Tag: ohio state fair

2024 “Top 30 State Fairs” List

New: 2024 “Top 30 State Fairs” List

Do you love state fairs like we do? Check out our new 2024 “Top 30 State Fairs” list. This second annual compilation is based exclusively on two factors: per day attendance numbers (total 2023 attendance divided by total days open) and their baking competitions (history of past Blue Ribbon Group special contests). Our other criteria? They have to take place the second half of the year, the Blue Ribbon Group official state fair season.

Attendances ranged from 27K to 153K for per day averages (based on top 30 list). That is A LOT of people through the gates each day. All take place in the second half of the year, with the majority happening in August and September. The State Fair of Texas has the highest total attendance – 2.5 million – but since it’s spread out over twice as many days as Minnesota and others, it lands in the 4^th “best state fair” spot.

Top 30 State Fairs List - Best State Fairs

Big E Fair Added for 1st Time: Lands in Top 10

New to our “Top 30 State Fairs” list is the Big E, the biggest fair in Massachusetts. It lands in the # 8 spot. The Big E is considered America’s only multi-state fair and is the largest in the whole NE region. As a result, we count the Big E as a state fair. It represents all of New England with entertainment, unique foods, competitions, and more. Per research, the Big E’s Massachusetts State Exhibition Hall literally pays homage to all six New England states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. We have had many cookie contests at the Big E in years past. Welcome to our best state fair list, Big E!

The other biggest changes with our list:

Attendance leapt at many fairs, especially at Kentucky (up 14 percent) and at Wisconsin, Ohio, and New York, among others
Total attendance for all 30 top fairs jumped from 22.2 million fairgoers to 23.5 million
We narrowed the top 30 list to only have official state – or multi-state – fairs.
At the same time, we added 20 runner-up best fairs, for an Honorable Mention list.

2024 Honorable Mention U.S. Fairs:

For the first time, we also compiled an “honorable mention list” of sorts, to include the largest county and regional fairs we have worked with over the years. This gives our list greater/deeper representation of the entire country. Six land on the West Coast. Six land in the Northeast. The rest span the entire continental U.S. We have managed special recipe contest at each of these fair in the past. They are tried, true and extremely popular events, just like the official state fairs, but with a different label.

Daily average attendance numbers range from 94K to 10K per day, which is how they are ranked here.

Since 2006, Blue Ribbon Group has managed special recipe contests at large state, county and regional fairs. Find a collection of winning recipes at BlueRibbonGroup.net and featured on BlueRibbonFoodies on Instagram and Facebook.

Espresso Salted Caramel Turtle Sandies

These Espresso Salted Caramel Turtle Sandies are another all-time favorite cookie from our archives. With state fair season upon us, the timing is perfect for trying new recipes. Give this one a shot. Maybe perfect it for a cookie to enter at your fair this year.

The espresso powder the recipe calls for gives the cookie distinction. It is in the cookie dough, along with mini chocolate chips and pecans, which add another dimension to the cookie. Once baked, you add a caramel drizzle, made from caramel bits. You finish the cookies with some flair: a sprinkling of chopped pecans and a drizzle of bittersweet chocolate chips.

Espresso salted caramel turtle sandies won first place many years back at the Ohio State Fair, 2014, to be exact. Recipe credit goes to blue ribbon winning baker, Janet Gill.

Janet wanted to compete with a new take on the famous Pecan Sandies many of us know. Mission accomplished! With its mocha flavor and delicious drizzles, Janet created quite an epic cookie and deserves major kudos.

My mom who baked our test run with me said to note that tasters should chew slowly and luxuriously to enjoy all the delightful dimensions of this cookie! I agree. Find out for yourself and bake these today! And if you love pecans, be sure to try this other Ohio State Fair winning cookie for Toasted Pecan Honey Squares.

