepperDays will be on openingday, Sept. 15, and Sept. 22.On those days, fairgoerswho bring a Dr Pepper canwill receive $6 off the priceof a carnival ride wrist-band. The wristbands willcost $19 with a Dr Peppercan and $25 without thesoda can.

Other discounts andpromotions are designedwith families in mind, likethe pay-one-price wrist-band for the rides in LilPartnerland. Mondaythrough Thursday, thewristbands will be avail-able at Lil Partnerlandticket booths for $14 and

$18 on Friday, Saturday andSunday.

Finally, a season passmay be the best bet forfairgoers who plan to at-tend fair activities on mul-tiple days.

The season pass is $25,available at the State FairArena Box Office.

A season parking passalso is available, good forall 11 days, for $25.

Discounts and promotions abound for fairgoersLeft: Charlotte and ErvinWroblewski ride theirscooters on Senior Citi-zens Day at the 2010Oklahoma State Fair.This year, seniors getfree gate admission Sept.21. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO

BY STEVE GOOCH

BY CARLA HINTONStaff [email protected]

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Taylor Firth relishes ev-ery opportunity she gets todon the boots and skates of one of the mostbeloved and spirited moviecharacters in recentmemory.

Its an honor for me tobe able to step into theshoes of a character likeJessie. Shes fun, shes ca-refree. People love her.Shes very energetic, andshe brings a smile to peo-ples faces, Firth said in aphone interview fromMexico City.

The upstate New Yorker

plays Jessie the YodelingCowgirl in Disney on Icepresents Toy Story 3,skating into Jim NorickState Fair Arena for 10 per-formances in the first fivedays of the 2011 OklahomaState Fair.

Firth, 20, has been tour-ing with Toy Story 3, herDisney on Ice debut, for ayear. She grew up delight-ing in the adventures ofJessie, Sheriff Woody, BuzzLightyear and their play-room pals.

Its really a fantasticshow. It goes right alongwith the movies, and itssomething that Americahas treasured for years. Imean, people have grownup with it. Children knowit, and its really an easystoryline for everyone toconnect with, she said.

Firth also grew up skat-ing. She began hitting theice at the age of 6, follow-ing in the footsteps of herolder sister Shannon.Along with competing na-tionally and international-ly as a figure skater, shestarred in the 2010 direct-to-DVD remake of the

Yee-haw! Toy Story 3 skates into the state fair BY BRANDY MCDONNELLEntertainment [email protected]

GOING ON

DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS TOY STORY 3I When: 7:30 p.m. Sept 15-16; 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m.

and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17; 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sept.18; 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19; and 7:30 p.m.Sept. 20. I Where: Jim Norick State Fair Arena.I Tickets: $14, $18, $22, $28 and $35. I Information: 948-6700 or www.okstatefair.com.

Disney on Ice presents Toy Story 3 skates into JimNorick State Fair Arena for 10 performances in thefirst five days of the 2011 Oklahoma State Fair.

PHOTO PROVIDEDSEE ICE, PAGE 24S

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The Oklahoma StateFair features hundreds ofcompetitions designed tochallenge and entertainpeople of all ages.

This year the fair willhost several new competi-tions, including a grilledcheese championship, arain gutter regatta and abeautiful bras competitiondesigned to raise aware-ness about breast cancer.

There are hundreds ofdifferent ways to com-pete, said Rozz Grigsby,creative arts coordinator.

Creative arts is just one

division of competitions.The fair also offers horsecompetitions, wine con-tests, band day competi-

tions, livestock shows andmore.

Many of the competi-tions are judged live during

the fair, and the public isinvited to watch. Fairgoerscan buy tasting kits andparticipate in the judgingof a peoples choice winnerfor some cooking contests.

Its pretty exciting tobe a spectator for those,Grigsby said.

One of the most infa-mous contests is the ug-liest cake competition,Grigsby said. People bring

the ugliest decorated cakesthey can create. A previouswinner used frosting tomake dead rats, Grigsbysaid.

Another popular con-test challenges people tomake things using ducttape.

Organizers are workingto make competitionsmore accessible by addingwalk-up contests thatdont require preregistra-tion. Those contests willinclude a biggest bubblecompetition, a Lego build-ing event and a cookiestacking contest.

The fair also features avariety of livestock shows.

Theres something for

everyone, said GinaBurchfiel, vice presidentfor the state fair.

Show categories includebeef cattle, dairy cattle,swine, sheep, goats andllamas. During a stock dogcompetition, dogs willshow their skills herdingsheep and cattle. Othercontests include a best-dressed cow competitionand a llama costume con-test, Burchfiel said.

Kids who participate inthe junior livestock showsare responsible for theiranimals. Often, they get upbefore dawn to care for theanimals, which teaches

Competitive spirit is alive and well at the fairBY DARLA SLIPKEStaff [email protected]

Left: Bayson Ramirez, ofBlair, takes a nap in thelivestock barn while stay-ing cool under a fan dur-ing the 2010 OklahomaState Fair.

OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER

SEE CONTESTS, PAGE 24S

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Rides on the midway and thelatest deep-fried sensation on astick get the most attention atthe Oklahoma State Fair, but thefree concerts on the ChesapeakeEnergy Stage provide the sound-track, in which 1990s R&B su-perstars, a recent Rock and RollHall of Fame inductee and leg-endary disco acts can be heardalongside rising country starsand Christian pop acts.

The Chesapeake lineup kicksoff at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15 with theEli Young Band, the Texas alt-country band that opened for theDave Matthews Band at the

AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in2009. The group, which wasformed by Mike Eli and JamesYoung at the University of NorthTexas in the early 2000s, brokethrough in 2008 with its major-label debut, Jet Black & Jeal-ous, and released its latest disc,Life at Best, on Aug. 16.

In the past year, Leon Russellenjoyed a critical comeback al-bum thanks to his duet projectwith Elton John, The Union,and was inducted into the Rockand Roll Hall of Fame for his solorecordings and the sheer numberof classic recordings on which heplayed. Russell, a legend of theTulsa music scene, will play at7:30 p.m. Sept. 16.

In what is becoming a tradi-

tion at the fair, independentcountry singer-songwriterCandy Coburn will play twosets: a solo show at 2 p.m. Sept.17, and an 8 p.m. gig playing withAmericana/country singer LeeBrice. Brice released his debutalbum, Love Like Crazy, onCurb Records in 2010.

Allstar Weekend first gainedfame when the San Diego groupparticipated in Radio DisneysNext Big Thing series, andwhile they ultimately lost thecompetition, Allstar Weekendemerged with a Hollywood Re-cords contract and released a de-but disc, Suddenly Yours, in2010. The band, which recently

Hit makers and newcomers to light up fair stage BY GEORGE LANGAssistant Entertainment [email protected]

En VogueSEE CHESAPEAKE, PAGE 24S

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Find out what makes Okla-homa unique at The CONNEC-TION, an exhibit in OklahomaExpo Hall at the Oklahoma StateFair.

