Alaska State Fair

The Alaska State Fair is an annual state fair held in Palmer, Alaska, United States. The fairgrounds are located approximately one hour north of Anchorage and draw visitors from the entire Municipality of Anchorage and beyond for the popular 1½-week event beginning at the end of August. The fair is famous for its record setting giant vegetables and picturesque location at the foot of the Chugach Mountains in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. The event features amusement rides, food concessions, competitive exhibits, carnival games, live performances and more. History The first Alaska State Fair was held September 4–7, 1936. It was organized by members of the Northland Pioneer Grange No. 1, an agricultural fraternal organization, that was organized in the Matanuska Valley in 1933. Planning for the fair began in 1935 and coincided with establishment of the Matanuska Colony, a New Deal resettlement community designed to assist out of work Midwestern families. In establishing a colony in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley it was the U.S. government's intent to decrease Alaska's reliance on imported food, increase the Territory's population, and give Midwestern families on public assistance a new start. That first year's fair was held in the community center of the newly established Matanuska Colony and included the crowning of the fair queen, a baby show, boxing matches, horse races, dances, a rodeo and baseball games. There were also agricultural entries, including giant cabbages, grain, carrots, onions, celery, peas and other vegetables. During World War II, the fair took a five-year hiatus from 1942 to 1946. But the fair was back in operation in 1947. 1950 saw the first carnival rides at the fair. In 1956, the fair Board petitioned the Alaska Legislature for official designation as the Alaska State Fair. In 1960, the fair celebrated its 25th anniversary and was paid a visit by President John F. Kennedy.