By Ellen R. Stapleton
The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE - Approaching its 100th birthday, the Kentucky State Fair still has great appeal among a public that is less directly involved in the agriculture industry than it was a century ago, the fair's top executive said.

KY. STATE FAIR

The focus of the 100th Kentucky State Fair Thursday-Aug. 29 will be on the past, with a 22,000-square-foot exhibit displaying the event's history. Visitors can also view competitive entries in 29 departments, from cattle to culinary, and find out about new products from Kentucky businesses. • Daily opening: 7 a.m. • Thrillway hours: Noon to closing Aug. 19-22 and Aug. 28-29; 4 p.m. to closing Aug. 23-27. • Location: Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center, Louisville. • Admission: $7 for adults, $3 for children and seniors. $5 for parking. Discount tickets available at Kroger stores until Wednesday. • Paid concerts: Kenny Chesney/Uncle Kracker, Aug. 19; ZZ Top/Saliva, Aug. 20; Brooks and Dunn/Gary Allan/Josh Turner, Aug. 21; Rascal Flatts/Chris Cagle, Aug. 29. • Free concerts: Peter Frampton, Aug. 19; Keith Sweat, Aug. 20; Switchfoot/Earshot, Aug. 21; The Oak Ridge Boys, Aug. 22; Avalon/Rebecca St. James/The Crabb Family, Aug. 23; Trace Adkins/The Kentucky Headhunters, Aug. 24; Mary Wilson and The Supremes/The Dixie Cups, Aug. 25; Brad Paisley, Aug. 26; Hanson/Michael Tolcher, Aug. 27; and Randy Travis, Aug. 28. • New attractions: "Crazy Cowboy" show, extreme-sports show, magician and juggler at the Kidz Biz Stage.

Harold F. Workman, president and CEO of the Kentucky State Fair Board for more than a decade, said the 11-day event remains popular and financially sound at a time when nearby state fairs have lagging attendance and looming budget deficits. This year's fair runs Thursday through Aug. 29.

The fair drew 625,657 people last year. Workman said surveys show most come from urban and suburban areas within 50 miles of the Louisville fairgrounds. Surveys also show that the animal exhibits are among the most popular attractions, Workman said.

"Lots of people don't see livestock every day, except maybe in a field when they're driving down the road," Workman said.

According to the Kentucky Agricultural Statistics Service, there were about two-thirds fewer Kentucky farms in 2002 - 86,500 - than in 1909. The amount of farmland in the state has dropped to 13.8 million acres, about 40 percent of the 1909 figure.

Mike Ovesen, executive director of the Kentucky Pork Producers Association, said changes in the industry haven't meant fewer young people exhibiting their products at the fair.

"It's a nice time to blend the urban and rural communities," Ovesen said. "Besides the state fair giving us the opportunity to exhibit the best that we have, it also brings out the youngster in all of us. And the most important thing agriculture raises is the next generation."

Kentucky's state fair, at age 100, is a relatively young one. The first state fair was in New York in 1841, and Iowa is celebrating its 150th this month.

A General Assembly bill called for a state fair to showcase agriculture, and the first was held in 1902 at Churchill Downs in Louisville. It was canceled in 1904 because of a legal dispute and in 1942 and 1943 for World War II.

The "vision" of organizers in the 1940s has proven to be key to the event's success, Workman said. The fair bounced between several cities and Louisville locations before ground was broken for the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center, where the fair was first held in 1956.

Currently, the 520-acre property is the seventh-largest public facility of its kind in the United States. It has more than 1 million square feet of indoor space. It's home to Freedom Hall, the arena for University of Louisville basketball, and also has a permanent amusement park, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.

"You'll find that we are atypical because there's probably not another state fairgrounds in the country that is made up like this one," Workman said. "We are a major trade show and convention center. Most other state fairgrounds just try to hold other events."

The fair has stayed progressive, Workman said, by adding corporate sponsors to supplement revenue and investing in its facilities. Work on a $50 million expansion of exhibit space is slated for completion in October 2005. After that, Workman has his sights set on a convention hotel and walkway connecting it to the South Wing.