Alaska State Fair
Encyclopedia
The Alaska State Fair is an annual state fair
held in Palmer
, Alaska. USA
The 2011 Alaska State Fair, which marked the event’s 75th birthday, was held August 25 to September 5 with the theme “75 Years and Growin’.”
in 1935, when the U.S. government established a farming colony there with the intent of opening up Alaska
, providing food to the military in case of war, and giving families on relief a new start.
That first year’s Fair included the crowning of the Fair queen, a baby show, boxing matches, horse races, dances, a rodeo
and baseball games. There were also agricultural entries, including giant cabbages, grain, carrots, onions, celery, peas and other vegetables.
During World War II, the Fair took a five-year hiatus from 1942 to 1946. But the Fair was back in operation in 1947. 1950 saw the first carnival rides at the Fair. In 1956, the Fair Board petitioned the Alaska Legislature for official designation as the Alaska State Fair. In 1960, the Fair celebrated its 25th anniversary and was paid a visit by President John F. Kennedy
.
1967 was the Fair’s first year in its present 300-acre location at 2075 Glenn Highway in Palmer
. The total attendance that year reached 72,000. Over the years, Fair attendance has continued its upward trend. During the 18-day Fair in 1998, a record 361,804 people participated in the event. That same year, the Fair accepted 10,890 exhibit entries – the highest on record. The Fair set another record in 2003, with 312,419 visitors attending the Fair over a 12-day period.
Fairground facilities have also continued to grow. In 1975, the Fair became home to Colony Village, which preserves some of the historic buildings from the Valley’s early days. In 1997, the construction of Pioneer Plaza and Raven Hall was completed. In 2004, the Fair opened its new Green Gate and Railroad Depot.
In 2010, it was estimated a total of 290,119 people attended the Fair, which featured 8,081 exhibit entries and 450 vendors.
Also in 2010, Valley resident and protester Sidney Hill was arrested for fourth-degree assault, disorderly conduct and trespassing after he caused a disturbance on the fairgrounds while carrying a large political sign. The incident was addressed on the Fair blog, and subsequent articles regarding Mr. Hill’s activities were published in the Anchorage Daily News
and The Frontiersman.
Taken from internal Alaska State Fair financials.
, the Fair features giant vegetable exhibits, like 2010’s pending world record-breaking 46-foot, 8-inch gourd vine, and the state record-breaking 39-inch bean, 83-inch gourd and 1,101-pound pumpkin.
The Fair’s giant cabbage contest tradition began in 1941, when a $25 prize was offered for the largest cabbage and Max Sherrod of the Valley took the prize with a 23 pounder. The official Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off was established in 1995. In 2009, grower Steve Hubacek entered a 127.0-pound cabbage, which not only took first place, but also set a new world record.
In 2007, the Fair’s flowers and gardens received some national recognition, when the makers of the Public Broadcasting Service program GardenSMART visited the Fair to film a 30-minute segment.
Topping the list of fairgoer favorites is Fair food. Nearly 70 food vendors are scheduled to attend the 2011 Fair, offering staples like hot dogs, pizza, burgers and nachos, to more exotic selections including gyros, Alaska seafood and all kinds of food on a stick, to desserts like ice cream, cream puffs and more. More than 400 non-food vendors are also present at the Fair each year.
The Fair also features thousands of exhibits, in categories including art, baked goods, canning
, clay arts, crops, fiber and fleece, flowers, handwork and needlework
, homebrew, honey
and bee products, livestock, photography
, poultry
, quilts, rabbits, sewing
, spirited beverages and soda pop, and woodworking
.
The Fair also features free entertainment around the grounds, and events and contests like the rodeo, Diaper Derby, and Alaska Grown Games. The Fair also hosts a midway with carnival rides and games, and presents big name concerts each year as part of the AT&T
Borealis Concert Series.
Previous performers have included Ted Nugent
, David Archuletta, Lonestar
, Hinder
, Shinedown
, Boyz II Men
, Darryl Worley
, Collective Soul
, Seether
, Bucky Covington
, Beach Boys, Bill Engval, Rodney Atkins
, Kansas, Gin Blossoms
, The Rembrandts
, Emerson Drive
, Charlie Daniels Band, Craig Morgan
, Terri Clark
, Cheap Trick
, Terry Fator
, Uncle Kracker
, Los Lobos
, Toby Mac, Tanya Tucker
, Tracy Byrd, Carmen, Kenny Rogers
, Howie Mandel
, Chris Cagle
, Chris LeDoux
, REO Speedwagon
, Sean Kingston
, Tracy Lawrence
, and Mickey Dolenz.
State fair
A state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs....
held in Palmer
Palmer, Alaska
Palmer is the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the state of Alaska, USA. It is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 5,937....
, Alaska. USA
The 2011 Alaska State Fair, which marked the event’s 75th birthday, was held August 25 to September 5 with the theme “75 Years and Growin’.”
