General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy does Iowa have a state fair in the middle of August?
I thought state fairs usually occurred after harvest was done. Shouldn't that mean autumn?
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)Teach29
(33 posts)New York's is always the last 2 week of August, ending on Labor Day.
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,558 posts)more families you'll lose during the week.
jpak
(41,763 posts)Good Times.
GreenPartyVoter
(72,388 posts)bluedigger
(17,091 posts)Of course, the fairgrounds was only about eight blocks from the middle school, so we pretty much lived there all the time anyways.
jpak
(41,763 posts)Ha ha.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Having the fair just before school starts sounds like a good plan, kids get that last summer fling before going back to school.
I have seen well attended fairs, but typically they were medieval fairs very near heavily populated urban areas, lots of painters and sculptors selling their work.
pstokely
(10,545 posts)tourism lobby in MO forced them to move to the beginning of school to no more than 2 weeks before Labor Day starting in 2020
luvs2sing
(2,220 posts)I think only one or two counties are in September.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(116,113 posts)Harvest occurs at different times in different areas and for different crops. Corn wouldn't be harvested yet in most corn-growing states but August-September is the peak time for a lot of other crops, especially vegetables. The other important thing is that school hasn't started yet in most places, and fairs depend a lot on student workers and attendees.
LakeArenal
(28,908 posts)It doesnt mean harvest. It means animals that have been raised and pies and flowers and a lot more than crop production.
sobenji
(316 posts)Including Indiana
JI7
(89,305 posts)book_worm
(15,951 posts)Lots of states have them in the summer when kids are out of school.
SlogginThroughIt
(1,977 posts)CanonRay
(14,163 posts)Bettie
(16,163 posts)in summer when kids are off school.
madaboutharry
(40,250 posts)luvs2sing
(2,220 posts)Codeine
(25,586 posts)Fuck summer. Its going to be 104F tomorrow. I cant even.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,629 posts)Climate wars are easy to win.
GreenPartyVoter
(72,388 posts)librechik
(30,681 posts)no sweet corn in June--
ornotna
(10,820 posts)More snowbirds to fleece. One in August would be completely unbearable.
lpbk2713
(42,785 posts)That's when the citrus and the strawberries start to come in.
And it has always marked the date when Barnum & Bailey
road shows would hit the road from their winter quarters.
ms liberty
(8,645 posts)When I was a kid Gasparilla Day was a school holiday with the parade and everything, and so it was also a big day to go to the fair. At that time the fairgrounds were in downtown Tampa, my dad worked about a block away. I was a teenager I think when the fairgrounds moved out off I-4.
It always rained too, because after all, it was February in Tampa. Didn't they shift it to a few weeks later at one point, maybe in the 80's I think?
lpbk2713
(42,785 posts)There was even a race track. The schools gave a day off
because they knew everyone would skip school anyway.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)In the markets, all I see available are imported or from California.
Are the berries U-pick?
lpbk2713
(42,785 posts)JimGinPA
(14,811 posts)Indoors at the Farm Show Complex, lasting about 2 weeks. I could never figure the timing of that one either. For years it seemed like there was a blizzard ever year while it was going on.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)A lot of garden and home improvement shows are doing the winter.
Kaleva
(36,448 posts)LuvNewcastle
(16,869 posts)You've got to breathe in the aroma of shit or it's not a real fair.
Roland99
(53,342 posts)bluedigger
(17,091 posts)Farmers are too busy later in the fall.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)AJT
(5,240 posts)humid on asphalt to make you want to walk around for hours eating fried food on a stick. .
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)August was actually a slow month on the farm in the Midwest and upper south.
Crops were not hybrids and there was no such thing as grain dryers. They had to dry in the field. Corn especially. The crops maturity and weather meant harvest did not really get going until late September early October. And once harvest hit no one had any time. Post harvest was also slow but the weather prevented many people from traveling. Remember, they got to the fair under horse power and herded their show animals.
The calves and lambs were old enough to fend for themselves. Pigs always fend for themselves!
Pretty much the same reason our election is in early November. Crops were in and the weather had not turned too bad.
The farming pattern shaped this and all nations for centuries.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)to fend for themselves still shape our customs in spite of enormous changes. Long ago in college I thought of majoring in geography, interested in how it shaped human affairs, but it was supposed to have become increasingly irrelevant in the modern world. Hah! Hasn't worked out that way.
