SWFL Ag Expo Kicks Off With Food, Fun, and Family Activities

LEE COUNTY, FL – The Southwest Florida AG Expo kicked off with bright lights, live music, and the smells of classic fair food filling the air. Families and fairgoers explored a lively midway full of rides, games, and local flavors, celebrating Southwest Florida’s agricultural roots in a fun and interactive way.

For organizers like Lee County Commissioner Trish Petrosky, the Expo is about more than rides and food — it’s a chance to bring the community together. “This is our third year running the AG Expo, completely ran by the county, and we are totally in love with it,” Petrosky said. “The counties and the community have been so supportive and appreciative.”

The Expo also highlights the 4-H program, giving children hands-on experience raising animals and showing them to the public. “It’s a program that we work with our kids in our community,” Petrosky explained. “They’ll have animals that they’ll raise, bring them out here to show, and then they’ll also auction them off.”

Vendors are a big part of the event, offering everything from savory meals to fair favorites. Andre Bulluck, a longtime vendor, described the spread: “We got ribs, baked beans, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, fried okra, sweet potato, fries, beef brisket, chopped pork, filet mignon on a stick, and jumbo turkey legs. I like the entertainment of entertaining the people. So this gives me a great opportunity to express myself and express my great food that we cook for people.”

Dannie Morel, another vendor, said the Expo feels like family. “It’s local. Everybody loves coming out here. All of us vendors out here, we’re family. My family has been here since 48 years ago, and I am the oldest vendor on the Midway right now.”

For fairgoers, the Expo is a chance to make memories. Veronica Klein said, “It is amazing… it’s just way better, rides, scarier, funner.” Another fairgoer added, “It’s good for the kids and family to come out here and have a good time together. You see different things, eat different foods, and they have good knowledge out here. They treat the kids how they’re supposed to be treated.”

Employees like Warren Blasich, known for his cowbell chants, have been part of the Expo for decades. “The kids keep coming back to me every year. They look for me at every fair, and it’s such a rewarding feeling,” he said.

The SWFL Ag Expo runs through March 8, with gates opening Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. Tickets are available online or at the door. From rides and games to local food and educational programs, the Expo offers something for everyone — a true celebration of Southwest Florida’s agriculture and community.