Gov. Polis Marks Start of Colorado State Fair

PUEBLO -  Tomorrow, the 2021 Colorado State Fair kicks off in Pueblo to showcase the best of Colorado. For 11 days, visitors will be able to try dishes made by chefs from around the state with Colorado-sourced ingredients. 

This year, “All Roads Lead to the Colorado State Fair,” runs from August 27th to September 6th, and will have fun for the whole family, with musicians, livestock and rodeo shows, and carnival rides. Colorado was just one of a few states last year to safely keep the state fair going with a combination of virtual and in-person events. 

“Colorado has so much to be proud of and there’s no better way to celebrate our state than by visiting the state fair. From our top-notch food products to our award-winning livestock, Colorado is a leader in agriculture,” said Governor Polis. “I’m thrilled to kick off the first-ever Governor’s Plate competition and watch some of Colorado’s top chefs compete to cook the best possible dish made with grown in Colorado ingredients.”

Governor Polis will kick off the inaugural Governor’s Plate competition, where competitors from five food trucks will partner with Colorado Proud to select Colorado-sourced ingredients to incorporate in their dishes. Governor Polis will select his favorite dish to receive the inaugural “Governor’s Plate” award. Chefs will also compete for the “People’s Choice” award for any single plate, and the truck with the highest number of combined votes for both dishes will win the “Best Truck” award.

The Governor’s Plate competition will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, in the PB&T Bank Pavilion at the Colorado State Fairgrounds. Winners will be announced that evening.

One of Colorado’s nine mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics will also be present at the state fair on August 27th-29th and September 3rd-6th. The vaccination bus can be found at Gate 5 of the fairgrounds from 9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. and various gift cards and incentives will be offered to those who get vaccinated. Anyone 12 and up is eligible for vaccination at the mobile clinics. 

Gov. Polis was proud to sign several pieces of legislation this summer that direct $132 million in state and federal stimulus money to rural Colorado, including key funding for farmers and ranchers, small businesses, and health care. This summer, Governor Polis also signed a historic and sweeping state transportation package that makes key investments in rural communities to create better and safer roads while also creating new, well-paying jobs for Coloradans.