Autumn Johnson, 7 of Ridgeland, shows off her State Fair bounty. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
The Mississippi State Fair opened this week and runs until Oct. 18.
As other states including North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland cancelled their state fairs this year due to COVID-19 concerns, Mississippi’s opened on Wednesday.
The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce advises people who do not feel well or have underlying medical conditions stay home. Fair rides will be sanitized after each ride and hand sanitizer will be available on the fairgrounds, the department said.
“By coming to the Fair, you acknowledge and agree that you assume these inherent risks associated with attendance,” Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson said in a statement.
The state is no longer under a statewide mask mandate, though fair workers and vendors are required to wear masks. As for fairgoers, “Wearing a mask is a matter of personal preference,” Gipson said.
“We strongly encourage fairgoers to bring a mask in case they are not able to socially distance. We will have masks at the gate for fairgoers that may need one.”
Here are images from the 161st Mississippi State Fair:
Day two of the 161st Mississippi State Fair viewed from Lamar Street on Thursday afternoon. The fair opened Wednesday, October 7th.
Surprisingly, not one rider lost their keys, pocket change, cell phone or lunch.
Autumn Johnson, 7 of Ridgeland, shows off her State Fair bounty.
“He calls himself, Happy,” said his grandmother. Happy, 4 of Brandon, enjoys a merry-go-round eagle flight.
Ferris wheel workers await their next riders.
When the car of your dreams is just out of reach. Bryson Lockhart, 1 of Jackson, waits patiently for his father to take notice.
The Crazy Mouse again, proving it is not just a kiddie ride.
Selfie time on high riding the Swing Tower.
At the end, the giant slide ride produced a big smile on 20-month-old Avery Milner’s face. It was the actual slide down with dad, Joey Milner of Flora, that seeded a bit of doubt.
An overcast day and a tiny bit of sporadic rain didn’t put a damper on a good time at the fair for Kaleigh McIntosh, 10 of Byram.
Zack the Lumberjack touted his skills as a chainsaw wielding artisan who would wow the crowd by carving a bunny rabbit from a log. His audience sat up a little straighter in anticipation.
Zack the Lumberjack eggs on the crowd, asking if they’d like to see his bunny carved masterpiece.
Zack the Lumberjack reveals his bunny carved masterpiece to a stunned, then laughing crowd.
The day was overcast, and rain visited now and then on the second day of the 161st Mississippi State Fair.
Talaya McClinton, 5 of Jackson, tries her hand at fishing.
The Crazy Mouse ride and a lone rider.
“Sign her up!” A passerby quipped, after watching Diamond Clavelle, 21 of Vicksburg, zip three fastballs on target, shattering three plates to win a prize.
Cory Carter of Rockford, Illinois, working the ‘Fool the Guesser’ booth, awaits his next customer.
When the game. Win the prize.
Caricature artist Taras McGirth of Charleston, South Carolina, applies the finishing touches to a portrait of Landan Fultz, 2 of Vicksburg.
Bentley Welborne, 3, all tuckered out from a Thursday afternoon at the State Fair, with her Paw Paw Cliff Melborne of Florence.
Dacia Wilchur of Jackson, finds a quiet spot away from the crowds to enjoy a candy apple.
Gate 1 ticket taker Candi Lewis uses hand sanitizer after selling admission tickets at the Mississippi State Fair on Thursday afternoon.
Hand sanitizer stations are placed throughout the fair. Face masks are provided for fair-goers needing one.
Fairgoers were encouraged to bring masks if social distancing was not possible for them. The wearing of masks was not mandatory and left to personal preference, although highly encouraged.
Thursday evening at the 161st Mississippi State Fair.
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Gallery: The 161st Mississippi State Fair, where ‘a mask is a matter of personal preference’
Vickie King has experience as a professional photographer spanning 35 years- from childhood purchasing her first camera by selling flower seeds to neighbors, as a stringer for Associated Press in Des Moines, Iowa, a freelancer shooting an album cover to your loved one’s wedding, and your kids and pets at a J.C. Penney portrait studio. She joins the Mississippi Today team as a photojournalist.
A native Mississippian and resident of Jackson, Vickie was born in Laurel.
You know her work from years as a staff photographer for the Clarion-Ledger. Her award-winning photography has appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Editor & Publisher Magazine, People Magazine, in national news broadcasts, and books depicting the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to the glory of Ole Miss football.
Most recently, she is the former photographer, Special Projects Officer IV, Staff Officer I, videographer, and online content producer for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. She is also a Pulitzer Prize nominee for Spot News.
Vickie is a graduate of Simpson College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Relations.
