Discover Delmarva: Beasts and Bleats at the Delaware State Fair

HARRINGTON, Del. — The Delaware State Fair is packed with rides, food, and animals every year. But if you take some time to explore, there are two interactive booths the kids can’t stop talking about.

Austin Cloyde tells WMDT that Dinosaur Take Over! is teaching fairgoers there’s more to prehistoric life than the household names.

“You know, there’s a lot of kids out there who don’t necessarily get to see stuff like this every day. Going to the table is just to let them know that there are other dinosaurs besides the bigger name ones that we all know, like T-Rex, Triceratops, Pterodactyl, stuff like that.”

And this year, they brought a dinosaur to life! “The robot is brand new this year. We just we have two of them. He’s been such a hit. All the kids love him. All the adults love him too.”

Just a short walk away from Dinosaur Take Over!, there’s a very different kind of animal encounter – Goat Island.

Tyler Roberts says the goal of Goat Island is to let everyone experience the lovable animals. “Goat Island is North America’s tallest traveling petting zoo. We have lots of goats here. Old goats, young goats, silly goats, billy goats”

But it’s not just a show you’re in for, as the goats love to get hooves on with fairgoers.

“If you want to be a little more adventurous, we do have feed available for purchase. Then you can walk around and feed all the different goats. We have Oliver and Oscar right here.
These guys are only eight days old, born right before the fair.”

The Delaware State Fair is held annually at the end of July on the state fairgrounds in Harrington. You can visit their website for more info: delawarestatefair.com