-Cyndi

2023 “Top 30 State Fairs” List

As long-time state fair baking/cooking contest managers, the Blue Ribbon Group is excited to share, for the first time publicly, our 2023 “Top 30 State Fairs” list. With this list we offer our answer to the often-asked question: What are the best state fairs in the United States?

This new compilation is based exclusively on two factors: per day attendance numbers (total 2022 attendance divided by total days open) and their baking competitions (history of past Blue Ribbon Group special contests). All 30 fairs have higher per day attendance than any other U.S. state fairs happening July to October each year.

Top 10

Topping this 2023 “Top 30 State Fairs” list is the Minnesota State Fair, followed by the Tulsa State Fair, State Fair of Texas, Iowa State Fair, and Wisconsin State Fair. Here are the top 10, listed in order, followed by the complete list noting each fairs’ dates and attendance numbers.

Minnesota State Fair
Tulsa State Fair
State Fair of Texas
Iowa State Fair
Wisconsin State Fair
North Carolina State Fair
Oklahoma State Fair
Ohio State Fair
New York State Fair
Illinois State Fair

Awesome Attendance Numbers

Attendance numbers in 2022, ranged from 26,224 to 153,519 for per day averages, and 287,367 to 2,500,000 for overall total attendances.
All take place between July and November, with the majority happening in August, September and October.
All are official state fairs with two caveats. The Tennessee State Fair and Wilson County Fair essentially merged in 2021, with the Wilson County Fairgrounds location becoming it’s home. The Salem Fair is the largest in Virginia with a 350,000 attendance in 2022.

Toasted Pecan Honey Squares

These simple and scrumptious Toasted Pecan Honey Squares are a winning sweet treat. They come from Cheryl Adkins, a home baking exhibitor at the 2015 Ohio State Fair. She won second place for these shortbread cookie bars topped with a pecan-pie type “filling.” They recall the beauty of a classic pecan pie and remind us how tasty it is to add pecans to any dessert, like with this THIS cheesecake.

With just 8 ingredients, you’ll have these out of the oven in no time!

The hardest part of this toasted pecan honey squares recipe is waiting long enough for them to cool. They are tender and chewy with just a touch gooey… and oh so good!

-Cyndi

Splenda Low-To-No-Sugar-Showdown

New Splenda “Low-To-No Sugar Showdown” Recipe Contest Celebrates Sugar-Free Blue Ribbon Baking at State Fairs

$350 in Cash Awards for Top Winners in Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, Arkansas; Bonus Prizes for Sugar-Free Bakers Nationally-

If you love cakes, cookies, pies, and other sweet treats but prefer them sugar-free or diabetes-friendly, check out the new Splenda “Low-To-No Sugar Showdown.” The state fair recipe contest series takes place this summer and fall at 5 prominent fairs.

Ohio State Fair Runs 7/27/22 – 8/7/22 Judging 7/24/22 in Rhodes Center Building
Wisconsin State Fair Runs 8/4/22 – 8/14/22 Judging 8/7/22 in Grand Champion Hall
Minnesota State Fair Runs 8/25/22 – 9/5/22 Judging 8/20/22 in Creative Activities Building
State Fair of Texas Runs 9/30/22 – 10/23/22 Judging 10/5/22 in Creative Arts Building
Arkansas State Fair Runs 10/14/22 – 10/23/22 Judging 10/19/22 in Arts & Craft Center

Note: Most fairs require advance registration, which bakers do directly with each fair’s competition office. If you can’t compete at any of these fairs, you can still participate. See below.

The Low-Down on the “Low-To-No Sugar Showdown” (Product Giveaway!)

