Goodbye to a State Fair
Thanks to Rodgers and Hammerstein and to an influx of politicians every four years a great deal of attention is heaped on the Iowa State Fair. It is a grand tradition and one of the more interesting events on the political calendar. Once a place to merely display the crowned hogs and prize pumpkins, state fairs have become a unique combination of carnival rides, agricultural oddities, beauty queens and gluttonous fare including everything imaginable fried or put on a stick or both.
This Labor Day though a brings a sad reminder that many of our grand traditions may be only a few poor decisions away from coming to a halt. After struggling for years, the oldest state fair in the country, the Michigan State Fair, will permanently close its doors on Labor Day. The Michigan State Fair, debuting in 1849, pre-dates the Republican Party by five years (and incidentally, the party was founded in Jackson, Michigan, only 80 miles from the current fair site).
So as we say good bye to one of Michigan’s great entertainment melting posts, we wish New York good luck as it inherits the crown of oldest state fair, congratulate the people of Minnesota for never taking state aid to run its fair (Michigan accepted $400 in state aid in its very first year and has been addicted ever since) and warn the good people of Iowa to watch over their traditions and keep them safe for kids and cattle while keeping them away from the politicians.
- Michael Meyers
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