History
The first Iowa State Fair was staged in Fairfield October 25–27, 1854, with a budget of $323. The Fair was held again in Fairfield in 1855, but for the next several years, the Fair moved from town to town, remaining mostly in eastern Iowa.
The Fair was held in Muscatine in 1856-1857, Oskaloosa in 1858-1859, Iowa City in 1860-1861, Dubuque in 1862-1863, Burlington in 1864-1866, Clinton in 1867-1868, Keokuk in 1869-1870 and 1874–1875, and Cedar Rapids in 1871-1873 and 1876-1878. The Fair moved permanently within the Des Moines city limits in 1878. After the Iowa State Legislature and the City of Des Moines appropriated funds for the Fair in 1886, it moved to its current location at East 30th and East Grand in Des Moines.
Since 1854, the Iowa State Fair has been entertaining Iowans on a yearly basis with only a few exceptions. In 1898, the Fair was cancelled due to the celebration of the World's Fair in nearby Omaha, Nebraska, as well as the prolonged Spanish-American War. The Fair was also closed in 1942 due to World War II when the state allowed military personnel to use the grounds as a supply depot. The Fair re-opened in 1946.
The Fair celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2004. Also in 2004, the Fair set an attendance record with 1,053,978 visitors, a record that was broken during the 2008 Fair which reported 1,109,150 fairgoers. Conservative figures indicate the 11-day Fair as the catalyst for approximately $60 million worth of spending in travel, lodging, restaurants, shopping, etc.
Read more about this topic: Iowa State Fair
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