Georgia National Fair celebrates its 36th annual with opening ceremony 

PERRY — The Georgia National Fair is in full swing as government officials, members of the public and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp celebrated one of the state’s go-to attractions at its opening ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 2.

Along with recognizing the 2024 winners of the Georgia Junior National Livestock Show, Georgia’s Agriculture Exposition Authority Chairman, Foster Rhodes, gave his greetings at the opening ceremony. 

Rhodes has served on the Exposition Authority since its creation in 1985 and was elected Chairman in 2019. He was also inducted into the University of Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2019. 

“[The Georgia National Fair] is just a wonderful opportunity we have to exemplify what our young people in the state are doing in the livestock industry,” he said. “We’re so proud as a fairgrounds here to have maintained that mission for many years.” 

Rhodes projects that the Georgia National Fair is expected to attract around 500,000 visitors over its 11 days and acknowledges that a great deal of effort from everyone is required to make the fair a success. 

After recognizing various government officials in attendance, Rhodes acknowledged that Robins Air Force Base is always supportive of the fairgrounds; however, they were unable to attend due to the government shutdown. 

Governor Brian Kemp, who supports the Georgia Youth Livestock Programs and the Georgia National Fairgrounds, gave the keynote speech at the opening ceremony. 

It is an honor for us to officially help open not only one of the largest fair and livestock shows in the nation, but also the best,” Kemp said. 

Kemp added that daily support of farmers is essential now more than ever, as the industry is still feeling the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene. 

“While communities literally in all parts of Georgia were impacted by the storm, there’s no doubt that our farmers and our rural communities took the brunt of it in many ways,” he said. “We know that those impacted still continue to recover, and thankfully, relief is on the way.”

Kemp said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and his team announced new federal block grants totaling $531 million to support those impacted by Hurricane Helene. 

“I am just grateful for the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Commissioner Harper, the USDA teams and everybody that has worked so hard over those many months to get that deal done,” he said. “We look forward to getting those funds to families that need it most.” 

In the past three years, Kemp said the State of Georgia has broken records in tourism, citing the Georgia National Fair as one of the many drivers of those numbers. 

“Thank you again to the hardworking men and women who make this yearly event possible because you directly contribute to this success,” he said. “To everyone who enters these fairgrounds over the next 11 days, on behalf of my family and the entire State of Georgia, welcome to the best fair in the nation.”