Washington, our nation's capital, became the site of the Washington Puyallup State Fair, in June 1900, when a group of local businessmen, farmers, and residents joined together to discuss the idea of a fair in the Puyallup Valley area. 1According to fair.com/about-us/history/, a board of directors was formed as the governing body of the "Valley Fair", decided that the purpose of the Valley Fair Association was to promote the interests of the sectors Puyallup Valley's agricultural, horticultural, and dairy, livestock, mining, and manufacturing industries. 2 The sale of stock provided the capital to start the Puyallup Fair, which was located on vacant land; the dates of the first Fair were October 4-6, 1900. 3 At the time, admission to the first annual "Valley Fair" cost $1 per family for all three days. Today, admission prices are $12.50 for adults; $9.00 for anyone over 62, ages 6 to 18 and is free for children 5 and under.4 Surrounding the fair was a 10-foot high fence that served as the first main gate . Sheds were built to house exhibitions, etc. with wood left over from the construction of the corral.5 Inside the fair a tent was raised to protect the produce, the "women's work" and the cattle, horses and cows were tied to a nearby corral. .5 At the Fair, the most popular entertainment was horse racing, so the fair was built around a racing track that was used from 1901 to 1977. 6 Parking lots were established in 1902, with the invention of the automobile , and people traveled from all over to come to the Fair.7 At the time, parking a stroller or a car cost only 25 cents; today, official fair parking costs $10. weekdays and $12 on weekends.8 Even today, during the Puyallup Fair, some venues provide private parking lots...... middle of paper ......ltures and flowers: a cornucopia of generosity autumnal nature makes the Agriculture Department a success. The Arts: Annual Northwest International Photography Exhibition, Fine Arts Exhibition with paintings and sculptures on display and for sale, Art Demonstrations, Middle and High School Art Exhibition, Blacksmithing and live performances are just one example of popular exhibits and shows each year. Youth Activities: Since both 4-H and FFA host their annual state fair at the Puyallup Fair, you'll see these students hard at work curating, feed and show i their animals, carefully tending their landscape displays, perfecting their recipes and participating in other projects. In 2013, the Puyallup Fair is renamed the Washington State Fair, it is a private non-profit organization that exists for only one reason and that is to please the fair goer.22
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