1 big thing: 🐮 The State Fair is a week away
🌤️ Today's weather: Another hot summer day, with a high in the upper 80s and a chance of thunderstorms.
FYI: We could probably copy and paste this forecast for the next week or so.
🎵 Sounds like: " Summer Nights" by Rascal Flatts.
Alissa Widman Neese,
Tyler Buchanan
It's almost time for the Ohio State Fair — where you can pet a kangaroo, watch T-Pain perform and eat deep-fried candy bars all in one day.
Why it matters: While revered for its unusual food and entertainment, the fair is much more than that.
It draws about a million visitors to Columbus from all 88 counties to celebrate our agricultural roots and unite over summertime traditions.
Driving the news: The gates are open next Wednesday morning through Aug. 3.
What's new: You'll find those kangaroos and other animals at The Barnyard, a new shaded area featuring the popular petting zoo and pig race attractions.
Other debuts include chainsaw carving demonstrations and a free circus, plus axe throwing ($10) and a 200-foot-high slingshot ride ($40).
Plus: Two gift shops, eight water bottle filling stations and a north-side entry gate.
🎵 Who's performing: From Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band Foreigner to a free Taylor Swift tribute, check out our ranking of this year's lineup. Tickets.
Best bites: Several new foods are inspired by 2025's viral flavors, including Dubai chocolate funnel cakes, white cheddar dill pickle cheese curds and a "smashdilla," described as "where a quesadilla and a smash burger fall in love."
Schmidt's yearly cream puff is caramel apple.
Concession stands offer special $3 items on Thursdays, July 24 and 31.
🤨 Yes, but: We're utterly perplexed by the new buckeye lemonade, "infused with creamy peanut butter and chocolate."
What's next: It wouldn't be the State Fair without a Butter Cow. It'll be unveiled Tuesday.
Gate hours: 10am–9pm Monday–Friday and 9am–9pm Saturday–Sunday, except the last Sunday, when gates close at 6pm. Map. Daily schedule.
$12 adults, $10 kids and seniors at the gate. Kids under 6 free! $10 parking.
🎟️ Ticket pro tips: Buy online before opening day and pay just $8.
Discount days are July 28 (adults $10, kids free), July 29 (seniors free) and July 31 (college students $10).
Military members, first responders and veterans are free every day with an ID.
2. 😋 Chart du jour: What you can eat on a stick
Here's a fun statistic to share with fellow fairgoers: Concession stands will be serving 20 different foods on a stick this year.
The intrigue: After crunching the numbers, we've learned that's somehow lower than average over the past four fairs.
Zoom in: This year's delicacies include the obvious corn dogs, cotton candy and candy apples, plus oddities like a sausage s'more skewer, fried gator and moonshine chicken.
4. 🪧 "Good Trouble Lives On" protests are coming
April Rubin,
Alissa Widman Neese
Tens of thousands of people are expected to protest the Trump administration again tomorrow, on the fifth anniversary of the death of civil rights leader and former congressman John Lewis.
Flashback: Lewis was one of the most vocal critics of President Trump during his first administration.
He skipped Trump's 2017 inauguration — only the second Lewis missed during his three-decade tenure in Congress including former President George W. Bush's inauguration in 2001.
Zoom in: Local events are scheduled in Delaware, Hilliard, Westerville, Reynoldsburg, Sunbury and in downtown Columbus.
5. 🕵️♀️ Alissa's first geocaching trip
Alissa Widman Neese
👋 Alissa here. Inspired by Tyler's adventures in geocaching, I decided to "quickly" investigate a couple caches by my house yesterday.
Reality check: I really underestimated how well these things are hidden, and it took me quite a while to find two beginner-level caches.
I rage-quit and headed back to my car at both sites, thoroughly convinced the caches must no longer be around.
Yes, but: After cooling off, I got back out and persevered, with a little help from their comment logs on the Geocaching website.
Disclaimer: I'm going to share two spoilers, if you plan on searching the west side.
My first stop: The San Margherita sign near the Belmont House apartments, to find a teeny, tiny magnetic capsule stuck to a park bench's underside, containing a paper log.
It's a common tactic, Tyler tells me. He already found that one two weeks ago.
The second: The El Vaquero on Riverside Drive, where it was cleverly hidden near the parking lot.
I unknowingly circled around forever before finding it.
My advice: Do more research than I did about what to expect when searching. I now understand how learning common hiding tactics would definitely help.
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