Every region of Indiana is represented over state fair's 17 days

A 1920s steamboat, a hybrid electric car and custom glass artwork will be among the items on display at this year's Indiana State Fair (Aug. 7-23) as part of the new "Celebrating Indiana Communities" exhibit in the Toyota Exposition Hall.

The idea behind Celebrating Indiana Communities is to support culture, commerce and tourism from all regions of the state. Each day of the fair, the exhibit will focus on one of Indiana's eight different regions, changing regions every two days.

For example, on Friday and Saturday, the Southeast region of the state will be highlighted with, among other things, an exhibit from Harrison County's Squire Boone Caverns and Village. Squire and Daniel Boone discovered the caverns two centuries ago. Now, visitors can explore their underground waterfalls and enjoy beautiful scenic tours of the caverns.

"The cavern system is so unique and beautiful that you have to see it for yourself," Claudia Yundt, the caverns' manager, said. "The one hour walking tour takes you past waterfalls, stalactites, stalagmites, columns, flowstone and much more."

Kokomo has plenty to offer, including Kokomo Opalescent Glass Company's Hot Glass Studio, which will represent Howard County as a part of the Northeast-Central Indiana region display Aug. 18-19. It will offer a visual presentation of a small glass factory and examples of sheet glass, dalle de verre (slab glass), rondels, blown glass and art created from those products.

"The State Fair is a chance to meet some new people and let them know there is a business in their state that has an incredible heritage, including the survival of two World Wars and the Great Depression, with documented sales to Louis Comfort Tiffany," said Anne Elliot, the studio's director.

"This is a great way for all Hoosiers to learn about all of our state's tremendous assets," State Fair Executive Director Cindy Hoye said. "And we think visitors from all over Indiana will feel a real sense of pride when they see displays from their own backyards featured for everyone to see."

The complete Celebrating Indiana Communities schedule follows:

• Aug. 7-8 Southeast - Clark, Dearborn, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley, Scott, Switzerland and Washington

• Aug. 9-10 Northwest - Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Parke, Tippecanoe, Vermillion and Warren

• Aug. 11-12 Southeast - Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Fayette, Franklin, Hancock, Johnson, Marion, Rush, Shelby and Union

• Aug. 13 Hoosier Heritage - Statewide Attractions Day

• Aug. 14-15 Northeast - Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Miami, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley

• Aug. 16-17 Southwest - Clay, Greene, Hendricks, Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Putnam, Sullivan and Vigo

• Aug. 18-19 Northeast - Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Hamilton, Henry, Howard, Jay, Madison, Randolph, Tipton and Wayne

• Aug. 20-21 Northwest - Cass, Fulton, Lake, La Porte, Jasper, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke and White

• Aug. 22-23 Southwest - Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Orange, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick