The County Fair
It’s the funnel cakes and 4H kids for me. It’s the roar of the engines gearing up for Saturday night’s demo derby. It’s parades and live music. It’s spraying vomit off the tilt o’ whirl and meeting your summer crush. It’s county fair time.
The first county fair held in the United States was in 1807 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In an effort to promote better farming practices, the first county fair was created by a sheep farmer. Word spread quickly and by the mid-1800s county fairs were widespread across the nation. County fairs have established themselves deep into the fabric of American culture.
Mid to late summer, all across America, in cities and rural communities, the long anticipated fair week is drawing near. There are approximately 2,000 county fairs nationwide with some garnering attendance of a million plus. Fair week is an opportunity for the people to come together and, if only for just a moment, experience wholesome fun in all its regalia. Generations of fair goers can tie at least one core memory to a county fair experience.
Seven days, give or take, the county fair has an activity for everyone. Modern day county fairs have wine tasting events, fashion shows, rodeos, and carnivals. That being said, for over 200 years the heart of every county fair still resides in the showing of livestock. Showcasing livestock provides an education in animal husbandry and encourages a better understanding of agricultural processes while boasting friendly competition awarded in colorful ribbons.
The county fair is a symbol of summertime. It is BBQ sauce on your chin and horse manure on your boots. The county fair is a giant corn dog scented reminder that we are all connected. Here, in Anthologie Soap country, a 3-day rodeo preempts our county fair start date of July 23rd and runs through the 30th. The list of expos, events, and activities is widely diverse. If you come to visit be sure and check out our bath boutique just a few blocks north of the fairgrounds. We will have a specially curated County Fair - Artisan Soap Collection. Or maybe we’ll see you down at the midway…you know…at the funnel cake stand.