State leaders officially cut the ribbon at the swine barn at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Thursday after a multi-year, $50 million overhaul.

The Indiana State Fair returns this month. Opening day is July 29 and the fair will run through Aug. 21.

Officials with an Indiana summertime favorite say the organization is going “full throttle” this year to make the event a memorable one.

The Indiana State Fair typically draws nearly 1 million people over its run of less than three weeks. And the state is in the middle of the sharpest spike in daily COVID-19 cases since the pandemic's earliest days.

COVID-19 cancelled last year's Indiana State Fair, but fairgoers can return this year and the theme is "Celebrating the Hoosier Spirit."

The new $50 million facility, renamed Fall Creek Pavilion, will include a restoration of the front façade of the original swine barn but total reconstruction of the rest of the structure.

Indiana State Fair officials said they have been actively working with the Indiana Department of Health on planning the fair's return a year after it was called off during the pandemic.

The State Fair Commission and Board announced Thursday it will instead offer a 4-H livestock show in August and September as a kind of replacement.

WFYI's Jill Ditmire spoke with member Raji Muthukrishnan about her business, Aahaa Chai, and being part of the Indiana Grown Marketplace.

Indiana State Department of Health is offering health trainings, birth certificates and free medication disposal bags at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis.