Colorado State Fair: ‘It’s your fair’

   Did you know the precursor to the current Colorado State Fair was first held in 1872, which was before Colorado was even recognized as a state? On Oct. 9, 1872, the Southern Colorado and Industrial Association held the first show. Little did these event organizers know at the time that they had just started a tradition for the state of Colorado, a tradition that has now spanned 144 years and touched the lives of countless individuals.
    In 1901, the Colorado State Fair moved to its current 80 acre site, in the southern Colorado city of Pueblo. In all these years, the state fair was only canceled once. During WWI in 1917, the annual fair was canceled to allow for the Army National Guard to use the fairgrounds for training purposes. In 1961, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sanctioned rodeos began, and in 2010, state fair helped Colorado 4-H celebrate its 100 year anniversary.
    The Colorado State Fair is now governed by a board of authority, which is made up of Commissioner of Agriculture Don Brown and 11 other citizens from across the state. Each year, the state fair features traditional events and attractions in addition to new activities for the whole family. Some of the most popular events at the fair include: PRCA rodeos, ranch rodeos with wild horse races, concerts, parades, a carnival, monster trucks, a demo derby, tractor pulls and of course, the livestock, horse and small animal shows, in addition to numerous 4-H and FFA displays.
    Many local 4-H members have the opportunity to exhibit projects at state fair. For members who are interested in showing livestock, horses or small animals, 4-H members pre-enter their animals before state fair begins. These animal projects are not selected for state fair competition based on how well they do at the Phillips County Fair. Rather, 4-H members have the option of choosing which animals they would like to take on to state fair.
    Unlike the Phillips County Fair, where members simply consign their market projects to the junior livestock sale, state fair exhibitors must “make” the Colorado State Fair Junior Livestock Sale, based on the animal’s placing in its respective market class. Making the sale at state fair is quite the accomplishment, as only 38 beef, 38 hogs, 38 lambs, 25 goats, two pens of rabbits, two pens of chickens and two turkeys are allowed to sell.

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