Maryland State Fair

The Maryland State Fair at the Timonium Fairgrounds opens Fri., Aug. 24 and runs through Mon., Sept. 3. The 4-H/Home Arts, Farm and Garden, Exhibition and the Museum/DNR buildings are open Monday to Thursday, from noon to 10 p.m. On Friday ro Sunday, and Labor Day from hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Midway rides, games and food stands are open Monday to Thursday from noon to 10 p.m. and Friday to Sunday, and Labor Day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m....

Et cetera Trainers Ness, McMahon share honors at Timonium Remnants of Hurricane Isaac streaked across the Timonium fairgrounds just before call to the post for the final race of the Maryland State Fair meeting Monday afternoon, forcing officials to cancel the race and end the program. The meeting ended with a tie for training honors between Jamie Ness and Hugh McMahon . Both saddled five winners over seven days. McMahon won a trainer's bonus of $4,000 with points based on 1-2-3 finishers and number of starters.

The Maryland State Fair is expected to attract nearly half a million visitors this year. Here are ways to beat the crowds and enjoy the fair. •Plan your time at the fair by visiting the Maryland State Fair website at marylandstatefair.com and check the schedule of events. •There is parking in and around the fairgrounds in Timonium, but not enough of it. Take the light rail and get off at the fairground's Cow Palace gate. •Visit the fair after school.

Ever even conceive of a 300-pound crab cake? The folks at Handy International did -- breaking their own record for World's Largest Crab Cake and serving it up to attendees of the Maryland State Fair Saturday. What goes into a 300-pound crab cake? 200 pounds of crab meat, as well as eggs, breading and seasoning. Handy Seafood's Jim Cupp designed a rotisserie-style cooker to complete the challenge. It took 8 hours for the massive crab cake to cook, and it was weighed at noon. Sandwiches from the record-setting cake were sold, benefitting the Maryland 4-H Foundation. 

You'll have no trouble finding food at the Maryland State Fair. Some of it is still walking around on hooves, granted. But once you're on the Midway, you'd have trouble swinging a test-your-strength mallet without hitting a stand selling corn dogs, fried dough, french fries or skewered chicken. Oddly, as hamburgers have become the an upscale item and a precious gem in the locavore dining, they've nearly vanished from the fair's main street. Sausage is plentiful, but hot dogs are hardly seen.

A gold-medal-winning Olympic swimmer is going to be appearing this weekend at the Maryland State Fair. No, sigh, it's not Michael Phelps. It's Matt Grevers, who's no slouch when it comes to prowess in the pool. And hey, let's face it, Phelps would be mobbed. With Grevers, you've got an excellent chance at face-time with a certified champion -- he won two golds in London, in the 100-meter backstroke and the 400-meter medley relay. And Grevers won't be the only Olympian at the fair.

Ever even conceive of a 300-pound crab cake? The folks at Handy International did -- breaking their own record for World's Largest Crab Cake and serving it up to attendees of the Maryland State Fair Saturday. What goes into a 300-pound crab cake? 200 pounds of crab meat, as well as eggs, breading and seasoning. Handy Seafood's Jim Cupp designed a rotisserie-style cooker to complete the challenge. It took 8 hours for the massive crab cake to cook, and it was weighed at noon. Sandwiches from the record-setting cake were sold, benefitting the Maryland 4-H Foundation. 

Deep-fried Pop-Tarts? Underwater robotics? Jousting? The U.S. Navy? All this and Justin Bieber, too? Just when you think the Maryland State Fair cannot add another item to its long list of livestock, food, blue ribbons, rides, entertainment and demonstrations, it does. More than 400,000 people from Maryland and neighboring states are expected to visit the Timonium fairgrounds between now and Labor Day, when the fair closes. They will find old favorites — the Ferris wheel and the merry-go-round are always the two most popular rides on the midway — and some new favorites.

Move over, Justin Bieber — another Justin has trumped your arrival in Timonium. A Holstein calf was born Sunday afternoon at the University of Maryland birthing center at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, and fair officials said there were no surprises when a group of more than 100 children were tasked with naming the newborn. "Justin," the calf — named after Bieber, who will play a sold-out show at the fairgrounds tonight — was born just after 3:20 p.m. and weighed in at 80 lbs. Justin's mother, who had been in labor since around noon, doesn't have a name.

A 9-year-old boy was injured Saturday at the Maryland State Fair when he tried get off a small swing ride while it was operating. The incident was the most serious injury this year at the state fair, which ends Monday, said Michael Huber, coordinator of emergency services at the event in Timonium. Huber said the child's grandmother put him on the ride. "At some point, he decided he didn't want to be on it and attempted to exit the ride while it was in operation," Huber said.

Or if not an ode, how about a haiku? Deep-fried Kool-Aid? No. Burger with donuts for buns? Sales pitch worked. Taste? Meh.

For the siblings of the Mississippi trio the Band Perry, there's always been something special about the fair. On "Walk Me Down the Middle," a love song from the group's 2010 self-titled album, lead singer Kimberly Perry instructs a boyfriend to "walk me by the Ferris wheel" to announce their relationship to the town. In the Band Perry's world, a fair is a rite of passage to be cherished. "Fairs have always resonated with the three of us," said youngest brother Neil, 22. "They've got this romantic feel to them.

As the state fair opens in Timonium, pigs that will be judged for prizes will also be under scrutiny from state veterinarians after an outbreak of swine flu nearly threatened to shut down the event. The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said a new strain of swine flu has been detected in 12 people who were exposed to pigs this month at the Queen Anne's County Fair. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Friday showed 276 cases nationwide.

Men's college lacrosse Johns Hopkins grad Rewkowski, Maryland's Phipps to join Hoyas staff The Georgetown men's lacrosse program is expected to fill its two full-time assistant coaching positions by naming Matt Rewkowski (Johns Hopkins) offensive coordinator and Brian Phipps (Maryland, Severn) an assistant in charge of goalies, three sources familiar with the search said Tuesday. Rewkowski, 29, had been the offensive coordinator at Cornell the past two seasons. He also had spent four seasons at Hofstra and one at Denver.

The Maryland State Fair begins on Friday, and the Midway will again be the place for perennial favorites such as funnel cake and Italian sausage. But there are a few new twists for 2012, according to Jim Ingram of Deggeller Attractions, the Stuart, Fla.-based carnival company that stocks the Midway with rides, amusements and food. Making their Timonium debut will be two new chicken booths, one selling a variety of wings with fresh-cut fries and the other chicken-on-a-stick with ribbon fries.

A gold-medal-winning Olympic swimmer is going to be appearing this weekend at the Maryland State Fair. No, sigh, it's not Michael Phelps. It's Matt Grevers, who's no slouch when it comes to prowess in the pool. And hey, let's face it, Phelps would be mobbed. With Grevers, you've got an excellent chance at face-time with a certified champion -- he won two golds in London, in the 100-meter backstroke and the 400-meter medley relay. And Grevers won't be the only Olympian at the fair.

The Maryland State Fair at the Timonium Fairgrounds opens Fri., Aug. 24 and runs through Mon., Sept. 3. The 4-H/Home Arts, Farm and Garden, Exhibition and the Museum/DNR buildings are open Monday to Thursday, from noon to 10 p.m. On Friday ro Sunday, and Labor Day from hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Midway rides, games and food stands are open Monday to Thursday from noon to 10 p.m. and Friday to Sunday, and Labor Day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m....