The centennial of the Kansas State Fair inspired a special celebration during the opening ceremony on Friday.

One hundred balloons were released, each with a gate ticket attached and instructions to email where the balloon was found. So far, only one balloon has been accounted for.

“I thought we’d hear from more than one person by now,” said Denny Stoecklein, general manager of the Kansas Fairs and Festivals Association.

In addition to the balloon release, a time capsule dating back to 1973 was unveiled on Saturday. Its contents will be reviewed at the end of this week and placed in the new Kansas State Fair museum next year.

“We’re working on putting another [time capsule] together for next year,” Stoecklein said.

That time capsule will be filled on Sunday and placed in the new museum, which will showcase state fair history.

Some Wichita State students traveled to Hutchinson to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the fair.

“Since it was the 100th birthday, I heard there was fried cake somewhere,” junior psychology major Ashlyn Riley said.

Although Riley was never able to find fried cake, she sampled a wide variety of fried goods, including lemonade.

“They fried the lemons,” she said. “It tasted really good.”

As for fried snickers and cheesecake, Riley said, “It was disgusting. I took two bites and thought I was going to die of a heart attack.”

Sophomore Katie Van Etten thought differently and said the fried Snickers bars w “pretty darn delicious.”

After a few years without attending, electrical engineering senior Travis Krauss was drawn in by the centennial celebration.

“I heard it’s actually a lot cooler since it’s the 100th anniversary,” he said. He previously had gone to the fair 15 years in a row.

“I saw Britney Spears before she was famous,” Krauss said. “One year, I was standing outside, and some guy came up and gave me two tickets to Evanescence.”

Mechanical engineering freshman Brant Boswell visited the butter sculpture exhibit. This year, the sculpture was a horse and wagon.

“I was amazed at how much butter was used in the butter sculpture,” he said.

Boswell also attended a performance by comic hypnotist Ron Diamond.

“The best part was when he got one of the people to kiss her husband each time he played a song,” Boswell said.

Diamond will be performing at 7:30 p.m. every night in the Bretz Law Arena.

Stoecklein said the fair is still giving away centennial items and is encouraging everyone to come out and pick up a souvenir. For a complete schedule of fair events, visit www.kansasstatefair.com.