The
Indiana State Fair is an annual fair held in
Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, usually in the month of August. The first fair was held in 1881 and the 2009 fair had the highest number of attendees at 973,902.
The state fair buildings and grounds are used for a variety of other shows when the fair is not being held. The largest building at the fairgrounds is the
Pepsi ColiseumPepsi Coliseum is an 8,200-seat multi-purpose arena, in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was formerly known as the Indiana State Fair Coliseum. The current arena was built in 1939, replacing a previous coliseum that was built in 1907...
, formerly known as the
Indiana State Fair Coliseum, where the
Indiana IceThe Indiana Ice is a Tier I ice hockey team formed in 2004 when it was purchased from the former Danville, Illinois, USA, team, the Danville Wings. It plays the majority of its home games at the Pepsi Coliseum, located on the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana. Some of its home...
usually play. The fairgrounds are on 38th Street and Fall Creek Parkway.
Beginnings
In February of 1851, at the urging of agricultural promoter
GovernorThe Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...
Joseph A. WrightJoseph Albert Wright was the tenth Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from December 5, 1849 to January 12, 1857, most noted for his opposition to banking. His positions created a rift between him and the Indiana General Assembly who overrode all of his anti-banking vetoes...
, the
Indiana General AssemblyThe Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...
passed an act intended "to encourage agriculture" growth in the state, which also included the formation of a State Board of Agriculture. A primary goal of the Board was to organize an Indiana State Fair. On October 20–22 1852, the first State Fair was held in downtown Indianapolis at the
Marion CountyMarion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. Census 2010 recorded a population of 903,393, making it the largest county in the state and 55th most populated county in the country, greater than the population of six states. The county seat is Indianapolis, the state capital and...
Fairgrounds. Indiana became the sixth state to begin holding an annual state-wide agricultural fair.
During the
American Civil WarIndiana, a state in the Midwestern United States, played an important role during the American Civil War. Despite significant anti-war activity in the state and southern Indiana's ancestral ties to the Southern United States, it did not secede from the Union...
, the county fairgrounds was converted into
Camp MortonCamp Morton was a Union prisoner-of-war camp located in Indianapolis, Indiana during the American Civil War. It was named for Indiana governor Oliver Morton, who was the governor of Indiana during the War. It lasted from 1861-1865...
, a prison camp for captured
ConfederateThe Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
soldiers. During the war years no state fair was held, but it was resumed again in 1865 and held in
Fort WayneFort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. The gates opened at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on East 38th Street for the first time on September 19, 1892. Since then the fair has continually been held in Indianapolis.
The State Fair has been held in Indianapolis for the majority of its existence, but other Indiana cities hosted the event during the mid-19th century:
- 1853 - Lafayette
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
- 1854 - Madison
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,004 people, 5,092 households, and 3,085 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,402.9 people per square mile . There were 5,597 housing units at an average density of 654.1 per square mile...
- 1859 - New Albany
New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River opposite Louisville, Kentucky. In 1900, 20,628 people lived in New Albany; in 1910, 20,629; in 1920, 22,992; and in 1940, 25,414. The population was 36,372 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of...
- 1865 - Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
- 1867 - Terre Haute
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
Competitions
During the duration of the Indiana State Fair, several competitions take place. The
4-H4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
has a large participation in the fair, and competitions are held in numerous areas for 4-H youth members. 4-H winners at county fairs can progress to the state fair with their live-stock, crafts, gardening, or other exhibits. The winner at the state fair can, in some cases, advance to a national competition. The winners receive scholarships and other awards.
Other competitions also occur including, art contests, a hot air balloon race, and a high school marching band contest on "Band Day". Adults competitions also occur in various farm related categories.
Entertainment
Numerous nationally-known entertainers have performed at the Indiana State Fair.
In 1964,
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
performed two sold out shows to nearly 30,000 audience members September 3 and in 1989, New Kids on the Block set a Grandstand attendance record with 18,509 audience members.
They also have Latino/Hispanic entertainment for Indiana's Hispanic population.
1963 coliseum explosion
On October 31, 1963 a propane tank exploded in the Indiana State Fair Coliseum, killing 54 at the scene and another 20 died due to injuries, with a total of 74 people killed. Around another 400 were injured. It was the deadliest disaster in Indianapolis history.
2011 stage collapse
On August 13, 2011, high winds from an approaching thunderstorm collapsed the main stage just before Sugarland was about to perform, killing seven people and injuring 43.
Famous visitors
In 1919, President
Woodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
gave a speech to a crowd of 40,000 on a day known as "Big Thursday." In 1956, Elvis Presley did one of his first TV interviews on WTTV's Top Ten Dance Party with Chuck Marlowe at the then Radio Center just days prior to his first appearance with
Ed SullivanEdward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
. Over the years, President
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, President
Bill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, President
John F. KennedyJohn 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....
, President
Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, and President
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
have all made appearances at the Fairgrounds.
External links