KSR Today: Kentucky State Fair and HS football, presented by Racing Louisville

Cutter Boley — Photo by Chad Simmons/On3

Fill the Fam with us on Saturday, August 19th when Racing Louisville faces Angel City. We want to pack Lynn Family Stadium with a record crowd and need you there! The match kicks off at 8pm but arrive early for $2 beers and a limited edition t-shirt giveaway in the Fan Zone! Don’t miss live entertainment, post-game fireworks and more. Kentucky Sports Radio listeners/readers will also get discounted tickets by purchasing through this link!

Kentucky State Fair is underway

The Kentucky State Fair is back, live in Louisville at the Kentucky Exposition Center and Fairgrounds from August 17-27. Matt Jones and the KSR crew are broadcasting the show there this morning, as is the KSR Preshow, giving fans three full hours of radio to enjoy while eating donut cheeseburgers and petting goats.

What can fans expect at the State Fair? Check out just a few of many things going on at the Fairgrounds on Friday and beyond.

Friday’s schedule

Livestock (10 a.m. – 9 p.m. ET) – dairy cattle, dairy goats, boer goats, mules & jacks, poultry, pigeons, rabbits and more can be viewed in the West Wing, West Hall and Pavilion
Rooster Showdown: Crowing Contest (10-11 a.m. ET, 2-3 p.m. ET) – Pavilion
Kentucky Farm to School Junior Chef Competition (10 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET) – South Wing A Lobby
Miller’s Border Collies (11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. ET, 1-1:45 p.m. ET, 3-3:45 p.m. ET) – West Wing
Duckling Slide (11 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET) – South Wing A
Rabbit Show (12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET) – Rabbit Pavilion
Groovy Guy (1-2 p.m. ET, 3-4 p.m. ET) – The Backyard, BIG Tent
Marvelous Mutts (1:30 – 2 p.m. ET, 3:30-4 p.m. ET, 5:30-6 p.m. ET) – The Backyard, Lot A
Blacktop Rodeo (7:30-11:45 p.m. ET) – West Lawn, Budweiser Tent

Texas Roadhouse Concert Series

Friday, Aug. 18: Morris Day and the Time with special guest Tag Team
Saturday, Aug. 19: Foghat with special guest The Kentucky Headhunters
Sunday, Aug. 20: The Oak Ridge Boys with special guest T.G. Sheppard
Monday, Aug. 21: Casting Crowns
Tuesday, Aug. 22: Happy Together Tour featuring The Turtles, Little Anthony, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Vogues, The Classics IV, and The Cowsills
Wednesday, Aug. 23: Larry Fleet with special guest Tyler Rich
Thursday, Aug. 24:Vince Neil the Legendary Voice with special guest Autograph
Friday, Aug. 25: Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry with special guest Lonestar
Saturday, Aug. 26: Warren Zeiders with special guest JD Shelburne

Gates will open at 6:30 p.m. and concerts begin at 8 p.m. ET each day. The Texas Roadhouse Concert Series is located in Parking Lot L. Tickets are free with the price of admission to the 2023 Kentucky State Fair.

And don’t forget about the rides, games, food trucks and other fair staples. We’ll see you there.

Kentucky high school football is BACK

State Fair not your cup of tea? We’ve got the perfect nightcap for you, as Friday Night Lights are back starting tonight.

High school football in Kentucky kicks off this evening, 98 total games on the KHSAA official schedule across the Commonwealth.

KSR’s Game of the Week features Kentucky pledge Cutter Boley and his Lexington Christian squad traveling down to the campus of Western Kentucky to take on Bowling Green. That matchup, though, takes place Saturday night — a must-see viewing.

Another huge Saturday matchup: Frederick Douglass at Archbishop Hoban, live from Akron in the Northeast Ohio vs. America Showcase at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Pretty big deal for the Class 6A powerhouse.

But what about tonight? Check out just a fraction of the complete Friday schedule:

Scott County vs. Madison Southern (6 p.m. ET), followed by Great Crossing vs. Franklin County in the Battle of Elkhorn Creek at Great Crossing
Simon Kenton vs. Dixie Heights (7 p.m. ET)
- Kentucky OL pledge Aba Selm is a standout for Simon Kenton
Ballard vs. Southwestern (7 p.m. ET)
Grayson County at Edmonson County (7 p.m. ET)
Apollo at Owensboro Catholic (7 p.m. ET)
Ryle at Covington Catholic (7 p.m. ET)
- Kentucky TE pledge Willie Rodriguez is a standout for CovCath
Highlands at Lexington Catholic (7:30 p.m. ET)
Bryan Station at Trinity (7:30 p.m. ET)
Shelby County at Collins (7:30 p.m. ET)
Owensboro at Christian Academy-Louisville (7:30 p.m. ET)
Central at Manual (7:30 p.m. ET)
Dunbar at Conner (7:30 p.m. ET)
Tates Creek at Eastern (7:30 p.m. ET)
Cooper at Bardstown (7:30 p.m. ET)
Fleming County at Henry Clay (8 p.m. ET)
Corbin vs. Hughes (8 p.m. ET)
- Four-star targets Jerod and Jacob Smith are awaiting KHSAA clearance for Corbin

For the complete KHSAA schedule, click here.

Brad White, DBs talk improvements through fall camp

It’s not just the high schoolers getting ready for the regular season in the area. Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats are just two weeks away from kickoff, game one vs. Ball State scheduled for Sept. 2 at noon ET.

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How are things going ahead of Kentucky’s second fall scrimmage on Saturday? Defensive coordinator Brad White talked things over Thursday, as did defensive backs coach Chris Collins and select players.

The overall message? “Some good, some bad.”

“Every play has to be like it’s the last play,” White said. “I want guys flying. … If you’re somewhere close, I want as many of our guys sprinting to the ball, getting their eyes to the sidelines and getting to the next down. There were some good individual efforts on certain plays, but no one had this unbelievable standout scrimmage. No one had a really poor scrimmage. I was pleased with some of the tackling we had.”

About what you’d expect knocking the rust off after week one.

What’s to come from the scrimmage in week two? We’ll find out when Mark Stoops and select players speak to the media Saturday afternoon at 12:45 p.m. ET.

Fingers crossed for another healthy injury report.

UK Volleyball shines at Rupp Arena

The No. 10 Kentucky volleyball team took care of business in its Rupp Arena debut Thursday evening, knocking off No. 24 Western Kentucky 3-1 in the program’s lone exhibition of the 2023 season.

Craig Skinner’s squad racked up 62 team kills with just 14 errors, good for a .378 hitting clip with four Wildcats hitting double figures overall.

Now comes the real stuff, as Kentucky will travel to Ft. Collins, Colorado to take on Colorado State on Friday, August 25. First serve is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET to open the regular season.