Music, Animals, Pie Eating Highlight Michigan State Fair

NOVI, MI — For the fifth straight year, Novi is hosting the Michigan State Fair. Form music to the Midway, the circus and a parade to more livestock than most people have ever seen in one place, the State Fair offers fun for everyone.

The Suburban Collection Showplace, which sits at 46100 Grand River Avenue between Novi and Beck roads, is the Michigan State Fair’s home. The annual event, which traces its roots all the way back to 1849 and the city of Detroit, runs through Labor Day.

Among the many attractions, the “Barbeque Boot Camp” has grown into of the Fair’s best. Designed to give fairgoers an opportunity to learn about the many facets of animal, meat, and food science as they relate to home food selection and preparation.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Novi Patch, click here to find your local Michigan Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The program offers interactive learning demonstrations with focus on how to select, prepare and season various cuts of meat for optimal grilling results. Many other highly regarded Michigan Chefs will also be sharing their expertise, including entrées, salads, sides and desserts, at the State Fair during the Labor Day Holiday Weekend.

Other cool things to do at the Fair include:

• Superstar Contest: A total of 14 semifinalists will compete on the main stage with five continuing to a judged competition on Saturday evening. The final two square off on Sunday.
• Michigan Music Mega Jam: A host of local talent will perform on Monday starting at 1 p.m. "The mission of this All-Star Michigan Mega Jam Revue performance is to showcase the amazing depth and wide spectrum of Michigan musical talent for the world at large,” says Mega Jam producer and host Nadir Omowale.
• State Fair Parade: Also on Monday, approximately 300 Shriners with their Parade Units will be in attendance to entertain the crowd. The parade starts at 10 a.m. and will travel west on Grand River Avenue from Taft Road to the State Fair entrance.
• Animals: The Beginning of Life exhibit is always a hit. Plenty of livestock will be on hand, too, including sheep, cows, rabbits and even a few goats.
• Pie eating contest: What kind of state fair would it be without one? If pie isn’t your thing, there’s also a hot dog and a corn on the cob eating contests.
• Watermelon Seed Spitting: Need we say more?

Fair organizers said more than 100,000 people attended the Fair in 2016. The Fair also distributed more than $500,000 in charitable contributions to a wide spectrum of community organizations from funds raised.

Photo courtesy of the Michigan State Fair