Set up like a subway or metrostation with platforms and col-ored lines, The CONNECTIONhighlights local products andbusinesses, from homemadejerky and salsa to a booth featur-ing OG&E.

It has all of our Oklahomaproducts and businesses, statefair Director of Sales and Devel-opment Dana Palmer said. Noone but our Oklahoma peopleare in this building, which is why

we call it our Oklahoma Show-case.

The Oklahoma Expo Hall wasgiven a face-lift three years agoto make it more fun and exciting,Palmer said.

Thats where The CONNEC-TION comes in. The building isbroken out into different sec-tions, each containing a differentcolored line.

MIO Trading Post and theBusiness District make up theGreen Line, or the South Loop.MIO Trading Post features local-ly made food products, and theBusiness District highlights var-ious Oklahoma businesses andcompanies.

The Red Line, or the WestLoop, has three different sta-

tions: Resource Square, withOklahoma-based energy andpower corporations; RecreationStation, informing visitors of allthe fun things to do in the state;and Backyard & Beyond, dis-playing items such as hot tubs,deck accessories and landscap-ing.

Two of the most popular sta-tions, Vineyard Marketplace andAGtropolis, make up the BlueLine, or the North Loop. TheVineyard Marketplace shows offeight local wineries and alsocontains vintage photographs,special art, fashion accessoriesand soothing fragrances.

AGtropolis, the biggest exhibit

Attraction offers look at local foods, industriesBY EMILY HOPKINSStaff [email protected]

Vendors host a display at The CONNECTION, an exhibit at theOklahoma State Fair that features Oklahoma products, busi-nesses and services. The exhibit will return this year with a varie-ty of local entertainment and information. PHOTO PROVIDEDSEE HALL, PAGE 25S

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The Old West is alive at theOklahoma State Fair.

The Centennial Frontier Ex-perience at the fair gives visitorsa taste of what life on the frontierwas like with a spice of enter-tainment.

American Indians, workingblacksmiths, bowl turners, trickriders and ropers are part of theexperience daily at the fair.

In the spirit of the Wild West,an arena with hay bales for seatsand bleachers is set up with anOld West town near the 14 FlagsPlaza.

Gina Burchfiel, the fairs vicepresident, said it is important to

show living history each year.Its part of our mission here

to not just present an event thatis entertaining but that focuseson Oklahoma heritage, Burch-fiel said. We make it fun and in-teractive.

Wild West shows are stagedeach day of the fair from 11 a.m.to 8 p.m., she said.

There are pens with longhorncattle and bison and plenty ofstorytellers to explain the past.

American Indian dancers arealways a big draw amid theWestern shows, she said.

The Centennial Frontier Ex-perience will be a fair mainstayinto the future.

It draws an incredibleamount of people who watch theshows in the stands and around

the hay bales and in the standingareas, Burchfiel said.

John Harrison, 32, is thegrandson of the late rodeo starFreckles Brown, who successful-ly rode the feared bull Tornado atthe 1967 National Finals Rodeoat the State Fair Arena. Harrisonproduces the Wild West shows atthe Centennial Frontier Experi-ence.

He works as a rodeo clown andtrick rider and lives in Soper. Heis on the road about nine monthsa year.

Its a relaxing 11 days in Okla-homa City, and we get to getaway from the rodeos and comeup there and be in one spot,Harrison said.

Centennial Frontier Experience celebrates Old WestBY ROBERT MEDLEYStaff [email protected]

A Wild West show is part of the Centennial Frontier Experienceat the Oklahoma State Fair that includes trick riding and roping.

OKLAHOMA ARCHIVES PHOTOSEE WEST, PAGE 25S

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Andy Burelle is the bull ridersbest friend.

The Ardmore resident is oneof the bullfighters in the arenathat must keep the cowboy outof harms way when he dis-mounts or is bucked from thebull.

Of course, Burelle often has toput himself in harms way to doso.

Over the course of his 12-yearcareer as a bullfighter, Burellehas suffered multiple injuries,including surgeries to repair hisknee, ankle and face.

I got two plates in my face,

Burelle said. I got hit in the face(by a bull) and had my eye orbitmashed in.

Despite the inherent danger,Burelle still keeps battling bullsand keeping cowboys safe. Hecontinues to do it because he isone of the best at it.

Burelle, 34, has won two cow-boy protection world titles andtwo freestyle bullfighting worldtitles.

He will work the ProfessionalRodeo Cowboy AssociationsXtreme Bulls event Sept. 23-24during the Oklahoma State Fair.

Some of the best bull riders inthe PRCA will be competing inthe bull riding-only event in JimNorick State Fair Arena. Actionbegins at 7:30 each night.

The difference in Xtreme Bullsand the typical bull riding actionat rodeos is the number of rankbulls the cowboys will encounterduring the bull-riding onlyevents, Burelle said.

They will probably have 10 or12 contractors bring in their fivebest bulls so instead of two con-tractors with their 20 best atmost rodeos, you get the top ofthe line (at Xtreme Bulls), hesaid. You get the five best ath-letes that a contractor owns, andhe loads them on a truck andbrings them to the event andshowcases them.

The Xtreme Bulls Tour is oneof the most popular draws on the

Ardmore man likes to take the bulls by the horns

Bullfighter Andy Burelle, of Ardmore, gets a bulls attention awayfrom a cowboy during a bull riding event. Burelle will work theXtreme Bulls event Sept. 23-24 in Oklahoma City at the Okla-homa State Fair. PHOTO PROVIDED

BY ED GODFREYStaff [email protected]

SEE BULLS, PAGE 25S

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The 2011 Oklahoma State Fair is a desti-nation for more than a million visitorseach year who come seeking the excite-ment of thrill rides, various culinary de-lights such as fried butter on a stick andlivestock and horticulture exhibits andcompetitions. But many head to the fairwith one objective: to shop until theydrop.

Where else can you find almost 600commercial exhibits selling everythingfrom pooch pops to hot tubs to clothing,home decor, movies and rabbit fur rugs.

This years shopping opportunities atthe fair include some unique new vendors.One that is likely to be a huge hit is Equal-izer Shirts sound-activated light-upshirts and fully playable guitar shirts.

I really think those will be a big seller,said Ren Wilson, manager of commercialspace sales for the fair.

Another new vendor Wilson is excitedabout is Anchor Distributors whosebooth, Forked Up, will sell clever decormade from what else? Forks, of course.

Peppers and Pots is a new exhibitorthat sells Christmas decorations madefrom antlers and natural woods, hand-made stoneware and scotch bonnet pep-per jelly and condiments.

Orr Family Farm will have a booth sell-ing jams, jellies, salsa and offering dis-counted tickets to visit the farm at 14400S Western. Orr Family Farm is an agri-tainment experience created to provide aglimpse of heritage and history.

