46 State Fairs and What Makes Them Special
One of the most quintessentially American traditions of all is the State Fair . New Englander Elkanah Watson is credited with make the first agrarian bazaar in the U.S. : the Pittsfield , Massachusetts Cattle Show in 1811 , which exhibit animals and award prize money to the best oxen , cattle , swine , and sheep . In the next few year , county fairs popped up throughout New England , and by 1841 , the country had its first state bazaar , in Syracuse , New York , designed to show off New York ’s agricultural prowess with farm animal and elephantine - vegetable competitions ....