The Saturday Evening Post History Minute: The State Fair

Just like America, the state fair is an unexpected mixture of the strange and familiar that, despite how it might appear, tastes great.

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We take a look at the origins of the state fair, a deep-fried slice of Americana with a combination of old traditions and wild entertainment.

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Comments

  1. That looked a fun assignment for the Post, Jeff! A fascinating look back at the origins of the state fair. You wouldn’t think they would have started in New York.

    Seeing the first tractors in 1858, then later the first electric lights and automobiles. Imagine the idea (through some kind of strange magic) of the Electric Light Orchestra providing a ‘future’ musical treat for those fairgoers of long ago; before the world of tomorrow became a thing of the distant past!

    I recently attended the Ventura County State Fair (near Santa Barbara) that was SUCH a treat; clean cool ocean breeze air, far away from hot, awful L.A. The food and exhibits were wonderful, of course, but the biggest treat of all was interacting with all the various animals. Wonderful pink pigs, horses and goats. Feeding the goats was a blast, and I fed off their loving, positive energy; all of the animals. It was wonderful; animals are the best! And yes, I used the hand washing stations a lot. A lot.

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