International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) (https://www.fairsandexpos.com/)

摘要

In the 19th and early 20th century, agriculture exploded as an industry in North America. Scientific advances improved crop and livestock production, land became more widely available, new labor-saving machinery was introduced, and improved transportation widened the market for agricultural goods (Neely, 1935). In the United States, the farming population expanded from 22 million people in 1880 to 32 million people in 1910 (Olmsted & Rhode, 2006). Agricultural societies organized out of a need for agricultural instruction and social activities in farming communities. These societies began holding fairs as a regular by-product of their work and as an activity to educate and entertain themselves and city folks with agricultural contests and showcases.Fairs became a place for farmers to view new machinery and advances in the methods of crop and livestock cultivation and, perhaps just as importandy, they brought the community together to celebrate the harvest, the pinnacle of the past year's labor (Neely, 1935).