Eastern States Exposition

The Big E, also known as The Eastern States Exposition, is billed as "New England's Great State fair". It is the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the seventh-largest fair in the nation. The Big E is inclusive of all six of the New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Each of the New England states is prominently represented at the fair.

Located in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, a short distance from the Memorial Bridge spanning the Connecticut River, The Big E is held every autumn in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Each year, the fair opens on the second Friday after Labor Day and runs for seventeen days.

The first Eastern States Exposition occurred in 1916. It was originally conceived by Joshua L. Brooks as a way to help promote agriculture and educate young people with the skills and knowledge needed in agricultural vocations. The Exposition featured displays of innovations in the industry, and held contests designed to encourage farmers to better themselves through competition. Since the first Exposition, only World War I and World War II, during which the military requisitioned the grounds as storage depots, have interrupted the annual tradition.

The Fair was first titled "The Big E" in 1967 and remains true to its agricultural roots today, with more than 7,100 4-H and FFA participants, and 1,100 open-show exhibitors, as well as educational displays and attractions.

One of the most popular attractions at The Big E is the Avenue of States. The Avenue is said to contain life-size replicas of the six original New England statehouses, as well as the New England Grange House. In actuality the state houses are not replicas but rather modeled after original state houses in most instances. The buildings for New Hampshire and Vermont have no resemblance to their original state houses.

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