The annual Ohio State fair kicks off tomorrow, July 25th, at 9 a.m. !

The 12 day long fair is located in Columbus and continues to be a summer staple for the residents of Ohio. The fair has a rich history: it began in 1850 and hasn’t slowed down since. Before picking it’s permanent location of Columbus in 1886, the fair would switch towns every year. The fair had been held everywhere from Cleveland to to Dayton to Toledo to Cincinnati.

The Ohio State fair is jammed packed with exciting events, concerts, and competitions. The free live music and concerts are in abumdance in Columbus this July. To check out the free music, click HERE. and click HERE for the concert lineups. Some of the concerts include muscians like Gavin Degraw, Colbie Caillat and Boston.

You can expect to see rides at the fair too. Take a break from the music and walk your children over to the kiddie ride section open from 10 a.m. to midnight!  There will also be a giant slide, a sky glider , and 60 other thrilling action-packed rides for adults.

The competition portion of the fair is looking tough! There will be cooking, baking, wrestling, cheerleading, crafts, fashion, boxing, and even a spelling bee competition. To sign up, view their website.

Lastly, click HERE to see all the special activities and attractions. This ranges with everything from fireworks to pony rides to sand sculptures, a parade, petting zoo and more! There is specific days and times for each event, so click the link for more information.

The famous butter cow from the Ohio State Fair will be  there again this year – and he is now tweeting! The cow, made from 6,200 sticks of butter, will be typing away on twitter about the state fair, contests to enter, and how to win an iPad. The butter sculptures have made other creations in the past. Last year was astronauts and the year before was football players. You’ll have to come to the Ohio State Fair to see what this year brings!

To view the cow’s Facebook, click HERE.

Advance sale ticket and ride-all-day wristbands are available at Kroger, AAA and Ticketmaster. Advanced tickets are $6 and are sold through August 5. Ride-all-day wristband vouchers are $19 available through July 24 only. Voucher holders can exchange for a wristband when they arrive on grounds.

-Kate Murphy / 98.5 WNCX