History
The first Alaska State Fair was held September 4th–7th, 1936. It was organized by the families who moved to Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna ValleyMatanuska-Susitna Valley
Matanuska-Susitna Valley is an area in Southcentral Alaska south of the Alaska Range about 35 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska....
in 1935, when the U.S. government established a farming colony there with the intent of opening up Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, providing food to the military in case of war, and giving families on relief a new start.
That first year’s Fair included the crowning of the Fair queen, a baby show, boxing matches, horse races, dances, a rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
and baseball games. There were also agricultural entries, including giant cabbages, grain, carrots, onions, celery, peas and other vegetables.
During World War II, the Fair took a five-year hiatus from 1942 to 1946. But the Fair was back in operation in 1947. 1950 saw the first carnival rides at the Fair. In 1956, the Fair Board petitioned the Alaska Legislature for official designation as the Alaska State Fair. In 1960, the Fair celebrated its 25th anniversary and was paid a visit by President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
1967 was the Fair’s first year in its present 300-acre location at 2075 Glenn Highway in Palmer
Palmer, Alaska
Palmer is the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the state of Alaska, USA. It is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 5,937....
. The total attendance that year reached 72,000. Over the years, Fair attendance has continued its upward trend. During the 18-day Fair in 1998, a record 361,804 people participated in the event. That same year, the Fair accepted 10,890 exhibit entries – the highest on record. The Fair set another record in 2003, with 312,419 visitors attending the Fair over a 12-day period.
Fairground facilities have also continued to grow. In 1975, the Fair became home to Colony Village, which preserves some of the historic buildings from the Valley’s early days. In 1997, the construction of Pioneer Plaza and Raven Hall was completed. In 2004, the Fair opened its new Green Gate and Railroad Depot.
In 2010, it was estimated a total of 290,119 people attended the Fair, which featured 8,081 exhibit entries and 450 vendors.
Also in 2010, Valley resident and protester Sidney Hill was arrested for fourth-degree assault, disorderly conduct and trespassing after he caused a disturbance on the fairgrounds while carrying a large political sign. The incident was addressed on the Fair blog, and subsequent articles regarding Mr. Hill’s activities were published in the Anchorage Daily News
Anchorage Daily News
The Anchorage Daily News is a daily newspaper based in Anchorage, Alaska, in the United States. It is often referred to colloquially as either "the Daily News" or "the ADN"...
and The Frontiersman.
Recent attendance figures
Fair Attendance | ||
Year | Visitors | |
| 2010 | 290,119 | |
| 2009 | 289,615 | |
| 2008 | 295,530 | |
| 2007 | 285,417 | |
| 2006 | 268,143 | |
| 2005 | 272,447 | |
| 2004 | 287,196 | |
| 2003 | 312,419 | |
| 2002 | 307,908 | |
| 2001 | 307,599 | |
| 2000 | 304,270 |
Taken from internal Alaska State Fair financials.
Attractions
Situated in the heart of the fertile Matanuska-Susitna ValleyMatanuska-Susitna Valley
Matanuska-Susitna Valley is an area in Southcentral Alaska south of the Alaska Range about 35 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska....
, the Fair features giant vegetable exhibits, like 2010’s pending world record-breaking 46-foot, 8-inch gourd vine, and the state record-breaking 39-inch bean, 83-inch gourd and 1,101-pound pumpkin.
The Fair’s giant cabbage contest tradition began in 1941, when a $25 prize was offered for the largest cabbage and Max Sherrod of the Valley took the prize with a 23 pounder. The official Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off was established in 1995. In 2009, grower Steve Hubacek entered a 127.0-pound cabbage, which not only took first place, but also set a new world record.
In 2007, the Fair’s flowers and gardens received some national recognition, when the makers of the Public Broadcasting Service program GardenSMART visited the Fair to film a 30-minute segment.
Topping the list of fairgoer favorites is Fair food. Nearly 70 food vendors are scheduled to attend the 2011 Fair, offering staples like hot dogs, pizza, burgers and nachos, to more exotic selections including gyros, Alaska seafood and all kinds of food on a stick, to desserts like ice cream, cream puffs and more. More than 400 non-food vendors are also present at the Fair each year.
The Fair also features thousands of exhibits, in categories including art, baked goods, canning
Canning
Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...
, clay arts, crops, fiber and fleece, flowers, handwork and needlework
Needlework
Needlework is a broad term for the handicrafts of decorative sewing and textile arts. Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework...
, homebrew, honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
and bee products, livestock, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
, quilts, rabbits, sewing
Sewing
Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era...
, spirited beverages and soda pop, and woodworking
Woodworking
Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...
.
The Fair also features free entertainment around the grounds, and events and contests like the rodeo, Diaper Derby, and Alaska Grown Games. The Fair also hosts a midway with carnival rides and games, and presents big name concerts each year as part of the AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
Borealis Concert Series.
Concerts
The AT&T Concert Series is a big draw for the Fair, which has played host to dozens of bands and performers over the last 75 years.Previous performers have included Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
, David Archuletta, Lonestar
Lonestar
Lonestar is an American country music group consisting of Richie McDonald , Michael Britt , Keech Rainwater , Dean Sams , and Michael Hill . McDonald left the band in November 2007 for a solo career before returning in 2011...
