LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Opening day of the Kentucky State Fair means ice cream, corn dogs, and other exorbitant amounts of fair food. But in 2021, it also means masks.
Over the next 11 days, more than 500,000 people are expected to attend the fair.
Following Kentucky regulations, all attendees will be required to wear masks inside at the fair. Once they step outside, there are no requirements.
For vendors like Jeremy Murphy, it feels good to be back in business.
"It feels like we are back in full swing. I feel like people missed out on last year, and they want to come out and get some corn dogs," he said.
He admits things do look slightly different with the mask requirement indoors.
"Some people it did deter, but the people that are responsible are vaccinated and masked up and doing the right thing to protect other people," Murphy said.
Governor Andy Beshear was in attendance this morning for opening ceremonies. In his press conference Thursday afternoon, he said he appreciated the fairgrounds were requiring masks inside, but enforcement is an issue in his eyes.
"One thing I saw today was not a lot of enforcement on that," said Beshear.
Inside you can find different booths from organizations from across Kentucky, but one is trying to make it as convenient as possible for Kentuckians to receive the vaccine.
"Our plan is to vaccinate as many people as possible, making it easy and convenient. They can come to the fair and get a shot," said Lauren Hicks, the Director of Patient Safety and Care Review.
The Cabinet for Health and Family Services is offering vaccinations to any fairgoer who is interested. The first person to sign up was Terry Beams.
Beams has Stage 4 Cancer. The past year has been filled with extensive chemotherapy and multiple surgeries. His doctor gave him the all-clear Thursday morning to receive the vaccine, and he went straight to the fairgrounds.
"I just want to get this done to be healthy," he said.
The booth is located in South Wing B and will be open for the entirety of the fair from 12 p.m.- 6 p.m. each day.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.