Pine County Fair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pine County Fair |
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An early Pine County Fair.
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| Genre | County fair |
| Date(s) | First Weekend in August |
| Frequency | annual |
| Location(s) | Pine City, Minnesota |
| Years active | 126 |
| Inaugurated | 1892 |
| Attendance | 40,000 (2017) |
| Website | pinecountyfair.com |
The Pine County Fair is a fun event that happens every year. It takes place at the Pine County Fairgrounds in Pine City, Minnesota. This fair has been a tradition for over 100 years! Lots of people, tens of thousands, visit it each year.
The fair has many exciting things to see and do. You can enjoy amusement rides and live shows. There are also exhibits showing farm animals and crops. You can see displays of yummy food, beautiful flowers, and cool crafts too. Young people from groups like 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) bring their animals and projects to show off. This celebrates Minnesota's farming history.
Demolition Derby: A Big Hit
One of the most popular parts of the fair is the Demolition Derby. People call it the "hardest-hitting demolition derby in the Midwest." About 100 drivers join in this exciting event. Thousands of tickets are sold for the derby. It brings in a lot of money for the fair, about one-third of all its earnings. The derby happens on the first weekend of August. It's a major highlight for everyone who comes to the fair.
History of the Pine County Fair
The Pine County Fair has a long and interesting past. Here are some important moments:
- 1872–1888: For many years, the Pine County Fair was held together with Chisago County.
- 1911: The Governor of Minnesota, Adolph Olson Eberhart, visited the fair. This showed how important the fair was becoming in the state.
- 1917–1918: The fair did not happen during World War I. This shows how big world events can affect local traditions.
- 1939: Famous radio hosts, Cedric Adams and Clellan Card, were the main announcers at the grandstand. This helped the fair get attention from more people.
- 1942–1945: The fair was stopped again during World War II. After the war, it started up again to help bring the community back together.
- 1978: The fairgrounds hosted the first International Polkafest. This event became very famous and grew too big for the fairgrounds. It helped the fairgrounds become known as an important cultural spot.
- 1996: A fire sadly destroyed the grandstand at the fairgrounds. But the local Pine City Lions Club helped rebuild it. This showed how strong the community was and how much they wanted to keep the fair going.
- 2014: A movie called "Derby Fever" was shown at the Highway 61 Film Festival. It was all about the fair's famous demolition derby. The movie helped show how special the derby is in the Midwest.
- 2017: A study by the University of Minnesota found that the fair brought in about $927,000 for Pine City. This showed how important the fair is for the local economy.
- 2018: A new area for drinks and events was added. This made the fairgrounds more modern. It helped attract more visitors while still keeping the fair's farming roots.
- 2019: Governor Tim Walz visited the fair with Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. This showed how important the fair is to farming in the state.
- 2020: The fair was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a rare time in its long history when it didn't happen.
- 2021: To help with the pandemic, people could get $100 to get vaccinated at the fair. This showed how the fair could help the community in new ways.
- 2023: A demolition derby driver named Jeremiah Mohr was hurt in a fire during the event. This brought attention to how risky the derby can be and how dedicated the drivers are.
