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A basketball amusement park billed as “Hoopfest” is one of multiple attractions planned as part of this year’s theme—“Basketball: Celebrating the State that Grew the Game”—at the Indiana State Fair.
Fair organizers unveiled Thursday a lineup of exhibits and ways to play at the fair, scheduled July 28 to Aug. 20 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E. 38th St.
Fair attendees will have a chance to dribble and shoot at “Hoopfest,” where a full-size court will be the site of open play, skills challenges and contests for free-throw and 3-point shooting. The court is planned on the north side of the fairgrounds, east of the FFA Pavilion and west of the Purdue Extension Building.
Pacers Sports & Entertainment, parent company of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, is the presenting sponsor of the basketball attractions. Exhibits focused on iconic players who grew up in Indiana and visual art inspired by the game will serve as a prelude to the 2024 NBA All-Star Game scheduled Feb. 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Downtown’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse has been home to the Pacers since 1999, but the team has historic ties to Indiana Farmers Coliseum at the fairgrounds. The arena served as home court for the Pacers from 1967 to 1974, and the WNBA’s Fever played 12 home games at the Coliseum in 2021 during renovations at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
During the fair, Harvest Pavilion near the southwest corner of the race track will host exhibits devoted to Pacers Sports & Entertainment and Indiana basketball history. Basketball-themed movies will screen at Harvest Pavilion, where a 1951 Chevrolet car driven by actor Gene Hackman in the 1986 film “Hoosiers” will be displayed.
At noon each day of the fair, presentations at Harvest Pavilion will highlight aspects of Indiana basketball, including famous gyms, Larry Bird and Crispus Attucks High School teams that won state championships in the 1950s.
On Main Street at the fairgrounds, an augmented reality experience titled “Space Ham” will combine basketball and the cosmos in the tradition of “Space Jam” films. Fair attendees can use mobile devices to scan a QR code to meet a porcine character named Hammy and check out augmented visuals through a phone’s camera.
The MHS Family Fun Park at the northeast corner of the fairgrounds will host an exhibit based on Chuck Taylor, the Indiana native synonymous with Converse All Star basketball shoes. “Basketball: A Cultural Arts Exhibit” will be on display at the Indiana Arts Building near the southwest corner of the fairgrounds.
The fair will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays during the July 28-Aug. 20 run. For ticket information, visit indianastatefair.com.
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