A Brief History

Beginning the fourth Thursday after Labor Day, the Tulsa State Fair has annually attracted more than one million visitors and fifteen thousand exhibitors from the United States, Canada and Mexico. The first Tulsa “state fair” was held in 1935, but the

event traces its origin to a number of street fairs held in the 1890s and early 1900s in present the downtown area. In 1913 Tulsa landed the International Dry Farming Congress, which brought agriculturalists from all over North America as well as Europe, South America, China, and the Middle East. A new sixteen-acre exposition grounds, just north of Lewis Avenue and Admiral Boulevard, was opened for the event and a huge exhibit hall, the Kaffir Corn Palace, built.

Two years later the Tulsa Free Fair Association was formed and in 1926 the fair moved to the Fairs current 240-acre location between Louisville and Yale avenues and Fifteenth and Twenty-first streets. J. E. Crosbie, an early Tulsa oilman and real estate developer, donated most of the land. In 1931 a half-million-dollar bond issue financed the construction of the fairgrounds’ landmark art deco Pavilion and other improvements. In 1935 legislation elevated what had been a local free fair to “state fair” status.

Reorganized in 1949, the Tulsa State Fair merged with a spring livestock show a year later to achieve its current configuration. Over the next few years buildings were added and facilities upgraded. Annual attendance reached six hundred thousand in 1958. The 1957 fair was officially named “Oklahoma’s Golden Anniversary Exposition.”

In 1966 the ten-acre International Petroleum Exposition Center, at the time the world’s largest building under a single roof, was completed. For several years the fair was the biggest in the state and one of the largest in the United States. At the beginning of the twenty-first century it remained among the nation’s twelve largest, according to the International Association of Fairs and Expositions.

Our View of the 2009 Tulsa State Fair

This year’s fair was marked by rain and cooler weather but that didn’t seem to slow the attendees down completely. The overall attendance was down but spirits we high and sales were better than many of the summer shows. Hopefully this marks an improvement in the economy and higher revenues to come for the remainder of the year.

As usual, we truly enjoyed the people (attendees) and the other vendors, many that we have known and worked with for our many years on the road. We always look forward to seeing old customers that are now friends and new patrons that have never seen the wearable wire are jewelry that we design and make at the events.

Looking Ahead

After 106 years, families still come to enjoy what has become one of the largest fairs in the country. People travel from all 77 Oklahoma counties to enjoy the food, the rides and the over 800 exhibitors that come from across the United States to show their wares.

What does paying an $8 or $10 gate admission — depending on what time of the week you go — get a fairgoer in 2009? This year, there are concerts each night, which are free with gate admission. Many bands hop onto the Oklahoma stage during the 11-day event, including Everclear on Saturday, Oct. 3 and Shinedown on Oct. 10. One new thing at the Oklahoma stage this year is VIP seating. To sit in these exclusive front row seats or four rows behind means coughing up between $15 and $20, depending on the show. Other concerts this year include Grady Nichols, the Charlie Daniels Band and MercyMe. Amanda Blair, a first-time fair manager, has her eye squarely on the prize for this year.

One of the outside-of-the-box ideas the fair board came up with this year was the Full Moon Dueling Pianos in the Budweiser Beer Garden. Starting at the Full Moon Café, the “Dueling Pianos” are the only rock-and-roll dueling piano act in Tulsa. Pay special attention to the rivalry going on as two of the dueling players are from OU and OSU. This show incorporates tunes that everyone knows. It is a musical, comedy and audience participation act. You get to be a part of it.

Also new this year, were the three new animal exhibits: the Fishing Experience, Cool Dogs and Swifty Swine Racing Pigs.

The racing pigs might be new to the Tulsa State Fair, but not to the performance circuit as they travel all over the country nine months out of the year. Plus, the quick, small pigs have a driving incentive: a delicious Oreo cookie for the winner.

“They live better than I do,” said Zach Johnson, founder of the company. “I don’t get an Oreo every day.” As an added bonus for the internal animal-lover, these pigs still have a home following their racing careers as they’re donated to the 4-H club or FFA organizations, rather than a meat market. “By the time we’ve finished racing with them, they are like family,” Johnson said. “This way, we know they’re taken care of, and we’re giving back to the kids.”

Many of those 4-H and FFA members involve young Tulsans who participate in the fair, too. Several traditions have made their mark in the Tulsa State Fair for more than half a century, some dating as far back as 1903. The livestock show has been a crucial part, where young people have been able to gain experience for one of their true passions. Broken Arrow senior, Samie Gleason, has been a part of the 4-H and FFA programs as well as the Tulsa State Fair since her freshman year. Gleason said she has worked with animals all of her life, starting on her grandparent’s farm when she was young.

“I wake up at 5am every morning to go and feed my animals before school,” Gleason said. “It’s a lot of time and dedication. “Gleason said she has learned responsibility and time management from being involved in the FFA program.

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