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The Tennessee Valley Fair hits the age of 90 with some new attractions like lawn-mower racing and dance-team competitions. But the event that traces its start back to the Appalachian Exposition of 1910 mixes those new events with such longtime standards as carnival rides, agricultural exhibits and lots of food.

The fair at Chilhowee Park starts 3 p.m. today and continues until Sunday, Sept. 20. General admission tickets are $9 for adults, $7 for senior citizens, $5 for children ages 6 to 11. Children ages 5 and younger are admitted free. The fair's ticket and ride specials can be found on its Web site, www.tnvalleyfair.org.

The fair is traditionally a mix of activities, attractions and events. Demolition derbies, tractor pulls and beauty contests are offered during fair days. But the fair also encompasses displays of canned goods, flower arrangements, wood sculpture and photography. And the fair would not be the fair without the barns of sheep, cattle and rabbits and other animals. But it's not set in the past; this year the fair again includes its "Guitar Hero" music videogame contest.

Fair-goers can even get haircuts from Great Clips and help East Tennessee Children's Hospital at the same time. Donations to "Hair at the Fair" Sept. 10-13 and Sept. 18-20 at the fair's Jacob Building go to the hospital.

Music is always a major fair attraction. Rick Springfield opens this year's exposition with an 8 p.m. Sept. 11 concert. This year's concert schedule at the Homer Hamilton Theatre includes Seldom Scene, Molly Hatchet and the Sugar Hill Gang.

There will also be a musical tribute of sorts with the Saturday, Sept. 12, "Jimmy Buffett Night at the Fair." The 6 p.m. event includes a limbo contest, music and some cheeseburgers in Tennessee Valley Fair paradise. This is the fair's second annual "Jimmy Buffett Night;" it's at the Pepsi Community Tent.

The fair adds an Australian flavor with a new attraction. "Aussie Kingdom" includes three daily shows for each of the fair's 10 days. Those shows include interactions with Australian animals like kangaroos, wallaroos and some lizards.

There's also the first annual "Stiletto Strut" 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. Participants pay a $25 registration (fee includes one adult fair admission; registration starts at 10 a.m.) and must wear stiletto heels e at least 2 1/2 inches tall. The race is three-tenths of a mile; proceeds go to ovarian cancer research.

<0x00A0>More new events include a 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, lawn-mower racing competition. A 10 a.m. Sept. 12 dance-team competition will join the fair's cheerleading contests at the Homer Hamilton stage. And wrestling fans will mark their calendars for the 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 "Legends Wrestling Night at the Fair."

Another sign that fall is coming to East Tennessee, the Tennessee Valley Fair attracts some 135,000 people to Chilhowee Park each September.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel
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