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The
first fair in Steele County was held on October 17, 1860
and premiums during that year were quite interesting. Best
6 yoke of working oxen - $6, best wagon made in county -
$3, best buggy made in county - $5, best team and plow -
$2, best butter churn - $1, best corn and best 100 lbs of
flour - 50¢.
There is no record of fairs between then and 1871. Historians
suspect the advent of the Civil War terminated fairs until
1871.
From
1871 through 1917 the fair was held at various sites throughout
Owatonna until 1871 when the fair was held on 40 acres of
pasture land at the head of Main Street in eastern Owatonna
and eventually moved to the current site of 70 acres in
1918.
Steele
County made real history when the Minnesota State Fair was
held here in 1883 & 1884. Large crowds came by chartered
trains to the city to enjoy the fair.
By
1927 the fair made the decision to make the fair a
"free fair". The fair grew and thrived.
The 1930's brought lavish stage shows with beautiful
chorus lines that played before the grandstand nightly.
By 1932 big car racing came to the fair. Auto racing
and motor events became huge attractions, and to this
day remain the most popular type of entertainment
at the fair.
Free stages developed by 1979 and have hosted hundreds
of talent and musical acts. The fair has also had
a strong agricultural history. It still hosts about
2000 animals at the fair every year and the fastest
growing show is horses.
The fair has always attracted merchandise and food
vendors and now hosts over 500 booths with over 100
different food stands each year. In 2009 the fair
had vendors from over 26 states. In addition to the
merchandise and food stands today's fair features
24 bands, everything from old time to hard rock and
dixieland to gospel music.
With
attendance in the 1920's reaching 30,000 to over a
quarter of a million visitors today, plus the hundreds
of volunteers working together annually to assure
a successful fair you can see why the Steele County
Free Fair has been billed as Minnesota's largest county
fair for over 80 years. |
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Muckle
Museum
The
Muckle Fair Museum was donated by Stan Muckle (1909-1995)
who put his money where his heart was as an ardent Steele
County Free Fair supporter and leader in the vision
which has resulted in "Minnesota's Biggest County
Fair!" The Museum is full of interesting memorabilia
from past fairs. The Museum and all buildings are open
from 11 am to 10 pm during the fair.
Check
out our Souvenir Page for books available on Steele
County Fair history. |
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Village
of Yesteryear
Be
sure to walk through the Village of Yesteryear. A collection
of 25 buildings from Steele County's early years located
east of the fairgrounds. Admission is FREE during fair
week.
| Open
Daily During Fair Week |
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Tuesday
5pm to 9pm |
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Wednesday
- Saturday Noon - 9pm |
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Sunday
Noon to 6pm |
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