Checking out the 2023 Illinois State Fair in Springfield, IL 4k Video

Filmed on Friday August 18 and Saturday August 19, I check out the Illinois State Fair to see what's going on. The first Illinois State Fair was celebrated in 1853 in Springfield. In that first year, the admission fee was 25 cents. The Illinois State Fair was held almost every summer during this more than 150-year-long period. On a few occasions it was suspended. In 1893, for example, the organizers of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago prepared to offer a larger lineup of agricultural products and machinery, so the Illinois State Fair canceled itself for one year. The Illinois State Fair, like many state fairs, moved during the first 40 years of its life, 1853–1892, from place to place. It was celebrated as far north as Freeport and as far south as Du Quoin. In 1894, the State of Illinois began to use a 156-acre parcel of land on the northern boundary of Springfield, which became the heart of the permanent Illinois State Fairgrounds. A grandstand and racetrack were built, and the first auto races were held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack in 1910. The fairground site was expanded to its current 366-acre dimensions in 1924. Starting with the end of World War II, the growth of productivity in agriculture began to reduce the number of jobs in American farming, both as a percentage of total population and in absolute numbers. State fairs began to transition themselves from agricultural trade shows to entertainment operations. The Illinois State Fair played a key role in the popularization of the corn dog, starting in 1946. In Illinois, the State Fair Grandstand, originally built as a place to watch harness racing (and still used for that purpose as of 2023) became a venue for concerts and recitals. The "state fair circuit" became a recognized part of the overall live-music industry for many performers. The Illinois State Fairgrounds now contains more than 100 permanent buildings. In addition, participants set up countless pavilions and trailers during the period the State Fair is in operation. The Illinois State Fair is operated by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, which states in the state's official "Illinois Blue Book" that the purpose of the State Fair is to "showcase Illinois agriculture and offer wholesome family entertainment." The fair has long been noted for its annual butter cow, a life-size animal formed of pure butter applied to an armature by a sculptor wielding an oversized palette knife. #travel #carnival #fair