, Hinder
Hinder
Hinder is an American rock band from Oklahoma that was formed in 2001 by drummer Cody Hanson, guitarist Joe Garvey, and singer Austin Winkler. The band was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2007.-Formation and early history:...
, Shinedown
Shinedown
Shinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 2001 and founded by members Brent Smith , Brad Stewart , Jasin Todd , and Barry Kerch . A few line-up changes followed, and the band's current line-up consists of Smith and Kerch, the band's only two remaining original...
, Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
, Darryl Worley
Darryl Worley
Darryl Wade Worley is an American country music artist. Signed to DreamWorks Records Nashville in 2000, Worley released four albums for the label: Hard Rain Don't Last , I Miss My Friend , Have You Forgotten? , and Darryl Worley in 2004...
, Collective Soul
Collective Soul
Collective Soul is an American rock band originally formed in Stockbridge, Georgia. Collective Soul broke into mainstream popularity with their first hit single, "Shine", which came from their debut album Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid, released in 1993...
, Seether
Seether
Seether is a post-grunge/alternative metal band from Pretoria, South Africa, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records...
, Bucky Covington
Bucky Covington
William Joel "Bucky" Covington III is an American country music singer. He placed eighth on the 5th season of the Fox Network's talent competition series American Idol. In December 2006, he signed a recording contract with Lyric Street Records...
, Beach Boys, Bill Engval, Rodney Atkins
Rodney Atkins
Rodney Allan Atkins is an American country music artist. Signed to Curb Records in 1996, he charted his first single on the Billboard country chart that year, but did not release an album until 2003's Honesty, which included the number 4 hit "Honesty ".If You're Going Through Hell, his second...
, Kansas, Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms is an American pop rock band formed in 1987, in Tempe, Arizona. They took their name from a photo of W.C. Fields which bore the caption "W.C. Fields with gin blossoms", referring to what appeared to be the actor's gin-ravaged nose, but was actually a skin condition known as rosacea...
, The Rembrandts
The Rembrandts
The Rembrandts are an American pop-rock duo formed by Phil Solem and Danny Wilde in 1989. They had previously worked together as members of Great Buildings in 1981...
, Emerson Drive
Emerson Drive
Emerson Drive is a country music band founded in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada in 1995. The band is Brad Mates , Danick Dupelle , Mike Melancon , Dale Wallace , and David Pichette .Early on, the band found minor success in Canada, releasing two albums under the name of 12 Gauge, the first Open...
, Charlie Daniels Band, Craig Morgan
Craig Morgan
Craig Morgan Greer is an American country music artist. A veteran of the United States Army, Morgan began his musical career in 2000 on Atlantic Records, releasing his self-titled debut album for that label before the closure of its Nashville division in 2000...
, Terri Clark
Terri Clark
Terri Lynn Sauson , known professionally as Terri Clark, is a Canadian country music artist who has had success in both Canada and the United States. Signed to Mercury Records in 1995, she released her self-titled debut that year...
, Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
, Terry Fator
Terry Fator
Terry Wayne Fator is a ventriloquist, impressionist, comedian, and singer from Dallas, Texas. Fator is capable of doing over 100 ventriloquial impersonations, and uses 16 different puppets in his act. He was the winner of Season 2 of America's Got Talent, and received the million dollar prize...
, Uncle Kracker
Uncle Kracker
Matthew Shafer is an American rock musician known as Uncle Kracker. His singles include "Follow Me", "Smile", and "Drift Away". His music was more rap rock-based at the start of his career before turning in a more rock and Top 40 style music direction on later releases.-Biography:Shafer was born...
, Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
, Toby Mac, Tanya Tucker
Tanya Tucker
Tanya Denise Tucker is a female American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13...
, Tracy Byrd, Carmen, Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
, Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel
Howard Michael "Howie" Mandel is a Canadian stand-up comedian, television host, and actor. He is well known as host of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal, as well as the show's daytime and Canadian-English counterparts. Before his career as a game show host, Mandel was best known for his role on...
, Chris Cagle
Chris Cagle
Chris Cagle is an American country music artist. Signed with Virgin Records Nashville in 2000, Cagle made his debut on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts with the single "My Love Goes On and On", the first single from his debut album Play It Loud...
, Chris LeDoux
Chris LeDoux
Chris Ledoux was an American country music singer-songwriter, bronze sculptor and rodeo champion.During his career LeDoux recorded 36 albums which have sold more than six million units in the United States as of January 2007...
, REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
, Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston is a Jamaican-American singer. He pursued a music career and debuted in 2007 with the album Sean Kingston.-Early life:...
, Tracy Lawrence
Tracy Lawrence
Tracy Lawrence is an American country music artist. He started at a country music restaurant called "Live At Libby's" where owner Libby Knight would help local talent find their way into country music...
, and Mickey Dolenz.
2011 AT & T Concert Series
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