Hopkinton State Fair | |
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Genre | State fair |
Date(s) | 01 August–04 September 2023 |
Begins | Thursday |
Ends | Labor Day |
Frequency | Annual |
Location(s) | Hopkinton, New Hampshire |
Years active | 108 |
Inaugurated | October 5, 1915 |
Attendance | 70,000 [1] |
Website | www |
The Hopkinton State Fair is an annual fair taking place in the village of Contoocook in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, United States. The fair began in 1915 and has continued to grow and become one of the most well known events in New England, and the largest fair in New Hampshire. [2]
The Hopkinton State Fair was originally started as a two-day agricultural event by the Contoocook Board of Trade, which held the first fair on October 5 and 6, 1915, at George's Park in Contoocook village. The event was named the "Hopkinton Fair" or the "Contoocook Valley Fair". The net profit for the first fair was just under $5. There was no fair in 1917 nor 1918. In 1921, the board expanded the fair to a three-day event from Tuesday through Thursday. World War II caused the fair to be cancelled between 1942 & 1945.
The fair consisted of agricultural exhibits, food vendors, baseball games, horse races, games, amusement rides and sideshow tents. Other entertainment such as the Hopkinton Town Band concerts became quite popular over the years. Ribbon and monetary prize competitions were popular exhibits for livestock and other farm animals.
After enduring tremendous growth, in 1947 the fair moved to its present location behind the Hopkinton High School, as it needed more land for its ever-expanding exhibits. In 1953, the Fair Association acquired more property for additional expansion.
In 1980, the fair became a five-day event opening on Thursday and operating through Labor Day.
In December 1985, the association directors voted to change the name of the fair to its current "Hopkinton State Fair".
In 1986, the fair held a logo design competition. The winner was Doug Price of Contoocook with the original design of the current fair logo.
In 2014, the association decided to shorten the fair back to a four-day event, running Friday through Labor Day. [2] [3] [4]
This fair has operated annually as a five-day event since 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic caused 2020's cancellation.
Concord is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the 3rd most populous city in New Hampshire after Manchester and Nashua. Governor Benning Wentworth gave the city its current name in 1765 following a boundary dispute with the neighboring town of Bow; the name was meant to signify the new concord, or harmony, between the two towns.
Merrimack County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 153,808, making it the 3rd most populous county in New Hampshire. Its county seat is Concord, the state capital. The county was organized in 1823 from parts of Hillsborough and Rockingham counties, and is named for the Merrimack River. Merrimack County comprises the Concord, NH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn constitutes a portion of the Boston–Worcester–Providence, MA–RI–NH–CT Combined Statistical Area. In 2010, the center of population of New Hampshire was located in Merrimack County, in the town of Pembroke.
Contoocook is a village and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Hopkinton in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,427 at the 2020 census. Contoocook is well known for its growth of small businesses, preservation of historical landmarks, community involvement and recreational activities within the village.
Hopkinton is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,914 at the 2020 census. The town has three distinct communities: Hopkinton village, mainly a residential area in the center of the town; Contoocook, the town's business hub, located in the north; and West Hopkinton, within the more agricultural portion of the town. The town is home to the Hopkinton State Fair, adjacent to Contoocook village, and to the historic Contoocook Railroad Depot and the Contoocook Railroad Bridge, the oldest covered railroad bridge in the United States.
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The Contoocook River is a 71-mile-long (114 km) river in New Hampshire. It flows from Contoocook Lake on the Jaffrey/Rindge border to Penacook, where it empties into the Merrimack River. It is one of only a few rivers in New Hampshire that flow in a predominantly northward direction. Four covered bridges span the river, one in the town of Henniker, one on the Hancock-Greenfield line, and two in the town of Hopkinton, New Hampshire with one being in the village of Contoocook, and the other in the populated place of West Hopkinton. Residents and tourists have made the Contoocook popular for fishing and whitewater boating.
The Big Fresno Fair, founded in 1884, is an annual fair held at the Fresno County Fairgrounds. The Big Fresno Fair is managed by the 21st District Agricultural Association, an entity of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Division of Fairs & Expositions. It is the largest annual event in the San Joaquin Valley, attracting around 600,000 people each October during its twelve-day run featuring exhibits, a livestock show, live horse racing, musical entertainment, educational programs and more. The Fair provides a link between urban and rural California, serving as a tool to educate visitors on the region's rich agricultural industry. The mission of The Big Fresno Fair is to "Educate, Celebrate and Have Fun".
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The Contoocook Railroad Bridge is a covered bridge on the former Contoocook Valley Railroad line spanning the Contoocook River in the center of the village of Contoocook, New Hampshire, United States. It is referred to in the National Register of Historic Places as the Hopkinton Railroad Covered Bridge, for the town of Hopkinton, New Hampshire, in which the village of Contoocook is located.
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The Contoocook Railroad Depot is located in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, United States, in the village of Contoocook. The depot was completed in 1849 as one of the first substantial railroad passenger stations west of Concord on the Concord and Claremont Railroad. The building is one of the best preserved of a small number of gable-roofed railroad stations surviving from the first decade of rail development in New Hampshire. The station exemplifies the pioneering period of rail development in the state.
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Hopkinton High School is a public, co-educational secondary school located in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. In 2014, 2015, and 2016 it was ranked 1st among New Hampshire's public schools by US News. Hopkinton High School has also been awarded a national silver medal and is ranked nationally #972 of the 21,000 public schools in the US.
Joab Nelson Patterson (1835–1923) was an American brevet brigadier general and politician who commanded the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry Regiment across several battles of the American Civil War, as well as the commander of the Third Brigade of the First Division of the XVIII Corps. He also held several offices after the war as well as a captain during the Spanish–American War.