Rides, animals, food and fun: Volusia County Fair scheduled through Sunday

Under the light of a full moon and whirring of rides on Monday night at the Volusia County Fair and Youth Show, cousins Kim Long and Gwen McMichael sat at a picnic table sharing a funnel cake with their husbands. 

“Where else can you get it?” Long said of the unique fair foods. “I might get a fried Oreo before the night is over just because I’ve never had one.” 

Long, of Edgewater, estimates she’s been coming to the fair for 30 years. McMichael, who recently moved to the area, is visiting for the first time but says she could see it becoming an annual tradition. 

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Coming off of a pandemic, contentious political races and a hurricane, the fair offers a nostalgic experience for longtime locals, amusement for newcomers and “a little bit of everything for everybody,” Volusia County Fair Association General Manager Ronnie Hull said Monday.

“It's been great. We've had great attendance, we've had great exhibits and livestock shows, and everybody seems to be enjoying themselves,” Hull said. “Let’s face it. Our residents need some relief. They need an outlet to come out and see things.” 

Attendance strong, but storm will close fair at least Tuesday and Wednesday

The 77th running of the fair and youth show began on Thursday, Nov. 3, and is scheduled through Sunday, Nov. 13. However, incoming Tropical Storm Nicole has put a pause on the festivities for at least Tuesday and Wednesday, as staff and vendors are busy securing the fairgrounds.

The fair will make an announcement as to when it will be safe to reopen and when shows will be rescheduled. 

Plenty of visitors participated in the festivities before the pause on operations, though. Hull said attendance numbers for opening day clocked in at around 20,000, and there are nearly 4,000 youth show entries. 

“It’s fun. You can come eat anything you want,” Hull said. “Our goal is to showcase the youth in this county at a very cost-effective expense compared to other things that are around. For a $12 gate ticket, you can spend four hours here.” 

Or maybe more. There are more than 44 rides in the midway, along with carnival games and the gamut of fair food, including corn dogs, kettle corn, candy apples, turkey legs and plenty more.

There’s also live music, a petting zoo, canines who catch frisbees, an antique barn, vendor booths, exhibits, a space adventures thrill show and showings of farm animal favorites, from fluffy lambs to squealing pigs. 

Animals, rides, exhibits and fair food are big draws

For Long, the animals and youth are the main draw. 

“I came for the rabbits and the chickens. Every year, I come for the rabbits and the chickens. I just love seeing the kids working with them,” she said. “We’re too old for the rides.” 

She noted the fair started as a youth showcase rather than a carnival. 

“And the displays that they have, the train and the antique tractors and all those other things,” McMichael added. “The kids today should be looking at that.” 

Long said the fair entry was “the best 12 bucks you can spend.” 

For those planning to hit the midway, ride bracelets are $35 Saturday and $25 the rest of the week.

Shantel Finn of Palm Coast, who visited the fair on Monday night with her husband, 5-year-old daughter Aubrey and 2-year-old twins, said rides were her favorite as a child. 

“I'm originally from Volusia County, so I've gone every year since I was a kid, so now it's kind of full circle because now we have kids,” she said, as the children raced around and shouted their desire to eat cotton candy. 

Finn said it was “very sentimental” to be able to bring her kids to have the same experience she did as a child. 

While the youngsters were excited to go on rides, the petting zoo, which has goats, rabbits, sheep and other animals, was also a hit. 

“I like the llamas,” Aubrey said. 

'A hometown thing'

Everly Stokes, 6, was also enjoying the petting zoo, standing in the hay in her cowgirl boots hugging a donkey. 

Her mother, Kaley Stokes, was born and raised in DeLand and says she’s probably come every year since she was born. 

“I always liked seeing the animals, like the steer shows, and we like doing the exhibits inside. My husband likes to look at the old antique stuff and the tractors,” she said. “I just love everything about the fair.” 

She even ran for Miss Volusia County Fair when she was in high school and was second runner-up. 

“It's definitely a hometown thing and every time I come to the fair, I see so many people that I know that I haven't seen in years growing up here,” Stokes said. “It's just something we look forward to every year.” 

The Volusia County Fairgrounds are located in DeLand at 3150 E. New York Ave. For schedules and updates on the fair, check volusiacountyfair.com and Volusia County Fair & Youth Show on Facebook. 

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.