My Little Rodeo is another new exhib-itor that sells Western wear for children.

State fair patrons can shop until they drop

Annies Pooch Pops sells gourmet dog treats. PHOTO PROVIDED

This is a Forked Upscrubby stand. Forked Upis a new booth at the fair.

PHOTO PROVIDED

BY HEATHER WARLICK MOOREStaff [email protected]

SEE SHOP, PAGE 26S

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Peaceful, magical, serene are afew of the words Jane Breckin-ridge uses to describe her Mon-archs Forever butterfly house, anew attraction this year at theOklahoma State Fair.

It really is a unique experi-ence to see that many butterfliesin one place, Breckinridge said.Its breathtaking.

The large netted butterfly tentwill be on the lawn in front ofOklahoma Expo Hall. A satellitelocation will be just inside StateFair Station, where visitors canwatch thousands of butterfliesemerging from their chrysalides.

Breckinridge said in additionto more than 5,000 butterfliesinside the butterfly house, vis-itors will find all sorts of plantsand benches.

The $3 admission buys asmuch time as a person would liketo spend in the exhibit.

The only complaint wesometimes get is from parentswho have bought an expensiveride package and their child onlywants to stay in the butterflyhouse, she said.

Breckinridge said one of thestrangest phenomena is howmany people want to coverthemselves in butterflies.

Maybe its some innatehoarding instinct, she said.

Monarchs Forever buys but-

terflies from a number of tropicallands, including from Asia andAfrica.

The giant blue morpho, fromCosta Rica, has the most amaz-ing iridescent blue wings, Breck-inridge said, while the giant owlbutterfly (a caligo) is larger than amans hand. The underside ofthe wing has a giant spot thatlooks like an owl.

Breckinridge said she and herworkers teach visitors how tohold the butterflies withouttouching their wings so no harmis caused.

Breckinridge and her hus-band, David Bohlken, live on abutterfly ranch south of Tulsa.

Butterfly exhibit ready for maiden flight at fair

Butterflies alight on a young girl inside the Monarchs Foreverbutterfly house. The exhibit will be new this year to the Okla-homa State Fair. PHOTO PROVIDED BY MONARCHS FOREVER

BY TRICIA PEMBERTONStaff [email protected]

SEE HOUSE, PAGE 26S

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If it looks like a duck andraces like a duck, it must bea duck of The Great Amer-ican Duck Race of NewMexico.

Back by popular de-mand to this years Okla-homa State Fair will beRobert Ducks dashingducks.

A water track is set upwith four racing lanes,each 2 feet tall, 2 feet wideand 16 feet long. Duck asin the owner, not one ofthe participants will se-lect fairgoers to release the

ducks at the start of therace.

How can this be? Well,Duck is a 12-time winnerof the Great AmericanDuck Race of Deming,N.M., according to hiswebsite. And in addition tothe wing-slapping,sprint-splashing action,hell share interesting factsabout the Mallard Duck.

Did you know it takesabout two months afteremerging from the egg be-fore the ducklings can fly?

Well, you do now, andyou also should make anote that Ducks ducks willbe doing four shows dailyduring the Oklahoma State

Fair.But wait, theres more

a lot more.Such as Jump! The Ulti-

mate Stunt Dog Challenge.Lou McCammon, the two-time World ChampionFrisbee Dog Trainer, andhis canine flight crew haveentertained all ages andplan do so again duringthree shows daily. Broughtback for a second year isthe highflying distancedock jumping.

Entertainment at thefair also will include theCentennial Frontier Expe-rience, a tribute to the Old

Fair offers plenty of free entertainment dailyBY BRYAN PAINTERStaff [email protected]

Trick rider John Harrison performs at the Centennial Frontier Experience area atthe Oklahoma State Fair in 2010. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO BY JIM BECKELSEE FREE, PAGE 26S

2011 Oklahoma State Fair Park guide

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Two popular rides will returnto the Oklahoma State Fair thisyear after a two-year absence.

Magnum and Techno Powerare back by popular demand,said Frank Zaitshik, carnivalpresident of Wade Shows. Thecompany provides the rides andamusement for the fair.

There will be 70 rides thisyear. Along with Magnum andTechno Power there will be a newfun house and dark ride as well asthe RC-48 Coaster, the largestportable roller coaster in NorthAmerica, Zaitshik said.

The carnival also will feature

the Mondale Fighter from theNetherlands.

There are only two of them inthe entire world, Zaitshik said.Relatively speaking thats apretty new ride. Probably theresonly one or two ride designs thatcome out each year.

Wade Shows has worked withthe Oklahoma State Fair for 18years, but Zaitshik has workedthe fair in some capacity forabout 30 years. He first workedas a manager for the fairs previ-ous carnival provider.

His company started workingwith the Oklahoma State Fair in1993.

We are the largest provider ofmajor events as a family-ownedsingle carnival east of the Mis-

sissippi, Zaitshik said.Wade Shows is stationed in

Florida and has an office in Mi-chigan. The company providesthe carnival for events from De-laware to San Antonio.

While I play events all overthe country, the Oklahoma StateFair is on the top of my list as oneof the two or three most favoriteplaces that I go, Zaitshik said.Some of the top events that weplay are the easiest to workwith.

Ride discountsFairgoers can buy unlimited

ride wristband tickets. The costis $25 Monday through Thursday

Thrill favorites set for return to fairs midwayBY KORY B. OSWALDStaff [email protected]

Fairgoers stand in front of a midway game at the 2009 Okla-homa State Fair. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRYSEE MIDWAY, PAGE 26S

well-known 1978 skatingdrama Ice Castles beforeshe was cast as Jessie.

Its very, very differentfrom competing and fromanything Ive done in thepast. And quite honestly,its my favorite part ofskating: I love being able toperform and to have acharacter and to be able togo in front of people andjust do what I love, Firthsaid.

The show is taken fromtop-notch source material:Toy Story 3 was thebest-reviewed and top-grossing film of 2010 andwon the Oscar for bestanimated film earlier thisyear.

Kids love to see thetoys, and parents can un-derstand what its like towatch their kids grow upand move on to college. Soit really is great fun for ev-erybody, Firth said.

The first half of the Dis-ney on Ice adaptation fea-tures the toys reliving fa-vorite memories fromToy Story and Toy Sto-ry 2. The first act closeswith a look back atWoodys Roundup, the

fictional TV show thatmade Woody and Jessiehousehold names back inthe day.

The Western music-and-dance number in-volves plenty of high-en-ergy, fancy footwork fromthe cast, and the audienceis invited to dance, too,when the Miley Cyrus fanfavorite HoedownThrowdown gets lassoedinto it.

The second half of theshow closely follows theplot of Toy Story 3. Likethe movie, the ice show in-cludes numerous colorfulcharacters and several dra-matic action sequences.

