Liberty Lifestyle: State Fairs – America Under the Big Top

The concept of state fairs isn’t unique to the US, but their history and traditions have become a staple of America’s lifestyle. It’s not just a place to ride amusement rides and eat deep-fried foods, although that is always a bonus; it’s part entertainment, marketplace, classroom, and technology shows. It’s a place where communities come together, show off their hard work and inventions, and even where talent is discovered.

A Bit of History

In 1800, the United States had only about 5.3 million people. The country was overwhelmingly rural and, according to Census data, only about 7% of Americans lived in urban areas in 1820. By 1840, that figure was just about 11%. Since most people didn’t live in cities, information traveled slowly. The telegraph wouldn’t begin transmitting long-distance communication until the 1840s. Travel was difficult, taking a long time on horseback, in carriages, or by boat. Roads were terrible, and rivers and canals were extremely important routes. The Erie Canal opened in 1825, which dramatically improved transportation between the Great Lakes and the Hudson River.

The country was growing, though. In 1800, there were 16 states, and by 1841, when New York held its first state fair, there were 26. But there was no easy way for a farmer in one community to see what farmers elsewhere were growing, raising, inventing, or how they addressed crop issues. Much of the farming work then depended on human labor, horses, oxen, and relatively simple equipment.

Before there were state fairs, there were agriculture shows. One of the first is credited to Elkanah Watson, who built a large farm near Pittsfield, Massachusetts. There, he experimented with ways to improve farming and livestock breeding, introducing Merino sheep to the area. In 1810, he and his neighbors organized a cattle show to display livestock and promote better farming practices. This inspired what would eventually become state fairs. In 1811, he formed the Berkshire Agricultural Society to hold an agricultural fair every year.

The Birth of American State Fairs

By 1840, shortly before the first state fair, the population had climbed to more than 17 million. In 1832, the New York State Agricultural Society was created. It was designed to promote agricultural improvement and encourage local agricultural fairs. The organization spent much of the 1830s trying to establish a state fair, unsuccessfully. According to Smithsonian’s history, the state allocated $8,000 for the promotion of agriculture and household manufacturing.

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The New York State Fair was the first in the nation and was held on September 29 and 30, 1841, in Syracuse. An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people attended. There were animal exhibitions, a plowing contest, speeches, and displays of goods from homes and farms. The purpose was primarily educational, and unlike today’s events, there were no concert stages, deep-fried Oreos, or other things we’ve come to expect at state fairs.

This original fair didn’t stay in one city. Between 1842 and 1889, it moved along 11 different cities, including Buffalo, Rochester, New York City, Saratoga Springs, Utica, and Syracuse. In 1889, the Syracuse Land Company donated a 100-acre site in Geddes, near Syracuse, and the land became the permanent site for the state fair.

Once the idea took hold, other states and territories started holding their own. Minnesota, for example, held its first territorial fair in Minneapolis in 1855, even though it didn’t become a state until 1858.

Morphing Into Today’s Version

Competition was and is a big part of state fairs. It started with the first one in New York where there were plowing competitions and farmers were awarded recognition for superior livestock and crops. The categories continued to expand until today, people can compete in a host of events including animals, vegetables, flowers, honey and preserves, quilts and needlework, woodworking, photography, fine art, and baking, to name a few. The Blue Ribbon events meant that ordinary Americans were participants and were recognized for their talents and achievements.

Smithsonian describes mechanical innovation as one of the pillars of American state fairs going back to their early history. As technology changed America, it appeared at the fair. Minnesota’s fair created Machinery Hill, where agricultural equipment was displayed. Auto races arrived in 1907, and in 1910, the first airplane flight in the North Star State took place at the fairgrounds.

While agriculture remained the main theme of state fairs, the entertainment section started blooming. Minnesota’s first evening Grandstand show was held in 1899, the same year electricity allowed the fair to remain open after dark. In 1904, a carnival midway appeared, and then auto racing, stunt flying, concerts, rides, and other attractions followed.

On September 2, 1901, then-Vice President Theodore Roosevelt addressed a crowd at the Minnesota state fair. It was there that he publicly delivered the phrase that would become permanently associated with him: “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” which basically means leaders should try peaceful, fair talks first (speak softly), but also show military or economic strength (carry a big stick).

State fairs also promoted inventions and people. In 1906, Dan Patch set the world record for harness racing and became one of the biggest celebrities in the country. The Tilt-A-Whirl is a staple of fairs today, but it didn’t show up at the events until 1926, in Minnesota, after Herbert Sellner developed the amusement ride and debuted it there.

In 1924, Wisconsin’s famous original cream puff got its start and is still popular a century later. In Texas, the brothers Neil and Carl Fletcher introduced their Corny Dogs at the state fair in 1942. Customers weren’t sure about the product until the brothers cut the dogs into pieces and handed out samples.

The Bill Riley Talent Search at the Iowa State Fair began in 1959 and developed into a statewide competition for young performers. Contestants compete at qualifying shows around Iowa before finalists perform at the state fair.

One of the biggest benefits of state fairs is the community interaction, especially for children who get to learn skills alongside older generations.

A child who spent months raising an animal learned that responsibility couldn't be postponed because feeding time wasn't optional. A youngster entering vegetables learned that growing food required patience. Sewing, woodworking, cooking, or preserving food required practice, and competitions taught children to accept both winning and losing. Most importantly, the fair gave young people something increasingly valuable: a public place where they could point to something and say, "I did that."

Nearly two centuries later, state fairs still bring communities together to compete, share skills and ideas, and celebrate hard work and self-reliance. They connect America's past with the present while passing those traditions, skills, and competitive spirit on to the future. In that way, state fairs celebrate more than blue ribbons. They celebrate the freedom to create, compete, learn, and build something better.