DELAND — Noshing on sirloin tips, listening to country music from a local band, Ted and Katrina Williams were embracing a time-honored family tradition on opening night of the Volusia County Fair.
“We’ve been coming here since we were little,” said Ted, 42, a lifelong Volusia County resident who now lives in Ormond Beach. “My family participated in the livestock exhibits for years.”
Now, Ted and Katrina, a nurse, are introducing their 3-year-old daughter, Sadie, to the family-friendly atmosphere of the annual event that started its 11-day run on Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Volusia County Fairgrounds in DeLand.
Along with the sirloin tips, the couple’s other must-do activities include sampling turkey legs and beef jerky, touring the animal exhibits and buying a plastic souvenir cup, a transaction that has become family tradition.
“We’ve got to get that refillable cup every year,” Katrina said. “We have 15 of them, one for every year that we’ve been together.”
For the Williams family, this year will mark another milestone, the first year that young Sadie will be able to experience a ride, most likely a spin on the Ferris wheel.
“This is the best time of the year,” Ted said. “We’d rather come here than Disney World.”
With mild temperatures and a relatively modest crowd, opening night offered all the trappings that have inspired such loyalty.
On the midway, kids and adults lined up to be spun, flipped or lifted high into the air on rides that beckoned with exotic names such as Zipper, Cyclops and Super Cyclone on flashing marquees.
Volusia County Fair goes to the dogs with Disc Connected K9s
Near the entrance gate, the skillful stars of St. Augustine-based Disc Connected K9s sprinted and leapt skyward to make circus catches with joyous ease.
It’s the canine troupe’s 17th year at the Volusia County Fair, said Jodi Frederick, who owns and operates the touring show with her husband, Lawrence.
The couple travels nationwide with the show’s dozen canine stars in a 43-foot motorcoach, to far-flung destinations from New Hampshire to North Dakota, California and Texas.
The performing dogs are all rescue animals, representing breeds that include border collies, Australian shepherds and pit bull mixes.
“Every single show has different dogs, so it isn’t like you see one show and you’re done,” Frederick said. “Unfortunately, the jokes are always just as bad.”
Volusia County Fair specializes in adventurous eating
For the culinary adventurous, the array of fair delicacies remains tantalizingly exotic.
Along with staples such as corn dogs and funnel cakes doused in powdered sugar, there were belly-busting hybrids such as the “Doughnut Burger,” an artery-challenging creation available for $18 at Burger Bob’s concession stand.
Next door, neon beckoned diners to Spaghetti Eddie’s for Pickle Pizza, “as seen on TikTok.”
And the event again offers a reminder of the limitless potential to deep-fry or wrap bacon around seemingly anything, from Oreos to meatballs. The sky also is the limit, apparently, when it comes to attaching food items to a stick.
Vendors praise Volusia County Fair as ‘family friendly’
Beyond the food, carnival barkers challenged folks to toss rings, shoot baskets or perform other feats to walk away with a stuffed animal big enough to qualify as a passenger on an interstate carpool lane.
Other vendors sold everything from leather goods to cowboy hats and other unique items.
“It’s a nice fair,” said Kim Harmon, tending to the merchandise at family-owned A Step Above Tumblers. The New Smyrna Beach-based company specializes in 20-ounce stainless steel tumblers adorned with colorful designs featuring everything from anime characters to Taylor Swift.
“They keep ice for 8 hours,” Harmon said. “They keep coffee hot for 8 hours, and they’re dishwasher safe.”
The company travels annually to numerous fairs statewide but considers Volusia County’s to be among the best, Harmon said.
“It’s very family friendly. There’s no alcohol, so we never see any issues. There are a lot of other fairs where you do. The people that run it are really on the ball.”
If you go
WHAT: Volusia County Fair
WHEN: Daily through Nov. 16
WHERE: Volusia County Fairgrounds, 3150 E. New York Ave. in DeLand.
HOURS: Gates open at 4 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. on Sundays throughout the event’s 11-day run.
COST: Advance tickets at $12 for ages 13 and older, $8 for ages 6-12, are available online at volusiacountyfair.com. At the gate, admission will be $15 (ages 13 and older) and $10 (ages 6-12). Age 5 and under free with adult admission.
ONLINE: volusiacountyfair.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia County Fair mixes tradition, family fun, adventure eating on opening day in DeLand
Reporting by Jim Abbott, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