The entire movie is onthe ice and alive, so wehave Lotso, Barbie and Kenand all the other toys,Firth said. We have somecrazy-awesome special ef-fects. They have a brand-new state-of-the-artthing that theyre doingwhere they actually doprojection onto the ice, soits like an added set on theice itself. ... You can really,really get into it and feellike youre there with us.

The show also featuresone of the most intricatelychoreographed parts of the

film, in which Jessie andBuzz dance a lively PasoDoble, which literallymeans double-step, tothe Gipsy Kings Spanishflamenco version of theToy Story themeYouve Got a Friend inMe.

Its different for thetoys to do something likethat ... to kind of buckledown and do somethingintense like the Paso Dobleis really interesting. Andeveryone gets into it, fromMr. and Mrs. Potato Head,Rex, Slinky. Everyone getsinto the dance part of it,and its really fun, shesaid. But its definitelyone of the more challeng-ing parts.

Whether she is caperingathletically or dancinggracefully, Firth lovesplaying as Jessie.

Shes crazy. Shes pret-ty close to my personality.So its really enjoyable forme to be able to bring thatcharacter to life and to beable to see the kids faceswhen I come out theredressed up as one of my fa-vorite characters. I get tosee kids dressed up likeJessie every day; its really,really awesome.

"Disney on Ice presents Toy Story 3" skates into Jim Norick State Fair Arena for10 performances during the 2011 Oklahoma State Fair. PHOTO PROVIDED

Ice: Show follows movieFROM PAGE 11S

them responsibility anddedication, Burchfiel said.

Sometimes livestockcompetitions are over-looked by fairgoers who

arent familiar with agri-culture or livestock, saidScott Munz, vice presidentfor marketing and publicrelations.

This is showcasing avery important part of the

life cycle, Munz said. He encouraged people to

attend some of the live-stock events.

People can learn a lotfrom watching the shows,Burchfiel said.

Contests: Livestock showsFROM PAGE 12S

toured with Selena Gomez, is preparing torelease a follow-up album, All the Way,on Sept. 27, and will perform at 3 p.m.Sept. 18.

Sanctus Real, which performs at 7:30p.m. Sept. 19, formed in 1996 when MattHammitt and Chris Rohman were attend-ing a Christian school in Toledo, Ohio.The band signed to Sparrow Records andreleased its debut album, Say It Loud, in2002, and proceeded to establish itself asone of the most critically acclaimedChristian rock bands of the decade. Sanc-tus Reals most recent album was releasedin 2010, titled Pieces of a Real Heart.

The Elvis Extravaganza, a two-daytalent contest in which homegrown en-tertainers do their best tributes to theKing of Rock n Roll, takes over the Ches-apeake Energy Stage at 7:30 p.m. Sept.20-21. Contestants can sign up to performwith a live band that knows Elvis Presleysfull repertoire, with the winner going onto the Elvis Extravaganza National Finalsand Fan Convention, Feb. 11-12 in Tampa,Fla.

At 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22, talented countrysingers have a chance to break into thebusiness through the Texaco CountryShowdown. For information on enteringthe contest, go to www.countryshowdown.com.

In the early 1990s, En Vogue dominat-ed the R&B and pop charts with theirclose harmonies on huge hits such asHold On, Free Your Mind, My Lo-vin and their collaboration with Salt-N-Pepa, Whatta Man. Original EnVogue members Cindy Herron, MaxineJones and Terry Ellis will perform at 7:30p.m. Sept. 23.

The Village People made a huge com-mercial splash with late-1970s disco hitsMacho Man, Y.M.C.A., In the Navyand Cant Stop the Music, and while theband, whose members dressed in fancifulcostumes typical of the Greenwich Villagegay club scene of the time, seemed

custom-made for the dustbin of pop-cul-tural history, the catchiness of their songsand their memorable performances en-dured, with Y.M.C.A. still being playedat sporting events worldwide. Originalmembers Felipe Rose (the American Indi-an) and David Hodo (the constructionworker) will perform with the rest of theVillage People at 8 p.m. Sept. 24.

The Chesapeake Energy Stage windsdown at 3 p.m. Sept. 25 with a perform-ance by the Centennial Rodeo Opry,bringing together the best of OklahomaCitys emerging country talent.

Chesapeake: Name acts setFROM PAGE 13S

Inductee Leon Russell accepts his tro-phy at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fameinduction ceremony March 14 in NewYork. AP PHOTO

Village People: Ray Simpson, kneeling;from left, Felipe Rose, Alexander Briley,Eric Anzalone, Jeff Olson and DavidHodo. PHOTO PROVIDED

in The CONNECTION, is all about Okla-homas agricultural industry and variousfarm animals, including cows, chicken,goats, sheep and rabbits, among others.

AGtropolis has a farm-to-marketagricultural message with the farm ani-mals and the hands-on, kid-friendly ar-ea, Palmer said. AGtopolis is the largeststop it takes up the most area with thefarm animals.

Live musical entertainment and infor-mation presentations will take place onstation platforms throughout OklahomaExpo Hall. The 2011 lineup includes thebluegrass band Dustbowl Gypsies, mural-ist Bob Palmer, the Eastside Boys barber-shop singers, Fort Gibson Living History,

jazz from the Max Ridgeway Band, theOklahoma City Barons hockey team, mu-ralist Rick Fry, easy listening music fromRick Smith, the blues, classical and funkstylings of Tyler Lee & Scattered Blues,and the Yellow Rose Dinner Theatre.

Another feature unique to The Con-nection is the pocket guide, which lists allexhibitors and colored lines and containsa map of the building.

Palmer said theres something for ev-eryone at The CONNECTION, and itsdefinitely an exhibit fair visitors mustcheck out.

Its the experience, she said. Youwalk into this building and it feels com-pletely different from just your typicaltrade show building. Its just a fun placefor people to come visit.

Hall: Oklahoma industriesFROM PAGE 14S

Harrison said the histo-ry of Oklahoma coverstime periods from theAmerican Indian to thecattle drives. The show heputs on has 50 entertain-ers.

Were just trying tokeep it alive and entertain-ing, Harrison said. Ithink it is the best WildWest show in the nation.

Gerald Franklin, wholives in rural StephensCounty outside Duncan,works as a blacksmith atthe Centennial FrontierExperience.

Franklin joined the Salt-fork Craftsmen Artist-Blacksmith Association in2003 and is the currentpresident of the organiza-tion. He makes replicas ofhistorical items such ascandle holders, oil lamps

and other things used onthe frontier for people toview at the fair.

150 years ago if some-one needed a wagon part,and there are a lot of ironwagon parts, all of thosethings were made in some-ones blacksmith shopsomewhere, Franklin said.

He said several black-smith demonstrations willtake place at this yearsfrontier experience.

