BLACKFOOT — The Eastern Idaho State Fair begins Friday and this year’s event will have many new features in addition to the annual classics.

The fair runs through Sept. 8 at the fairgrounds in Blackfoot.

Montgomery Gentry will be performing at the Grandstand Arena at 7:30 p.m. Friday. At the Big Dog Satellite Free Stage, Jeanne Coady will be performing a Patsy Cline tribute at 5 and 7 p.m. every day of the fair. Coady was slated to perform the tribute at last year’s fair, but was unable to attend because of a broken wrist.

Also on the Big Dog stage at 6 and 8 p.m. every day, there will be a magic and illusion show by Sean Watson. The fair will also feature a new hypnotist this year, Lizzy the Dream Girl. She will be performing every day at the Northwest Farm Credit Free Stage at 5 and 9 p.m.

Another new event at the fair is the Penguin Olympic High Dive show, which will be held at the West Events Arena at 2, 4 and 7 p.m. every day.

The show will feature divers dressed as penguins plunging into a pool from a high dive over 80 feet in the air.

On Monday at 1 p.m. at the Big Dog stage, attendees can help choose the winner of the People’s Choice Award for Best Fair Food.

Wednesday at the Grandstand Arena, there will be a Figure 8 and Mega Truck Madness show at 7:30 p.m., another new event.

Thursday’s Grandstand Arena event will be a comedy show featuring Larry the Cable Guy at 7:30 p.m. Also on Thursday, spectators will be able to watch the Indian Relay Races presented by Fort Hall Casino for free between noon and 1:30 p.m. The relay races will also be held Sunday, Monday, Sept. 7 and Sept. 8, but you’ll have to buy a ticket to watch on those days.

On Sept. 7 the country band Old Dominion will play at the Grandstand Arena at 7:30 p.m, and on Sept. 8 there will be a demolition derby at the Grandstand Arena, also at 7:30 p.m.

Additionally, there will be 12 new food items at this year’s fair.

There are six new entrees this year, including deep fried smoked bacon mac and cheese from Billman’s, crazy naked corn from Mexican Crazy Corn, garlic crab fries from The Pit Stop, a jalapeno popper burger from Mammouth Mountain, the Tacono from La Casita and the Goldie from Outlaw Catering.

The six new sweets include Baked Potato Ice Cream from Mama and Poppa Leo’s, bacon cheesecake from La Casita, a maple bacon shake from Mammouth Mountain, the Summer Lovin’ Cone from Creamy Creations and the Peaches & Dream Churro Donut from C.R. Fish and Things.

On Thursday, members of the media and others named the best entrees and sweets for this year’s fair.

The winner of Best New Entree was the tacono, which is carne asada, pico de gallo and sour cream inside an ice cream cone and topped with a slice of lime. Honorable mentions included the Goldie, which is a fried chicken, bacon and ice cream sandwich with glazed donuts for buns and topped with whipped cream and pop rocks, and the garlic crab fries.

The Peaches & Dream Churro Donut won the award for Best New Sweet. In second was the Summer Lovin’ Cone, which has an entire cookie and popsicle in it, and in third was the Baked Potato Ice Cream, which didn’t actually feature any potatoes, but was cleverly designed to look like a loaded baked potato.

The winner of the Fairest of Them All Best Entree was the Cowboy Burger from Billman’s. The winner of the Fairest of Them All Best Sweet was the Manna Banana from Creamy Creations, which beat out the Toffee Tumbler from Sweet Temptations, the winner of the award the past two years.