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The Cuyahoga County Fair has a history
reaching back well over a century. It began in 1893 and, except for three
years, (1932, 1942 and 1943) has been held each year at the Fairgrounds
in Berea, Ohio.
Initially, the fairs were held in
October to celebrate the farm harvests. As the area grew more urban, the fairs were moved to
late summer. This also avoided closing down the schools for a day,
which had been done earlier. The original event was called the West
Cuyahoga County Fair in 1893, since there were so many other smaller
fairs in the area. In
1895, advertising promised fairgoers an exhibition that would bring
together the best of everything. That slogan has applied every year
since that time. The West
Side Fair continued on and grew.
For a while, there was also an East
Side Cuyahoga County Fair in Chagrin Falls, but it shut down in 1929
when most of America did the same as a result of the stock market
crash.
Early fairs brought families who
took advantage of the opportunity to socialize and talk about farm
problems and look over the new farm equipment on display. Local
businesses set up booths and baseball games were a central part of the
entertainment. Mom entered
her jams, jellies, pies and other culinary delights for judging. There were homemade crafts on
display and for purchase. Children helped their parents sell the fresh
produce from the family farm. There were 60 acres of green grass at the
turn of the century at the fairgrounds in Berea, so families spread out
picnic baskets and ate as they watched or listened to local musicians.
Today, the fairgrounds has grown to 117 acres. After the picnic, there
were children*s games, shearing contests and a lot of conversation.
Cuyahoga County was a major
agricultural center in those early years. The county was number one in
Ohio potato production in 1909, and often first in dairy products,
poultry and grapes. Berea
was a transportation hub, with three rail lines and an interurban rail
service. An amazing lighting system was installed in 1914 to allow the
fair to be held at night. Until then, fair days ended when the sun went
down.
As the automobile emerged in
American life, thrill shows started to appear at the fair, with
jalopies leaping over flaming bales of hay. The famous Eastland Road arch went up in 1929. When
people enter under that arch today, they find many of the same
traditions, from arts and crafts to farm produce; picnics and
musicians; food and conversation; rides and grandstand thrill shows.
The
city of Berea is more developed now. Modern entertainment and events have changed.
Motocross, demolition derbies, music and youth interests have evolved,
and the Fair has adjusted over the years to ensure that there*s always
something new to experience at the Cuyahoga County Fair.
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