The Great Allentown Fair, a Lehigh Valley classic for 166 years, will soon welcome thousands of visitors to its big-name outdoor concerts, motorsport shows, rides, games, novelty attractions, food and a showcase of products from the region’s farms, gardens and homes.

One of the United States’ Top 50 fairs kicks off Aug. 28 and runs through Sept. 3, Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. Fair organizers are touting what’s “Great” about this year’s event filled with “Fun, Yum and Thrills.”

The Fair’s Guide and Map posted online and handed out at Fair entrances designates venues and provides a daily schedule of activities, most of which are free with Fair admission.

“Ag-venturing”

The Great Allentown Fair’s origin is its reason for being. Fairgoers can discover the Fair’s roots in livestock barns and exposition buildings on the west end of the fairgrounds.

More than 1,000 farm animals, including cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits and more reside in “Agri-Land.” The competition for best of show takes place in the Judging Tent, headquarters for livestock judging as well as farm fun events such as “Barnyard Olympics,” “Pedal Push Tractor” and “Hay Bale.”

The tent also is home to the annual Lehigh County 4-H livestock sale Sept. 1, the year’s culmination project for youth in the club that reminds fairgoers of the Fair’s mission to encourage agricultural excellence.

Additional outdoor attractions include the “4-H Petting Zoo,” an antique tractor display and “Lil’ Farm Hands,” an activity center where children can play and learn what it’s like to be a farmer.

Heading inside Agri-Plex to see the more than 8,000 entries that compete for blue ribbons is worth a trip to the Fair. The spacious building shows off the best of what is grown, sewn, cooked, created and collected. Striking photos, Lego sculptures, treasured antiques, beautiful quilts, heavenly baked goods and so much more are judged and on display.

Culinary contests

Beyond the showcases in the exhibition building, there are high-stake culinary and fun interactive contests that have foodies and arts and crafts lovers flocking to its doors.

The Fair’s renowned “Farm to Table” series of chef demonstrations and culinary tips features more kitchen masters than ever before sharing their secrets and even giving audience members sample tastes. Demonstrations go on every day of the Fair.

A fairgoer favorite, the “Iron Chef Competition,” is a two-day event with preliminary battles leading up to the final match-up where a new contender competes against last year’s champ. Each round has chefs creating dishes from a supply of ingredients unknown to them before the competition begins.

“Battle One,” Aug. 31 pits Executive Chef Ricky Heinrichs of Pearly Bakers against Executive Chef Kayla Swinicki of oKaysions Katering.

“Battle Two,” Aug. 31 features Executive Chef Cristian Gonzalez of The Shelby against Chef Komal Shah of Food Workz.

On Sept. 1, the winners of Aug. 31 contests face off to determine who is in the “Final Battle” against last year’s winner, Executive Chef Abe Lopez of Stoke Coal Fire Pizza & Bar.

Debuting last year as a demonstration, the new “Grain To Glass” event is a cocktail competition featuring the products of local distilleries and challenges local bartenders to create the ultimate cocktail. County Seat Spirits, Eight Oaks Craft Distillers, Gallows Hill Spirit Co. and Social Still are participating.

Free entertainment

Non-stop entertainment free with Fair admission abounds around the fairgrounds.

New this year, the XPOGO Stunt Team, featuring extreme championship pro athletes soaring, flipping and bounding 10-feet in the air on pogo sticks, are coming to astound fairgoers.

Back for more chills and thrills, the high-flying, death-defying Nerveless Nocks All-American Thrill Show performers race motorcycles inside the Wheel of Steel motor-dome, defy gravity on a rotating Wheel of Destiny and fearlessly perform acrobatic tricks atop 80-feet-high Sway Poles.

The Rhinestone Roper, “America’s Got Talent” Season 6 Quarterfinalist Dan Mink, rides into the Fair. His stunt horse, roping and knife-throwing tricks had 2017 Fair audiences returning all week.

Back by popular demand, Robinson’s Pig Paddling Porkers race around a track and do laps in their own pool for Oreo cookie rewards.

Destination venues

There are destination venues on the fairgrounds featuring multiple free attractions.

Agri-Plex Square is the “front yard” of the Fair’s major exhibition building and its Harvest Patio provides an oasis of shade, seating and a selection of craft-style beers and the Bud Light Build-A-Bar, a mobile unit that tours sports venues and events.

The site features a variety of performers, including acoustic musicians, magicians, clowns, balloon artists, DJs and a country line-dancing evening Sept. 2.

