Last chance: Relive the food, sights and sounds of the 2023 Indiana State Fair

Joe Mutascio, Indianapolis Star
·6 min read

Hopefully, you got your fill of elephant ears and scorpion pizza, because the 2023 Indiana State Fair is officially in the books.

We had a great time reporting live from the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Our intern Heather Bushman went to her first state fair and wrote a great story about what it taught her about Indiana.

Whether you want to relive it or didn't make it out this year, here is the recap of our favorite parts of the 2023 edition.

The food

The rides and games are great, but let's face it – the food is what keeps us coming back. Whether it's the comfort of eating the funnel cake and foods of your childhood or trying the newest offerings, there is something for everyone.

This year did not disappoint.

Pepperoni pizza pretzels, buffalo corn-n-mac and flaming hot Cheeto corn in a cup all made their debut this year.

We ate our way across the fairgrounds and ranked our ten favorite foods. Surprisingly, the scorpion pizza our intern was brave enough to try didn't come in last. Check out the taste test video and our rankings below.

See our rankings: We tried 10 popular Indiana State Fair foods and ranked them from worst to best

The Concerts

This year featured a great lineup of performances that included names like Keith Sweat, Styx, Three Dog Night and the Gin Blossoms.

There was even a '90s night and a Taylor Swift tribute.

End of summer has us feeling nostalgic. Archive photos of Indianapolis take us back.

The rides

We took a spin on the Bullet Train rollercoaster on ride inspection day and had a blast.

Check out some of our favorite rides and more in the gallery below.

The animals, contests and 4-H

One of our favorite stories this year came from the gourd competition, where we met 71-year-old Diane Werblo and her crew of unsual artists.

All of the members are retired, and meetings of the gourd art group provide more than just an outlet for creativity.

“If you have social connections and you keep that part of your personality alive, then you are better when you’re old,” Werblo said. “(The group) keeps us alive. It keeps us going.”

'It keeps us alive': Indiana State Fair gourd competition is serious fun

Swine Barn: Who painted that mural at the Indiana State Fair? Local artists add color to Swine Barn.

'It keeps us alive': Indiana State Fair gourd competition is serious fun

Mike Pence and other notable guests

Former Vice President Mike Pence made headlines this year during his visit to the fair by rebuking Donald Trump for his growing list of indictments.

"I feel badly for Mike Pence, who is attracting no crowds, enthusiasm, or loyalty from people who, as a member of the Trump Administration, should be loving him," Trump wrote in rebuttal. "He didn’t fight against Election Fraud, which we will now be easily able to prove based on the most recent Fake Indictment & information which will have to be made available to us, finally ― a really BIG deal. The V.P. had power that Mike didn’t understand, but after the Election, the RINOS & Dems changed the law, taking that power away!"

Read more on his visit: Mike Pence, a pair of overalls and the Indiana State Fair

IndyStar reporters Morgan Womack and Kayla Dwyer contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2023 Indiana State Fair comes to an end: Relive the best moments