JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair is getting ready for its opening on Thursday evening, and crews at the fairgrounds are working hard to make the yearly event a success.
The fair will open at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, and will remain open until Sunday, Nov. 12.
“So, we started setting up Sunday after Florida-Georgia, we get that moved out and start setting up Sunday morning. So, this is day three of setup. We still have another day and a half to go,” President of the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair, Bill Olson, said.
News4JAX went to the fairgrounds Tuesday and saw vendors setting up for the event.
Rides and games are in the process of being assembled. The exhibits and animals will also be moving in soon.
“They’re coming up, you can see him kind of popping up. You know, it takes them a little bit longer, because they make sure everything’s right and safe,” Olson said. “Then, the inspectors should be out here tomorrow to start inspecting tomorrow afternoon and into Thursday.”
This year, the community will experience something new that could cause a “big splash.”
It’s called the Sea Lion Splash, where sea lions will be giving a show to the audience. Plus, people will be able to see sharks during their live show with divers.
The fair has been a tradition in Jacksonville for 68 years and aims to educate the community about science, arts, agriculture and horticulture.
According to the News4JAX Weather Authority, the weather is expected to cooperate and not end up like last year when tropical storm Nicole cut the fair short by several days.
For more information and tickets for this year’s fair, visit www.jacksonvillefair.com.