Highlights of the Kansas State Fair

The Kansas State Fair opened Friday and runs through Sept. 14 at the fairgrounds in Hutchinson.

The largest single event in the state, the fair annually attracts about 350,000 people from all 105 Kansas counties and several states.

The “wild” events include a text-messaging competition, duct-tape competition and the returning hypnotist Ron Diamond.

There also are the standards: fair food, free stage entertainment, a midway and internationally known musical entertainment.

Here are some other fair highlights:

• Kansas Rides Motorcycle Rally and Parade — 4:45 p.m. Sunday. All riders are welcome to join the parade through the grounds. Line-up starts at 4:45 p.m., with the parade beginning at 5 p.m.

• Sheep, shearing and wool demonstration — Monday in the Sheep, Swine and Goat Building at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

• Free stage entertainment — The fair features free entertainment daily at three stages: AT and T Arena, Lake Talbott Stage and the Gazebo at Gottschalk Park. Tuesday’s shows include Glenda and Mike’s Magic Show at 11 a.m. and Wur’ship Project at 3:30 p.m., both being held at Lake Talbott, and Sheltered Reality, starting at 3:30 p.m. at AT and T Arena.

• High school marching bands — Wednesday starting at 8:30 a.m. at the AT and T Arena.

• Rockin’ Bulls and Broncs — 7 p.m. Thursday. Seating is limited in the Expo Center.

• Celebrity Goat Milking Contest — 3 p.m. Friday in the Sheep, Swine and Goat Building.

• Roy Coffey Antique Farm Machinery Show — 10 a.m. Sept. 13 in Gottschalk Park. Nearly 100 tractors are displayed annually at the show. In 1986, Roy Coffey helped start this tradition with his enthusiasm and knowledge about farm machinery. Today it is one of the largest events each year at the fair.

• Cowboy Mounted Shooting — 2 p.m. Sept. 14 in Expo Center. Cowboy Mounted Shooting is a timed event in which mounted contestants maneuver through patterns and shoot at targets using two .45-caliber single-action revolvers, each loaded with five rounds of specially prepared ammunition. Competitors are dressed in authentic clothing and accouterments from the American West during the later half of the 19th century.

• Text Messaging Contest — 1:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at Lake Talbott Stage. Bring your fast fingers and tech-savvy mind for the chance to win a great prize. Phones provided by the event sponsor, U.S. Cellular.

History of the

Kansas State Fair

The Kansas State Fair began in 1873 when the prairie town of Hutchinson was barely 1 year old.

On Sept. 23 and 24 of that year, the Reno County Agricultural Society hosted a fair in a small wooden livery stable.

In 1878, new grounds were purchased north of Eastside Cemetery, and fairs were held there through the early 1880s.

The event was reorganized and renamed The Arkansas Valley Fair Association and moved back to its previous grounds for the 1885 fair.

In 1900, the name was changed to the Central Kansas Fair Association, and the organizers turned a collective eye toward a mostly undeveloped park, which stretched along the east side of Main Street to Poplar.

The semi-centennial of Kansas’ admission to the union was cause for celebration at the fair of 1911.

President William Taft spoke in front of a packed grandstand on Sept. 26.

The nine-day fair became the largest fair ever held in Hutchinson and had again outgrown its grounds.

In early 1912, 112 acres of land north of 17th Avenue and east of Main Street were purchased for expansion.

Kansas legislator J.P.O. Graber was successful in passing a bill offering the city’s land to the state in exchange for granting the fair monetary support.

The first official Kansas State Fair was held Sept. 13 through 20 in 1913.

The now-favorite Old Mill was completed in 1915. One thousand feet of water-filled channels featured boats that promised to transport passengers through “gloomy caves of gleesome gladness.”

The House of Capper was added to the fairgrounds around 1915, and the 4-H Encampment Building was dedicated in September 1935.

The familiar Lake Talbott, once a neglected sandpit, was developed into a landscaped garden area in 1931 and renamed in honor of Joe Talbott, a longtime fair supporter.

Through the years, the fair has experienced numerous additions and renovations to accommodate a growing event, including the Goat, Sheep and Swine Building and renovations to the House of Capper in 2007.

For more information, call (620) 669-3600, toll-free (800) 362-FAIR or visit www.kansasstatefair.com.