American Indian dancers entertain at the Oklahoma State Fair Centenial FrontierExperience. OKLAHOMA ARCHIVES PHOTO

West: History comes aliveFROM PAGE 15S

PRCA circuit. Three yearsago, the Oklahoma StateFair replaced the annualrodeo with the XtremeBulls Tour.

The bull riding is whatpeople want to see, Bu-relle said.

Burelle started as a bullrider. Then one day, whileriding at a jackpot bull rid-ing, one of the bull fighterswas injured.

Burelle volunteered tohelp. He put on a pair ofcleats he had in his vehiclefor playing softball andjumped in the arena to helpprotect the bull riders.

The stock contractorwas so impressed with Bu-relles ability to movearound the bulls that heurged him to go to bull rid-ing school. The contractoreven paid for Burelle to at-tend Rex Dunns bullfight-ing school.

Dunn, who lives inWaurika, is a three-timeNational Finals Rodeo bullfighter and 1983 PRCAclown of the year.

The rest is history. Bu-relle started getting somany bullfighting jobsthat he gave up getting onthe backs of bulls and nowjust sticks his face in frontof them. And sometimes itgets smashed.

Burelle admits the mon-ey he earns is probably notworth the risk he takes, buthe wont stop.

I get a lot of satisfac-tion out if it, he said.Cowboy protection is be-ing a lot like a policeman ora firefighter. You just dontthink about it. You just goin there and help a guy. Itsjust reaction.

Cowboys are an opentarget once they hit thedirt. They have been spin-ning on a bulls back forseveral seconds whenbucked and are often dizzyand disoriented when theyhit the ground.

They cant get out of abulls path immediately.That is when Burelle stepsin.

My job is to give him achance to get out of theway and get his wits abouthim, he said. I can grabthat bulls attention andusually take him where Iwant to take him.

Dubbed The Wolve-rine by the rodeo an-nouncer in the Calgary

Stampede because he grewup in Michigan, Burellewill work more than 30 ro-deos or bull riding eventsduring the year.

But at some of the largerodeos like the Fort WorthStock Show, Burelle mightwork two or three bull rid-ing performances each dayfor two weeks or more.

As long as I am keepingguys safe, I will keep doingit, he said.

Bulls: Protecting cowboysFROM PAGE 16S

Andy Burelle, of Ardmore, shown flying through theair, will be working as a bullfighter at the XtremeBulls event Sept. 23-24 in Oklahoma City at Jim Nor-ick State Fair Arena. PHOTO PROVIDED

Cowboy protection is beinga lot like a policeman or afirefighter. You just dontthink about it. You just go inthere and help a guy. Its justreaction.

ANDY BURELLE

A returning booth that was extremelypopular last year is Annies Pooch Pops,which sells gourmet dog treats.

98Cows.com is a returning exhibit thatsells rugs and other items made fromcowhide, lambskin, alpaca, buffalo, elkand many other animal hides and furs.

Village Idiot is a returning booth thatsells bar signs, bamboo wind chimes, teenjewelry, crystal soil, splat balls and Indo-nesian handicrafts.

Of the commercial exhibits at the fair,about 450 are nonfood exhibitors, Wilsonsaid. About 50 percent of all the exhibitorsat the fair are Oklahomans. About 15 per-cent are from Texas, and the rest are fromabout 40 other states.

Booth space for exhibitors is reasonablypriced. Inside booths average about $9per square foot, making a 10-by-10 booth$900 for the entire run of the fair. Exhib-itors compete among themselves for

awards given for categories such as thebest new and unique item, food competi-tions, best looking presentation for eachbuilding and for outdoor exhibitors and anaward for the thing that everybodyseemed to be looking for, Wilson said.

Shop: Many local vendorsFROM PAGE 17S

Amber Gillmore tries on a hat at the2010 Oklahoma State Fair.

PHOTO BY HEATHER WARLICK MOORE, THE OKLAHOMAN

The two have been rais-ing butterflies for 15 years.Bohlkens family has aChristmas tree farm inWisconsin. Breckinridgesaid they discovered afterspraying the trees with a

herbicide that it killed ev-erything but milkweed,which then drew monarchbutterflies.

At first the two raisedthe butterflies and releasedthem just for their ownpleasure. Then a friendsuggested they could sell

them. In the past threeyears, the two have beguntraveling with their beauti-ful winged insects to fairsfrom Alberta, Canada, toHouston.

This has been hugelysuccessful, Breckinridgesaid. People just love it.

Fairgoers enjoy the Monarchs Forever butterfly house at a recent fair in Houston.The butterfly house will be a new attraction this year at the Oklahoma State Fair.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MONARCHS FOREVER

House: New attractionFROM PAGE 18S

West in action. New thisyear is the Spirit HorseDancer, featuring VickiAdams, a 2008 inducteeinto the Pro Rodeo Hall ofFame. Also new is themutton bustin, so childrencan take those early ridesinto rodeo. The CentennialFrontier Experience in-cludes the announcing ofKelly Kenney, as well asperformances by LynnPayne and John Harrison.

The latter has a strongconnection to State FairPark. It was Harrisonsgrandfather, the lateFreckles Brown, who rodethe bull Tornado duringthe 1967 National FinalsRodeo at Jim Norick StateFair Arena in OklahomaCity.

In 2011, new in the 14Flags Plaza is the ScienceMuseum Oklahoma showsthat will be entertainingand educational for chil-dren and adults four times

daily.Also new in 2011 is the

Kids Celebration, an inter-active family event thatcombines group interac-tion, music and gamesthree times daily in theCapital City Theatre.

And dont forget theOPUBCO Pavilion, wherethe 411 Band proved sopopular the past two fairs.The Las Vegas-style bandis back for a third year withsome of Motowns biggesthits at 6 and 8 p.m. daily.

Free: Museum joins lineupFROM PAGE 19S

and $30 Friday throughSunday.

Unlimited ride ticketswill be available at themain carnival lot or may bepurchased online at tick-ets.com through Sept. 14.Advance tickets includeadmission to the fair.

As for games, about 50will line the midway thisyear, with something forall ages. The types ofgames will be relatively thesame as years before, butthe prizes will be different,Zaitshik said.

This year the most pop-ular prize is a banana withdreadlocks.

I have no idea (why).Every year there is differ-ent merchandise thatseems to be the most pop-ular, he said.

The featured games arethe same basketball,water races and machinegun games but partici-pants may notice gamesare bigger and rearrangeddifferently.

Weve supersizedthem, Zaitshik said.Maybe they were 11 foottall, now they are 25 feettall.

Many games will pro-duce prizes for players ev-

ery time, and others arestrictly skill based. Allgames are inspected by theOklahoma Police Depart-

ment for fairness andcompliance, Zaitshik said.

There is something foreverybody, Zaitshik said.

Midway: Fun and thrillsFROM PAGE 23S

A worker uses a crane to install the cars on the Mag-num ride for a past Oklahoma State Fair.

OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO BY BY DAVID MCDANIEL

For the members of theEli Young Band, listeningto each of their records islike perusing a differentpage in a yearbook.

Theres a lot of lifechanges going on, and Ithink that every timeweve done a record, thesongwriting on that recordreflects where we are inthat time period. I thinkwe really try to just writeabout what we know andwhere were at, saiddrummer Chris Thomp-son in a recent phone in-terview.

For the Texas countryquartet singer/guitaristMike Eli, guitarist JamesYoung, bassist Jon Jonesand Thompson the titleof their fourth album sumsup this page: Life at Best.

Theyre all newly mar-ried or recently engaged,theyre touring relentless-ly, and theyre working tobuild on the success oftheir 2008 major-label de-but Jet Black & Jealous.

Life at Best, we chosethat song as the title be-cause the themes in thatsong really fit the record,that being even when youget to a certain level of suc-cess, you still have tomaintain. You could lose itif you dont keep workingfor it. I think theres a lot ofthat in the record,Thompson said.

I think the four of usstill understand that if wewant this to be successful,this still has to be our pri-ority. And for so manyyears now, weve put 120percent of ourselves into it,and fortunately, wevefound women who appre-ciate that and understandthat. And I think that werevery thankful, and at thesame time, I think weknow we need to keep

working too. It neverends.

Thompson will be anewlywed fresh from hishoneymoon when theband travels to OklahomaCity to play the openingday of the Oklahoma StateFair. Along with a few thrillrides and fried delicacies,he and his cohorts hope tosnag some new fans oncethey take the ChesapeakeEnergy Stage.

The fair crowd is prettyfun to play in front of be-cause half the people arethere to see the band andtheyre fans, and the other

half of the crowd ... is justpeople that are there withtheir families and theyreenjoying the fair, saidThompson, whose bandalso will be playing theTulsa State Fair in October.

So youve got thesefans kind of up in the frontwho are screaming andyelling for certain songsand having a great time,and then these people inthe back are sort of staringat ya, and hopefully theystart getting it and theykind of start nodding theirheads and then you havethe opportunity to make

new fans.More than a decade after

the quartet came togetherat the University of NorthTexas in Denton, the EliYoung Band seems to befinding plenty of new fans.Crazy Girl, the leadoffsingle from Life at Best,was certified gold over thesummer.

Its our first single to gogold, which were reallyexcited about, Thompsonsaid.

I remember like grow-ing up, that was alwayssuch an image of success,an icon of success. You

know, youd see these TVshows where artists wouldbe showing their house offor whatever and theydhave gold records hangingin the background and thatkind of stuff. And Idthink, I dont know whatits like to have that, butwouldnt that be cool?And then all the suddenout nowhere, this songwent gold.

When the band first is-sued the single and startedtouring radio stations topromote it, disc jockeysand programmers oftenwondered if the songwould be sort of a responseto Miranda LambertsCrazy Ex-Girlfriend.Most were surprised whenthey actually heard CrazyGirl, which is an unabash-edly sweet ballad, andThompson said playingwith those expectationshas been part of the funwith the successful single.

Its not nearly aggres-sive or as wild as itsounds, he said. I mean,

love, theres a million-tril-lion songs written aboutlove but it just has that onelittle twist on it that makesit special and personal.

Along with Crazy Girl,the new album featuresseveral fervent ballads, in-cluding On My Way, ILove You and Say Good-night, which was co-written by Bray nativeKatrina Elam. The lovesongs seem particularlyappropriate for this phasein the band memberslives: Eli got married abouta year and a half ago, bothJones and Thompson wedthis year, and Young re-cently got engaged.

Its funny now, for uslistening back to our re-cords is like going througha yearbook or something.Youre kind of like, Oh,yeah, I know where thatcame from and I remem-ber going through that. Itsnice to have that kind ofability to go back and re-connect with thosethings, Thompson said.

The Eli Young Band is living Life at BestBY BRANDY MCDONNELLStaff [email protected]

Eli Young Band PHOTO PROVIDED

IN CONCERT

Eli Young BandI When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15. I Where: Chesapeake Energy Stage.I Admission: Free with fair admission. I Information: 948-6700 or www.okstate

fair.com.

I think the four of us stillunderstand that if we want thisto be successful, this still has tobe our priority. And for so manyyears now, weve put 120 percentof ourselves into it, andfortunately, weve found womenwho appreciate that andunderstand that.

CHRIS THOMPSON, DRUMMER WITH THE ELI YOUNG BAND

David L. BorenPresident,

University of Oklahoma

WilliamM. CameronChairman & CEO,

American Fidelity Group

MIchael A. CawleyPresident,

Noble Foundation

William H. CrawfordChairman & CEO,

First Southwest Bank

Ralph ChainPresident,

Chain Land & Cattle Co.

Peter B. DelaneyPresident & CEO

OG&E Energy Corp.

Dr. Gilbert C. GibsonRetired Chairman & CEOCitizens Bank, Lawton

David F. GrifnPresident & General Manager,

Grifn Television, LLC

John D. GroendykeChairman & CEO,

Groendyke Transports, Inc.

V. Burns HargisPresident,

Oklahoma State University

Kirk HumphreysThe Humphreys Company

Dr. Glen D. JohnsonChancellor, Oklahoma StateRegents for Higher Education

Bruce LawrencePresident & CEOINTEGRIS Health

Gregory M. LovePresident & COO,

Loves Country Stores, Inc.

Edmund O. MartinChairman,

Ackerman McQueen

J.W. MashburnJ.W. MashburnEnterprises

Aubrey K. McClendonChairman & CEO,

Chesapeake Energy Corp.

HermanMeindersChairman Emeritus,

Teleora

Dr. Tom J. McDanielPresident,

American Fidelity Foundation

J. Larry NicholsChairman of the Board & CEO,

Devon Energy Corp.

David E. RainboltPresident & CEO,

BancFirst

Charles P. SchroederExecutive Director, National Cowboy

&Western Heritage Museum

Dr. Paul W. SechristPresident, Oklahoma City

Community College

Ann SimankExecutive Director,

Oklahoma City Metro Alliance

Lee Allan SmithVice Chairman,

Ackerman McQueen

Christopher C. TurnerPresident & CFO,

The First State Bank

David ThompsonRetired President,

OPUBCO Communications Group

Michael C. TurpenPartner in Law Firm Riggs, Abney,Neal, Turpen, Orbison & Lewis

Tony TylerTyler Media

J. BlakeWadePresident, OklahomaBusiness Roundtable

G. RaineyWilliams Jr.President,

Kestrel Investments, Inc.