The RCN Farmerama Theater is a grassy park-like variety show site that features entertainment, music, sports talk and its week-long resident attraction, “The Marvelous Mutts Canine Spectacular.” The rescue dogs that charmed Fair audiences the past two years are back, racing through an obstacle course, leaping into a pool of water to grab toys, and snatching discs out of the air.

The “RCN Sports Talk” show broadcasts from the theater live three evenings with local cable sports commentators previewing the fall sports season and appearances from area high school cheerleaders and bands Aug. 28, 29 and 30.

The Cat Country 96 “NASH Next Contest” showcases five regional bands Aug. 30, vying to become Nashville’s next big star. Judges will pick a finalist to go on to a national competition in Music City.

For a magical Labor Day weekend, the area’s favorite magician Tom Yurasits performs his repertoire of amazing tricks and illusions during shows Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

The Farmerama “goes groovy” Sept. 1 with the Lehigh Valley’s favorite 1960s tribute band The Large Flowerheads.

For a patriotic Labor Day Sept. 3, the Belle Tones harmonize on treasured tunes to honor the red, white and blue.

The MainGate Bier Garten and Nightclub is one of the Fair’s most popular gathering spots offering fun, spirits, music and reunions of the “Fair-faithful.”

Bands perform, including the Sept. 1 special event: the return of 18-time Grammy Award-winner, the Jimmy Sturr Orchestra.

Notable mentions

Funnel cakes, giant turkey legs, waffles and ice cream, fried veggies and everything and anything served up on a stick tempt fairgoers with mouth-watering aromas from one end of the fairgrounds to the other.

Fair President Beverly Gruber has once again challenged Fair concessionaires to come up with a new treat at their stands.

Location-map ballots are available inside Agri-Plex and at InFAIRmation booths for fairgoers to pick up and guide them to the new foods and then cast their votes for the best new creations.

Continuing is last year’s commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Camp Crane, the World War I United States Army Ambulance Service training camp on the Allentown Fairgrounds from 1917 until the end of World War I in 1919.

The display will depict life at the camp and highlight the 18 universities that contributed to the troop population of more than 2,000 who trained there.

Ticketed attractions

The Fair’s perennial carnival midway host, Powers Great American Midways, continues to provide rides at a value that appeal to all ages. Powers caters to families that enjoy riding together on amusements like the company’s retooled Merry-Go-Round and a brand-new flying Elephant Ride and thrill rides like the new Zero Gravity and Down Draft.

No day at the Fair would be complete without winning that gigantic stuffed toy for a favorite child or “sweetie,” as all kinds of flashy games of chance and skill abound.

The renowned “Home of the Stars” Grandstand showplace again lives up to its reputation for featuring artists that dominate their respective genres, filling concert venues and taking the entertainment industry’s highest awards.

Alt rockers 311, The Offspring, Gym Class Heroes, comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, pop artists 5 Seconds of Summer, The Aces, Niall Horan and Maren Morris perform at the Fair for the first time. Country super duo Sugarland returns after a five-year absence.

The Fair’s J & J Demolition Derby on the final day, Sept. 3, is joined with another rip-roaring motorsport kicking off the Fair on “Preview Night.” The Great Truck & Tractor Pull brings back an agricultural fair classic to the Allentown Fairgrounds famous racetrack.

Grandstand show tickets include Fair admission when purchased in advance of the show date.

Deals, discounts

“Dollapalooza Preview Night,” Aug. 28 offers $1 specials on rides, games and food. While regular “Preview Night” admission is $3, a special “Buck and a Can” promotion lets fairgoers get in by paying $1 at the gate and contributing a food item donation benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank of

the Lehigh Valley.

“Fair Deals” abound for “early birds under the wire” who attend Aug. 29, 20 and 31 when admission from noon-2 p.m. is free.

On Aug. 29, seniors with ID pay $4 at the gate after 2 p.m. on American Bank Senior Citizens Day. On Aug. 30, active Military and Veterans with ID get in Free on “Red, White & Thank-You Military Day.”

Starting on Aug. 28, admission is $8 with those age 12 and under free. Purchasing $4 advance admission tickets at the Fair Box Office and online saves 50 percent with no fees added.

Gate admissions benefit the mission of the Lehigh County Agricultural Society, the nonprofit operator of the fair founded in 1852, to support agriculture.

Value-minded families may obtain all-day ride wristbands at $18 by purchasing them in advance. The wristbands sell for $25 at the Fair.

Individual ride tickets are also available at the Fair. Details on Deals and Discounts before the Fair and during fair week are available online.

Hours for the Great Allentown Fair are 4-11 p.m. Aug. 28; noon-11 p.m. Aug. 29, 30, 31, Sept. 1, 2, and noon-10 p.m. Sept. 3.

Information: AllentownFairPA.org