In biblical times, cities were located far apart without the transportation systems we enjoy today. So, when people gathered for large religious events, there were also frequently large commercial gatherings focused on trading goods. This is where the tradition of community fairs began.
Indeed, the Latin root of the word “fair” means “a holiday with feasting.”
The first American state fair was held in 1841 in rural upstate New York — a showcase for recipes, agriculture, and the domestic arts. Three decades later, in 1872, the Colorado State Fair began in Pueblo.
We both grew up in small communities where state and county fairs were part of the rhythm of our years. To a kid who got excited when the vet truck rolled onto the farm (or the rendering truck), fairs were 100% pure magic.
There was the arrival of the carnival and its set up, where this wonderland of rides and games literally exploded out of the prairie. There was the load-in of the animals and exhibits — more traffic than most of us ever saw.
We got to spend the night on folding cots in the livestock barns — and generally nothing went wrong. Our parents gave us pocket money — unheard of! And packets of ride tickets. You could buy and consume soda pop — in the morning!
As 4-H club members, we’d show livestock, display ribbons, wander the exhibits, climb on the displays of all the newest farm machinery. There were tractors with cabs! And machines designed only for harvest — “combines,” they were called, and all of our dads just stared at them.
And all too soon … it was load-out day. And back on the farm the next day, everything seemed so quiet.
Today, many visitors to state and county fairs are not there to exhibit or judge or exchange agricultural practices — they come for the phenomenal entertainment. But even for those growing up in urban and suburban areas, fairs can still have a powerful impact.
While people are at county and state fairs, they are exposed — all around them — to evidence that their food wasn’t born pre-packaged onto grocery store shelves. Maybe they’re there for the great music performances or the rides, but they also stroll past exhibits and demonstrations that remind them, possibly subconsciously, that the BBQ they’re enjoying was once on the hoof.
In an important way, our fairs can, at a minimum, stimulate curiosity that can lead to improvements in agricultural literacy.
And still today, the Colorado State Fair is the ultimate showcase for our 4-H youth — the 110,000 kids from across Colorado who work hard all year long to build their skills in leadership, citizenship, and life by participating in 4-H.
4-H remains the largest youth-development organization in the country, and in Colorado — as in every state — it’s powered by a network of more than 10,000 adult volunteers and almost 100 professionals and staff.
4-H is delivered by Colorado State University Extension — part of our land-grant university commitment to help young people learn by doing hands-on projects in areas including health, science, agriculture and citizenship. We both believe that if you want to feel more optimistic about the future, you should spend time with a 4-H kid. (Doctors should prescribe that.)
The Colorado State Fair gives us all a chance to enjoy that optimistic spirit as part of the great fair tradition — to join with people who are actively involved in raising and growing our food as they demonstrate the fruit of their labor, to learn what’s new, and to celebrate with others in a tradition dating back millennia.
We encourage everyone in Colorado to visit the State Fair, learn more about what our 4-H youth are up to, grab some of your favorite fair food, and enjoy this once-a-year “holiday with feasting.”
— Tony Frank is chancellor for the Colorado State University System. Kathay Rennels is interim vice president for engagement and extension for Colorado State University.
