Historical Directory of American Agricultural Fairs

?This book provides a directory to 2,600 individual fairs with a historical perspective on the 205 largest and most popular of these. For the purposes of this work any type of agricultural fair is listed, including livestock shows, state and county fairs, and local youth fairs such as those sponsored by 4-H or the Future Farmers of America. The book is divided into three sections: an introductory essay, profiles of individual fairs, and the listing and directory of fairs and other agricultural events. The introductory essay is a scholarly study of the history and present state of fairs in the U.S. Trends in fair development, organization, purpose, and regional differences are described. The changes from an agricultural marketplace to a primarily educational experience are chronicled. The main portion of the work is an alphabetical listing of the 205 most popular events in the country. Every state fair, major regional fairs, and the largest county fairs are included. For each entry, a brief history is provided along with its current status. Dates, attendance figures from as recent as 1984, featured events, and admission charges are all provided. References to other published sources of historical information are given if available. This section will be a useful guide to the fair visitor. The final section of the book is the listing and directory of all known currently held agricultural fairs in the U.S. Entries are arranged by state and include the location and dates for each event. An appendix containing a bibliographic essay on other sources of fair information and an index conclude the work.?-Reference Books Bulletin