10 Unusual Facts About State Fairs

They are not all the same.

State FairPhoto byCartoon by Lambert-King

Most of us have probably been to a state fair. I worked the Oklahoma State Fair for 11 years as a sales rep for AAA. It wasn’t a terrible experience. As time rolled on, the time spent there wasn’t particularly lucrative, but did provide an interesting people-watching experience.

Hopefully, this piece will prove both interesting and profitable. And here we go.

1: From the Minnesota State Fair comes this tidbit: It takes 6–8 hours to carve someone’s face in butter.

I did realize the true meaning of butterface. I’ve heard she has a great body butterface. Those are mean people I hear that from. I’m currently being beaten about the head by my wife now. Will resume this piece when I recover.

I think some faces would take longer. Whoops, being beaten again. Once again, I’ll take a break and will go on to the second point.

2: Coupons for the State Fair of Texas don’t expire.

The same doesn’t necessarily apply to people who eat the food at the State Fair of Texas.

3: More than 125,000 people were taken for a ride on the Texas Star Ferris wheel in 2021.

So, if you go to the Texas State Fair, there’s a good chance you’ll be taken for a ride.

4: The New York State Fair reportedly sells 450,000 cups of milk each year.

Boy, that sounds like a good time. Somehow I expected something different from New York.

5: Oklahoma actually had its first state fair before it was officially a state.

Yet another reason to call Oklahoma the, ‘Sooner State.”

6: The Ohio State Fair squelched an early scam.

In 1915 some concessioners charged fairgoers 5 cents each for a sandwich and a cup of coffee. Patrons were invited to have a seat while they waited. They were then charged an extra 5 cents for sitting. Of course, as we all know, sit-down meals do cost more.

7: In 1949, the Ohio State Fair was also noted for having a variation of the “Lost Kids” booth.

That year, seven women reported their husbands were missing. With the help of the Highway Patrol, all seven husbands were found. So were these guys lost, or trying to escape? Also, I wonder if any single women showed up at the booth looking for a husband?

8: The cream puff made its first appearance at the Wisconsin State Fair in 1924.

Of course, the cream puff has proven to be very popular. Each year major football teams schedule a number of cream puffs on their non-conference schedule.

9: In 1895 the main attraction of the North Carolina State Fair was chicken incubators.

I’m not sure why the chicken incubator exhibit was so popular. Did they have eggs in the incubator about to be hatched? If so, were guys making book on which egg would hatch first?

10: The Alaska State Fair was home of the world's largest cabbage in 2012.

Scott Robb grew a cabbage that weighed in at 138.25 pounds. Fairgoers were leary, however, because they were afraid all that cabbage could lead to Putin. Wait, being told that’s not true.