PHOENIX – We are just hours away from the food, fun, sights and sounds of the Arizona State Fair.
The gates open on Friday at 4 p.m.
Until then, the crews are working around the clock to be ready to welcome guests.
Chris Lopez, Vice President of Ray Cammack Shows, the fair’s organizer, gave us a behind-the-scenes look as the finishing touches are put on the rides and one of the fair’s most popular attractions, the Midway Games.
“We have everything from the classics: bottle breaking, bottle wrestling, bottle tossing. We have all the old nostalgic games,” Lopez said.
Arizona State Fair introduces new food options
The opening of the Arizona State Fair is almost here, you can almost taste it. Vendors are preparing to appeal to a wide range of taste buds, offering everything from sweet to sour.
And without prizes, no Midway game is possible.
“Just imagine a giant Build-a-Bear. That’s what we have,” Lopez said.
And he wasn’t lying. Their warehouse is filled with thousands upon thousands of stuffed animals, from Hello Kitty to Pokémons to the traditional teddy bears.
“When we open at 4 p.m. tomorrow, we will have given away over 60,000 plush toys at every game last year. In 2023, we will have given away over 400,000,” he said.
Since 2020, the company has stuffed 150,000 pieces itself.
By the end of the show, 100 53-foot trailers full of prizes will have been unloaded.
The fair runs until October 27th.