At each event, home-baking fairgoers receive a free 16 ounce bag of Splenda’s new plant-based, zero-calorie sweetener, Magic Baker (one per person, while supplies last).
All winning entries will feature Splenda Magic Baker or some other Splenda product.
Cookies, cakes, and diabetes-friendly desserts are among the varied themes at each showdown.
$350 in cash awards are up for grabs at each of the fairs.
3 winners will receive cash prizes at each fair: 1^st Place is $200, 2^nd is $100, 3^rd is $50.
Judges choose winners for being unique and creative, with great taste, flavor and aroma, as well as presentation and texture.
Look for a winning recipe collection on Blue Ribbon Group website and Blue Ribbon Foodies social media channels.

For contest details and complete competition guidelines, contact the fair’s entry office or the Blue Ribbon Group (here).

Bonus Prizes for Sugar-Free Baking Nationally

If you compete with a sugar-free/no added sugar recipe at ANY state fair (one of the above or other) and use Splenda, we invite you to share it with us for a chance to win a $25 gift card. To qualify, post before October 23, 2022 on social media — Facebook or Instagram, using #splenda, #lowtonosugar, #blueribbonfoodies, #blueribbonbaking, #statefair among your hashtags – and submit your sugar-free blue-ribbon-worthy baked good here. We will choose winning recipes (1 for each of 5 U.S. regions, if applicable) and feature them on our website and Blue Ribbon Foodies social media channels. Each baker with a winning recipe receives a $25 gift card.

Spice Cupcakes

These Spice Cupcakes are easy and delicious sweet treats. They are also a blue ribbon winning recipe! Ground cloves and cinnamon flavor the cake. Classic white and brown sugar give the cupcakes their sweetness. Baking soda and baking powder supply the lift and help provide the perfect texture. Eggs, shortening, and buttermilk also add to that moist, rich texture you will love.

Originally made as a layer cake, this recipe won 1st place at the Ohio State Fair back in 2011.

Winner Winner!

Peggy Smith of Delaware, Ohio, was the talented blue ribbon baker. She won the Great Cake Contest, which King Arthur Flour sponsored. Peggy’s family loves this cake recipe. She said she used and tweaked it for several years before competing with it. Often we see winners teaching their children to bake but Peggy confessed her daughter deserves the credit, for getting her into baking. Her top tip for cake baking is “sift the flour!” Hats off to Peggy and her award winning cake!

These Spice Cupcakes are a perfect dessert for fall. I baked them for a friend’s birthday and they were a huge hit. Be sure to bake these soon! For more pumpkin recipes, check out this epic monkey bread recipe!

-Cyndi

Raspberry Berets

Aptly named Raspberry Berets, these colorful and creative cookie cups are like mini fruit pies. They get me singing the Prince song of the same name every time. We highly recommend baking them, with Prince tunes as your soundtrack.

They are crowd-pleasing and so easy to make! I mean, really easy. You start with a delicious cookie shell made with butter, granulated and powdered sugar, baking soda, salt, and flour. Fresh out of the oven (while still in the tins) you re-press the cups (to be deep enough to hold the fillings) and let them cool.

Beth Krauss won at the 2015 Ohio State Fair with this Raspberry Berets recipe (third place) and said they were inspired by her love of bite-sized desserts. If you love shortbread, you’re going to love these cookie cups. If you love buttercream, you’re going to scream for these.

The “filling” is a seedless raspberry jam with a rich raspberry buttercream on top. You finish them a fresh raspberry.

Baking Tips:

If you are making these raspberry berets ahead of time and freezing, a raspberry gummy works well as a substitute garnish.

Another idea is the bake the cookie shells/cups and freeze them in sealed plastic freezer bags (or refrigerate them instead). You can pre make the buttercream too and keep it in the freezer or fridge. That way, with some raspberry jam and fresh raspberries on hand, you can assemble all or part of the batch on the day that you need them.

Beth, the wining creator of this recipe, says that if raspberries aren’t your thing, go with a lemon curd, coconut custard, or even chocolate pudding as the filling.

Try this award-winning recipe today! You won’t regret it. This is one of our most popular recipes. One taste and you’ll know why. Put these in heavy rotation and in the “best cookie” category.

-Cyndi