The First County Fair
In medieval Europe, a “fair” was usually a religious gathering, but modern fairs are more about farming. The first U.S. County fair, which was held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1807, was basically just a sheep shearing demonstration and contest. It was the brainchild of sheep farmer Elkanah Watson, who simply wanted to promote better farming practices. Bolstered by its success, Watson began developing agricultural fairs that included contests and activities for the whole family.
At the heart of county fairs, in Watson’s day and today, are livestock shows, where judges inspect animals presented by local farmers for overall quality and award prizes to those with the best livestock. The friendly competition became wildly popular with the agricultural community of Massachusetts.
he Evolution Of The County Fair
As word spread about the livestock shows and agricultural contests Watson hosted, other counties began to plan their own fairs. By the mid-1800s, county fairs were widespread across the eastern and midwestern states. Food vendors, baking contests, horse races, and games of chance were added to the rosters to entertain the hordes, and local merchants set up booths to sell their wares to the gathered crowds.
By 1841, Watson’s county fairs had grown so popular that New York announced the United States’s first state fair. The New York State Fair took place over two days in September in Syracuse, New York with the goal of furthering public education about agriculture and farming practices with livestock shows, lectures, and exhibits. The event was hugely popular, with an estimated attendance of between 10,000 and 15,000. Today, the New York State Fair is still a popular event, so much so that it now takes place over two weeks rather than two days.
Today, about 2,000 fairs are held in North America each year. Additionally, agricultural fairs can be found throughout the United Kingdom, in Australia, Mexico and other countries. They provide industrial exhibits, demonstrations and competition aimed at the advancement of livestock, horticulture and agriculture with special emphasis placed on educational activities such as 4-H, FFA and similar youth development programs. Most fairs also provide exceptional educational activities to help today’s consumer understand the importance of farming and the source of the food on their plate. While enjoying these high-minded pursuits, fair visitors are also able to see, hear, touch, smell and taste the richness and variety of what the world has to offer.