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The Steele County Free Fair is an annual week-long summer county fair held in Owatonna, Minnesota, United States, the county seat of Steele County. It is the largest free county fair in Minnesota, displaying over 2,000 animals each year and hosting over 450 vendors who sell food, commercial goods and services, and arts and crafts. [1]
The first fair in Steele County was held on October 17, 1860. Prizes were awarded for categories such as "best 6 yoke of working oxen", "best butter churn", and "best wagon made in county". Horse racing featured. [2] There is no record of the fair having taken place between 1861 and 1871, possibly due to the American Civil War. In 1872 it was held in a pasture on Main Street, and until 1917 it was held at various locations in the community. It moved to its current location in 1918. By 1927 the fair became a "free fair" with no admission charged. [2] In the 1930s the fair introduced auto racing and grandstand stage shows with chorus lines, as addition to its traditional attractions. [2] Free entertainment stages were added in 1979.
No fair was held between 1942 and 1945 because of World War II, nor 2020 on grounds of COVID-19 pandemic.
The fair runs for one week during each summer. Entry to the fair is free, although it does cost to park. [3] The fair is one of the largest in the region, claiming to be "the largest free fair in Minnesota" [4] 24 bands and entertainers perform on the fair's various stages.
The fair is focused on agriculture; about 2,000 animals are displayed each year, and the fastest growing attractions are the horses. Vendors came from 25 states in 2016 and staffed 500 booths, including 100 food stands. Other attractions and events include a talent show, a "Kid's Pedal Pull", and an automobile museum.
| Year | Attendance [5] |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 177,590 |
| 2000 | 251,168 |
| 2005 | 277,782 |
| 2010 | 285,605 |
| 2015 | 307,403 |
| 2016 | 279,797 |
| 2017 | 300,717 |
| 2018 | 313,046 |
Steele County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 36,576. Its county seat is Owatonna.
Osseo is a small city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 2,430, and in 2018 the estimated population was 2,757.
Owatonna is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 25,599 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Steele County. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair in August.
Pig racing is a sport in which juvenile pigs race around in a small, enclosed area of either dirt, fake grass, gravel track or steel-framed enclosures. This racing is usually purely for entertainment or charity, and betting is rarely part of it, as the races are family-friendly events. It is often an attraction at county fairs but is also practised in many backyard setups. Pig racing can be found in Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its slogan is "The Great Minnesota Get-Together." It is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance. It is also the second-largest state fair in the United States by total attendance, trailing only the State Fair of Texas, which generally runs twice as long as the Minnesota State Fair. The state fairgrounds, adjacent the Saint Paul campus of the University of Minnesota, are in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, midway between the state's capital city of St. Paul and the adjacent city of Roseville, near the Como Park and Saint Anthony Park neighborhoods of Saint Paul. Residents of the state and region come to the fair to be entertained, exhibit their best livestock, show off their abilities in a variety of fields including art and cooking, learn about new products and services, and eat many different types of food—often on a stick. The fair runs for twelve days from late August into early September, ending on Labor Day. The Minnesota State Fair was named the best state fair in the United States in 2015 by readers of USA Today.
The Big E, formally known as The Eastern States Exposition, is billed as "New England's Great State fair". It is the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the sixth-largest fair in the nation. The Big E is inclusive of all six of the New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Each of the New England states is prominently represented at the fair.
The Fryeburg Fair is a large agricultural fair held annually in Fryeburg in the U.S. state of Maine. The fair was first held in March 1851, and in subsequent years has grown to become the state's largest agricultural fair. The Fryeburg Fair features livestock shows, harness racing, horse pulling, antique farm and forestry equipment displays and demonstrations, horticultural and culinary contests and displays, a petting zoo, agricultural vendor displays, live musical acts, amusement rides, and food stands. The fair, held over an eight-day period in early October, attracted over 166,000 paid attendees in 2013.
The New York State Fair, also known as the Great New York State Fair, is a 18-day showcase of agriculture, entertainment, education and technology. With midway rides, concessionaires, exhibits and concerts, it has become New York's largest annual event and an end-of-summer tradition for hundreds of thousands of families from all corners of the state. The first fair took place in Syracuse in 1841 and took permanent residence there in 1890. It is the oldest and one of the largest state fairs in the United States, with over one million visitors annually.
The Iowa State Fair is an annual state fair held in Des Moines, Iowa in August.
The Wisconsin State Fair is an annual event held at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. The modern fair takes place in August and lasts 11 days.
The Bloomsburg Fair has been held in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, since 1855 and continues to this day.
The San Diego County Fair is a county fair held every summer at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California. The fair is a major draw for San Diego County residents; in recent years, attendance figures have risen above a million annually, reaching a record attendance of 1,609,481 in 2016. As of 2016, the San Diego County Fair was the largest county fair in the United States, and the fifth largest fair of any kind.
The Northwest Washington Fair is the only fair located in Whatcom County. It is held every August in Lynden, Washington since 1909.
Richard "Dick" Day is Minnesota, USA, politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 26, which includes portions of Dodge, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele and Waseca counties in the southeastern part of the state. A Republican, he was first elected in 1990, and was re-elected in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2006. Prior to redistricting in 1992 and 2002, he represented the old districts 30 and 28.
Donald Joseph Laughlin is an American gambling entrepreneur, hotelier and rancher for whom the town of Laughlin, Nevada, is named.
Owatonna Hospital is a non-profit regional medical center in Owatonna, Minnesota, United States that serves patients in and around Steele County, Minnesota. Owatonna Hospital provides a full range of inpatient, outpatient and emergency care services, as well as home and palliative care and hospice. It is owned by Allina Health System of Minneapolis.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Steele County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in an online map.
The Pima County Fair is a funfair that happens every year in Tucson, Arizona. The fair runs for 11 days in the month of April. It features live animal shows, concerts, carnival rides and vendors. Hundreds of local groups perform every year. The Pima County Fair is one of the most popular attractions in Tucson.
The Sonoma County Fairgrounds is a fairground and exhibition center located in Santa Rosa, California. It is where the annual Sonoma County fair takes place and other events throughout the year.
The Owatonna Firemen's Hall, formerly the Owatonna City and Firemen's Hall, is a historic government building in Owatonna, Minnesota, United States. It was built from 1906 to 1907 to house the Owatonna Fire Department and city government offices. The city offices were relocated to the former campus of the Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children in 1974. The Firemen's Hall continues to serve as the headquarters for the Owatonna Fire Department.