Our State Fair in Syracuse has something for everyone. In addition to name acts headlining nightly shows, you can walk right up within 50 feet to listen to “lesser” acts like the Beachboys or Helen Reddy for free. Quite a few dairy families from my community are there with their farm animals.
Our county fair used to be very popular. Horse racing was the big draw. But it gradually lost it’s popularity and we now only have a Junior County Fair. Young boys and girls compete with their farm animals for awards. Schools go on field trips to the barns where they get to see their peers efforts.
I am a late convert to the Minnesota State Fair, but the food alone is enough to make me a zealot. Where else can I have a Pronto Pup for breakfast and cheese curds for brunch? (I can’t believe I made fun of cheese curds all those years…) I see where this year’s new foods include bacon fluffernutter, deep-fried avocados, and duck bacon wontons…among others.
The Michigan State Fair is ridiculously outclassed by Minnesota - not even in the same ballpark.
We live in Michigan, but our state fair has never been what I consider a good state fair. When the kids were growing up, we always went to the Ohio state fair - it was great! H and I go to the county fair near our cottage, on the west side of the state. We were just there last weekend, and it was so cool to see the 4H exhibits. 4H is a big deal out there, because it is farm country. We were excited that - after a break from being exhibited due to health issues, the chickens were back!
Oh, I loved the Texas State Fair! Every year, even before and after college, I would go to the Fair the weekend of the UT-OU game. (I don’t know if they still do it, but UT and OU students would walk up and down a street in Dallas, chanting insults at each other. So fun, ha.) One year, I saw Debbie Reynolds perform in “Annie, Get Your Gun.” The exhibits were great, too. I will have to make it down there again one year!
Not a State fair but a county fair:
At the Del Mar racetrack, on the beach in great weather with fried avocados, fried Oreos and every other crazy food out there! Love the Giant Mexican Funnel cakes, the concerts and the 4H kids!
New Mexico State Fair was ranked #2 for “best in the country” recently.
Favorite things to see–amateur rodeo (barrel racing), draft horse pull, sheep dog herding trials, sheep to shawl contest, the quilt show, the Indian Arts competitions & exhibits, Native American dancers at Indian Village. Mariachi music at Villa Hispana. The chile cook off. The model trains take up a whole building.
4H is also a big deal here. Different 4H exhibits everyday. The 4H livestock auction always struck me a kind of sad and bittersweet.
D1 (now a 30-something) called to tell me she was homesick and wanted to go to the State Fair when she came home for visit in September. I nearly fell over in surprise–I’m pretty sure she hasn’t gone to the fair since high school when she marched in the Opening Day Parade as part of her school marching band.
The Indiana State Fair is 17 days; Aug 4-20th. I think it’s a great state fair and look forward to it every year. It has a very wide variety of competitions, exhibits, and such. I like the food (2x/yr isn’t going to kill me), Pioneer Village, and the livestock competition.
4-h is a big deal here too, but the fair has much more than that. The livestock auction is indeed a bittersweet affair–that’s why people showing breeding stock, so they can take animals home.
I would love to see some other big state fairs. I wouldn’t have thought of New Mexico, but I think Texas would be interesting to see. I might actually make it to Ohio’s some day
Minnesota born and raised! I think our fair is amazing. I must have the deep fried cheese curds, Sweet Martha’s cookies and the malts from the dairy barn where you can also enjoy the live carving of Princess Kay from the Milky Way and her royal court (a full size bust carved out of butter in a glass walled cooler). Just down the road are the animal barns where you can watch the young cowgirls braiding horse tails, take in a rodeo or head over to the swine barn to see who won the heaviest hog contest. Minnesota talents are display with exhibits of honey making sewing, knitting, baking, wood working, etc., There are fun musical performances at every corner, great bandstand shows, silly must have (but don’t need) stuff to buy, the beer and wine gardens. We all enjoy sharing miles of hot and dusty walkways with fellow Minnesotans many in large family groups wearing matching t-shirts. And let us not forget the annual visit to Machinery Hill…I mean who doesn’t like climbing up on shiny big tractors or getting your annual free yardstick from the Farmers Union!
I love our fair and I love that it is right in the center of the metro areas. Hope to see you all at this years great Minnesota get together!
Sadly, no idea whether we even have a state fair any more. We used to have one when my kids were young but now the land is being used to build a rail that will cost a ton more than promised and may never be completed.
Wisconsin State fair was great. Moved to Florida for retirement and discovered that Tampa has a state fair in February, not summer. Climate makes a difference in timing! County kids get a day off school for it.
I love the State Fair of Texas! I bought my season pass combo pack with about $50 worth of food and ride coupons a couple months ago. The Texas Star ferris wheel used to have the best view with the tallest ferris wheel in Texas. However, the Top o’ Texas Tower was added a few years ago, and it is air conditioned, and even taller than the ferris wheel.
Requirements for every visit to the fair include a corny dog (it is NOT called a corn dog), sampling a few of the foods prepared by the finalists in the food vendor competition (known as the Big Tex Choice Awards), and walking through the indoor/outdoor car show. The car show is the biggest new car auto shown in the Southwestern U.S. The fair takes place near downtown Dallas, and you can get right to the door on the light rail if you don’t want to deal with parking.
My husband once saw Sandra Bullock (an Austin resident) just walking around at the fair.
As a child back in the late 60s and early 70s, we would make the car trip to the Iowa State Fair from the Chicago area. My mom was originally from Des Moines and her Dad still lived there, close the fair grounds.
I have the BEST memories of the Iowa State Fair. The Old Mill Ride! We’d sit on the porch of my grandfather’s house and strain to hear a snippet of whatever band was playing. I had the biggest pouting tantrum because my mom would not buy tickets to see Elton John.
Going to the fair was a big deal. Thanks for the stirring the memories, @intparent
The Big E is actually a multi state fair. It’s held in Agawam and there are buildings for Maine, NH, CT, RI, VT, MA. Each features a food from that state,…and it’s amazing stuff. Lots of interesting vendors too…just fun. It happens in September.
