Maryland State Fair closing at 6 p.m. to make way for Hurricane Irene

Midway rides close earlier

officials say fair will reopen Sunday … for now

Officials of the Maryland State Fair in Timonium on Saturday said they had closed the fair's midway rides and games at 3 p.m. on Saturday, and that the buildings at the fair would close at 5 p.m. due to the inclement weather as Hurricane Irene approaches the Baltimore area.

The rest of the rest of the fairgrounds will close for the day at 6:30 p.m., officials said, canceling the slate of activities planned for Saturday evening.

The fairgrounds, on York Road, are still scheduled to reopen on Sunday morning, Aug. 28, at regularly scheduled times, officials said.

However, fair officials said they would continue to monitor weather conditions and announce any additional schedule changes.