LeftInTX
(25,922 posts)Hot as hell and crops need irrigating. Most farms have spring and fall growing season. The fall crops are just getting started. Livestock need water too.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)Id imagine the Texas state fair goes back till the late 1800s early 1900s. Not going to google it for conversation purposes. Back then there was no center pivot irrigation or even deep well irrigation. That didnt come about till the 60s. I would guess only east Texas had much row cropping anyway as it is more like northwestern Louisiana where my family lived. Probably cotton and corn in areas where the climate allowed. West Texas and even the Hill country was all about livestock. And gives us great Brisket bbq!
And never underestimate what seed hybridization did for farmers. Yield went up and time to harvest way down. Not talking GMO. Just good breeding.
And in East Texas, without grain dryers harvesting corn in August or even September meant rotten grain in the bin. It had to dry in the field and afternoon thundershowers dont allow that. I bet they did not really start harvesting till October going into November. Dont count out climate change as well.
My mother was raise north of Shreveport Louisiana. Harvest there was an October thing. September was still summer.
On edit: They would not kill their lard pigs till before Thanksgiving and sometimes after. Even up till Christmas. Too hot an the fried cracklings were a holiday treat.
LeftInTX
(25,922 posts)My bad. (It's held 300 miles away in Dallas) I always thought it was a Sept thing.
misanthrope
(7,438 posts)have been in October as long as I've known about them. I don't know what the big one in the Tennessee Valley is or when it is.
GP6971
(31,316 posts)is Aug 30th through Sep 22nd. Traditionally starts the last weekend in August and runs for 3 weeks.
Response to misanthrope (Original post)
kimbutgar This message was self-deleted by its author.
kimbutgar
(21,320 posts)Its hot as hell in Sacramento that time of year.
panader0
(25,816 posts)Quemado
(1,262 posts)per https://vinepair.com/articles/celebrate-oktoberfest-september/
I lived in Germany for two years, about 40 miles west of Munich. I've been to the Oktoberfest about seven or eight times. Munich is cooler in October than it is in September.
Celerity
(43,928 posts)FBaggins
(26,823 posts)State fairs often have some permanent facilities, but its still true that many of the rides/shows/food are part of traveling shows that can only be one place at a time. Some states have to be at the end of the run.
LeftInTX
(25,922 posts)But our county fair (rodeo) is in February.
Even in February we've run into heat issues. I was working in a plant sale booth and almost died.
dawg day
(7,947 posts)There are many kids involved (raising livestock, etc), and they're off school still.
xmas74
(29,688 posts)This allows kids in 4H, FFA, etc the opportunity to show at the fair without missing school. And for those students living in towns surrounding the fair they get that last huge opportunity to work a couple of long weeks before school starts.
I remember kids carpooling the 30 minutes to work. The money was always better than average because it was all temp work. Kids would park cars,get a tip. They'd work all the concessions and have tip jars. They'd work housekeeping in hotels and get tips. I waited tables for 3 weeks every year for a few years at a 24 hour Shoney's and would clean up, especially on concert nights, tractor pulls or monster car rallies. That money paid for school clothes and supplies.
pstokely
(10,545 posts)starting in 2020, Ozarks resorts and Silver Dollar City needs a couple of more weeks of cheap teenage labor
xmas74
(29,688 posts)And many districts don't start until midweek or even Thursday. Several of those will have half days this week.
My daughter always started with a half day on Thursday, first full day Friday. All of the major showing is mostly done by now for 4H and FFA. Some might be waiting on grand champion decision but that's a very small amount while others are waiting on bids, which can be done while in class.
I eventually need to get off my ass and start a submission project for next year. I always say I'm doing it but life gets in the way. I'd also need to cut off my nails to complete it since they tend to get in the way and I'm feeling a bit lazy.
pstokely
(10,545 posts)staring in mid August allows them have HS finals before winter break and balanced semesters, also gives them more time for state standardized tests and AP exams, now they'll won't be able to have HS finals before the winter break with balanced semesters
Liberty Belle
(9,543 posts)I suppose summer is when families with kids can attend easily, and also when it's least apt to rain.
https://www.castatefair.org/schedule/?3_route=/client-embeds/ca-state-fair-2019/1/3/__/&
MFM008
(19,848 posts)State fair starts around the 10th of September.
I havent gone since the 90s.
To much walking.
mindem
(1,580 posts)toward kids in 4-H. Even the adults compete in the open class during fairs. It's really a summer thing.
lame54
(35,395 posts)EllieBC
(3,054 posts)Here in BC we have the PNE which begins this weekend.
If they were in September, less people might be able to attend because most people take vacation time in summer. And school is out too.
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