BATON ROUGE - For the last 60 years, fall has meant one thing for many people across the capital region: The Greater Baton Rouge State Fair.

"What brings me back is what we are doing. We put on a family, fun entertainment project product," Cliff Barton, President of the Greater Baton Rouge State Fair, said. 

Whether it's their first time coming to the fair, as a customer or vendor, the fair has meaning to the community.

"Exposure when I pulled up here today, got here just realizing I'm on a bigger stage, so I never know who I'm going to run into here," Frederique Bekale, who was a first vendor with her business, Cookies by Freddie, said.

For Robert and Twanda Delmore, attending the state fair on the opening day has been a tradition for 40 years.

"We've been together 40 years, and we've been going for 40 years on the first day, that was in 1985," they said.

Not just for the rides, but for the same foods they have eaten since that first date.

"Love the food, we come every year, we get a candy apple and a turkey egg and we share a lemonade. That's every year. We absolutely love it."

The fair will be open every day up until Nov. 2.