Roy H. WilliamsPresident, Greater OklahomaCity Chamber of Commerce

Bill AnoatubbyGovernor,

Chickasaw Nation

BoardofDirectors

Timothy J. OToole hasserved as the President &CEO of the Oklahoma StateFair and State Fair Park sinceJanuary 2004. Beginning in2005, State Fair Park has un-dergone a $75 million dollarrenovation to its Equine andLivestock facilities under hisleadership. Plans are under-

way to revitalize the exposi-tion facilities and gatewaysto State Fair Park as part ofOklahoma Citys Maps3 pro-gram.OToole served as presi-

dent and general managerof the Oklahoma RedHawksBaseball Club in OklahomaCity from 1998 to 2004. He

worked with local govern-ment ofcials nalizing theconstruction of the citizen--nanced $33 million BricktownBallpark, now considered oneof the nations nest minorleague baseball parks.OTooles experience in-

cludes seven years as directorof operations for the Amateur

Softball Association/USASoftball, based in OklahomaCity, where he planned andmanaged the associationsinaugural participation in the1996 Olympic Games in At-lanta.OToole also served as Di-

rector of Operations for the1989 U.S. Olympic Festival

held in Oklahoma City.OToole is a graduate of

Bishop McGuiness HighSchool and Southern Naza-rene University.OToole serves on the

boards of the Greater Okla-homa City Chamber of Com-merce, OSU-OKC AdvisoryBoard and the Oklahoma

State Fair Board of Directors.OToole is married to Kath-leen, and has three children:Stacy, Ryan, and Blake.

Timothy J. OToolePresident & CEO

The Honorable Mary FallinGovernor,

State of Oklahoma

Ex-OfcioMem

bers

HonoraryBo

ardMem

bers

Eugene SeylerChairman, Greater OKCMetro Hotel Association

The Honorable Mick CornettMayor,

City of Oklahoma City

TheHonorable JanetBarresiStateSuperintendentofPublic Instruction,

StateDepartmentofEducation

James D. CouchCity Manager,

City of Oklahoma City

TheHonorableWilla JohnsonOklahomaCounty

Commissioner,District1

M.O. Bud BreedingThe Insurance Center

Robert F. BrownChairman & CEO, Great Plains

Coca-Cola Bottling Co.

Lt. Gen. Richard A. BurpeeConsultant,

RAB Enterprises, LLC

Luke R. CorbettRetired Chairman & CEO,

Kerr-McGee Corp.

William E. DurrettSenior Chairman,

American Fidelity Group

Robert A. FunkChairman & CEO,

Express Personnel Services

Maj. Gen. Jay T. EdwardsAir Force Retired

Richard L. GauglerChairman Emeritus,

M-D Building Products, Inc.

Darrell ChabinoReal Estate, Investments

and Development

Brooks K. HallVice Chairman,

Fred Jones Companies

Dr. James E. HalliganState Senator,

State of Oklahoma

Dan Hogan IIIInvestments

Max L. KnottsPersonal

Investments

Bill MathisPresident, Mathis Brothers

Oklahoma City, LLC

Frank A. McPhersonRetired Chairman & CEO,

Kerr-McGee Corp.

James H. NorickNorick Investment Co.

Russell M. PerryPresident & CEO, Perry

Publishing & Broadcasting Co., Inc.

Lindy RitzDirector, Mike MonroneyAeronautical Center

William N. PirtleRetired Utility Executive,Oklahoma Natural Gas. Co.

Dr. Kenneth E. SmithOwner & Operator,

K.S. Oil Co.

Marion J. StoryManager of Special Projects,

Mustang Fuel Corp.

Bill SwisherChairman,

Industrial Investments, LLC

Stanley F. HupfeldChairman, INTEGRIS Health

Family of Foundations

ExecutiveCommittee

John Michael WilliamsAttorney,

Williams, Box, Forshee & Bullard

Angela NemecekCorporate Secretary,

Oklahoma State Fair, Inc.

Ronald J. NorickControlling Manager,Norick Investment Co.

E. Carey Joullian IVPresident,

Mustang Fuel Corp.

G. Jeffrey Records Jr.Chairman & CEO,MidFirst Bank

Clayton I. Bennett servesas President of DorchesterCapital, a diversied privateinvestment company, andChairman of the OklahomaCity Thunder, a franchise ofthe National Basketball Asso-ciation. In addition, Bennettis involved in a broad varietyof investment activities andserves as an ofcer and di-

rector of numerous businessentities.Highly involved in civic and

charitable affairs, Bennettcurrently serves as Chairmanof the Oklahoma State Fairand the Oklahoma IndustriesAuthority. He is a past chair-man of the Greater OklahomaCity Chamber of Commerce,the Oklahoma Heritage Asso-ciation, Downtown OklahomaCity, Inc. and the OklahomaHealth Center Foundation.Bennett serves as a Directorof theOklahoma City Industri-al and Cultural Facilities Trust,the National Football Founda-tion and College Hall of Fame,the Oklahoma City BoathouseFoundation, the ResearchInstitute for Economic Devel-opment, the National Cow-

boy and Western HeritageMuseum and Casady School.In March of 2011, Gov. MaryFallin appointed Bennett tothe Board of Regents of theUniversity of Oklahoma.In 1990, Bennett received

the Dean A. McGee Award,which is presented annu-ally to an individual who hasmade signicant contribu-tions to the development ofdowntown Oklahoma City.In 1997, he was presentedthe Economic DevelopmentCitizen Leadership Award bythe National Council of UrbanEconomic Development; thisnational award is presentedannually to an individual whohas made outstanding contri-butions to the eld of urbaneconomic development. In

2007, Bennett was inductedinto the Oklahoma Hall ofFame, in 2008 was namedOKCityan of the Year byOklahoma City Friday news-paper and Oklahoman ofthe Year by Oklahoma Todaymagazine. In 2009, Bennettwas given the DistinguishedAlumni Award from CasadySchool, recognizing loyalty toCasady, service to community,and professional achievementon a local, state and nationallevel.Bennett attended Casady

School in Oklahoma City andthe University of Oklahoma.Bennett is married to the

former Thelma Louise Gay-lord; together they have threechildren, Mollie Inez, ChristineMarie and Gaylord Graham.

Clayton I. BennettChairman of the Board

Thursday, Sept. 15Todays features

Opening Day: $2 Gate admission foreveryone.

Dr Pepper Armband Day: $19 arm-band when you bring a Dr Pepper can($25 without can)

5 p.m.: 2011 Oklahoma State FairOpening Ceremonies 14 Flags Plaza.

7:30 p.m.: Disney On Ice presentsDisney/Pixars Toy Story 3 State FairArena.

7:30 p.m.: Eli Young Band Chesa-peake Energy Stage.

Things to do8 a.m.

Draft Horse Show (until about 3:30p.m.) Performance Arena.

10 a.m.American Sewing Guild Demo (until 3

p.m.) Creative Arts Building.Clydesdale Alley (to building close)

Super Barn.DriveOKC.com Auto Show Travel

and Transportation Building.Kids Creation Station (until 6 p.m.)

Creative Arts Building.Shotgun Rooster Bandshell.Sooner Scribes Caligraphy Demo

(until 4 p.m.) Creative Arts Building.Table Setting Contest Display (until 9

p.m.) Creative Arts Building.The Butterfly House (to dusk) 14

Flags Plaza.11 a.m.

Chainsaw Carving Demo 14 FlagsPlaza.

OSBA Honeycomb Extracting Demo Oklahoma Expo Hall.

Stick Horse Rodeo CentennialFrontier Experience.

11:30 a.m.Kellee Cooper Bandshell.Pig Races Gordon Cooper Blvd.Wild West Stunt Riders Centennial

Frontier Experience.Noon

Duck Races Centennial Plaza.Dummy Roping Centennial Frontier

Experience.Dustbowl Gypsies Centennial

Frontier Experience.Lowell Aumiller Bandshell.

12:30 p.m.Chainsaw Carving Demo 14 Flags

Plaza.Freddy Fusion Science & Magic 14

Flags Plaza.Rowdy Rooster Puppet Show

Oklahoma Expo Hall.Sea Lion Splash Bandshell.Trick Ropin Extraordinaire Centen-

nial Frontier Experience.1 p.m.

Bubble Madness Bandshell.Carnival Opens.Pig Races Gordon Cooper Blvd.Priefert Percherons Hitch it Up

Gordon Cooper Blvd.Roger Abrahamson Wooden Bowl

Turning Demo (until 7 p.m.) Centen-nial Frontier Experience.

Saltfork Artists Craftsman-Black-smiths Demo (until 7 p.m.) Centennial

Frontier Experience.Wild West Showcase Centennial

Frontier Experience.1:30 p.m.

Kids Celebration Capital CityTheatre.

Science Museum Oklahoma OPUBCO Pavilion.

The Beau Weevilz Bandshell.2 p.m.

Breast Cancer Awareness: BeautifulBras! Creative Arts Building.

Centennial Frontier Cloggers Cen-tennial Frontier Experience.

Fleischmanns Yeast "Bake for theCure" Contest Creative Arts Building.

JUMP! Dog Challenge CentennialPlaza.

Priefert Percherons Walkabout.2:30 p.m.

Duck Races Centennial Plaza.Dustbowl Gypsies Centennial

Frontier Experience.Rowdy Rooster Roust About 14

Flags Plaza.Stick Horse Rodeo Centennial

Frontier Experience.3 p.m.

Bubble Madness Bandshell.Chainsaw Carving Demo 14 Flags

Plaza.Dummy Roping Centennial Frontier

Experience.Edsels Invade the Fair! (until 7 p.m.)

Bandshell.Plains Indian Dancers Centennial

Frontier Experience.Science Museum Oklahoma

OPUBCO Pavilion.3:30 p.m.

F.O.M. the Band Bandshell.Freddy Fusion Science & Magic 14

Flags Plaza.Mutton Bustin Centennial Frontier

Experience.Pig Races Gordon Cooper Blvd.

4 p.m.Barrel Racing (until about 10 p.m.)

Performance Arena.Duck Races Centennial Plaza.Kids Celebration Capital City

Theatre.Log Cabin Handspinning Guild Demo

(until 8 p.m.) Oklahoma Expo Hall.Shenaniguns! Wild West Comedy

Centennial Frontier Experience.4:30 p.m.

JUMP! Dog Challenge CentennialPlaza.

Plains Indian Dancers CentennialFrontier Experience.

Rowdy Rooster Puppet Show Oklahoma Expo Hall.

Stick Horse Rodeo CentennialFrontier Experience.

5 p.m.Bubble Madness Bandshell.Comedy Hypnotist Dale K Capital

City Theatre.Cooking with the OK Beef Council

(until 9 p.m.) Creative Arts Building.Dustbowl Gypsies Oklahoma Expo

Hall.Mutton Bustin Centennial Frontier

Experience.Science Museum Oklahoma

OPUBCO Pavilion.5:30 p.m.

Freddy Fusion Science & Magic 14Flags Plaza.

Goats Milk Soap Making Demo (until8:30 p.m.) Oklahoma Expo Hall.

Pig Races Gordon Cooper Blvd.Priefert Percherons Hitch it Up

Gordon Cooper Blvd.Sea Lion Splash Bandshell.Shenaniguns! Wild West Comedy

Centennial Frontier Experience.6 p.m.

411 Band Its Motown Live! OPUBCO Pavilion.

Best Dressed Pumpkin Contest Creative Arts Building.

Calandra Williams Bandshell.Centennial Frontier Cloggers Cen-

tennial Frontier Experience.Duck Races Centennial Plaza.Dummy Roping Centennial Frontier

Experience.Kids Celebration Capital City

Theatre.Rowdy Rooster Puppet Show

Oklahoma Expo Hall.Some Like it Hot: Fresh Salsa Contest

Creative Arts Building.6:30 p.m.

Animal Surgical Suite live Barn 3.JUMP! Dog Challenge Centennial

Plaza.Priefert Percherons Walkabout.Trick Ropin Extraordinaire Centen-

nial Frontier Experience.7 p.m.

Anna Lee Bandshell.Okie Karaoke Centennial Plaza.Pig Races Gordon Cooper Blvd.Wild West Showcase Centennial

Frontier Experience.7:15 p.m.

Science Museum Oklahoma OPUBCO Pavilion.

7:30 p.m.Rowdy Rooster Roust About 14

Flags Plaza.Sea Lion Splash Bandshell.

8 p.m.411 Band Its Motown Live!

OPUBCO Pavilion.Comedy Hypnotist Dale K Capital

City Theatre.SIVA Addiction Bandshell.

9 p.m.Delvin Sirleaf Bandshell.

9:30 p.m.Avis Praeda Bandshell.

Friday, Sept. 16Todays features

6 p.m.: La Independencia de MexicoCelebration (until 11:30 p.m.) Bandshell.

7:30 p.m.: Disney On Ice presentsDisney/Pixars Toy Story 3 State FairArena.

7:30 p.m.: Leon Russell ChesapeakeEnergy Stage.

Things to do7:30 a.m.

Livestock Judging (until about 3 p.m.) Super Barn.

9 a.m.Gypsy & Draft Horse Show (until

about 4 p.m.) Performance Arena.10 a.m.

China Painting Demo (until 2 p.m.) Creative Arts Building.

Clydesdale Alley (to building close) Super Barn.

DriveOKC.com Auto Show Traveland Transportation Building.

Gourd Painting Demo (until 2 p.m.) Creative Arts Building.

Kids Creation Station (until 6 p.m.) Creative Arts Building.

Runa Pacha 14 Flags Plaza.The Butterfly House (to dusk) 14

Flags Plaza.10:30 a.m.

Kaylee Losawyer Bandshell.11 a.m.

Chainsaw Carving Demo 14 FlagsPlaza.

Evan Michaels Bandshell.Live Scrapbook Challenge-Postcards

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