Ohio State Fair

Ohio State Fair
Food stands along the midway
Genre	State fair
Location(s)	Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds
Years active	1850–present
Attendance	982,305 (2015)
Website
http://www.ohiostatefair.com/

The Ohio State Fair is one of the largest state fairs in the United States. In 2015, attendance was 982,305, the fair's highest 12-day attendance on record. The event is held in Columbus, Ohio in late July/early August. As estimated in a 2011 economic impact study conducted by Saperstein & Associates, the state fair contributes approximately 68.5 million dollars to the state's economy.

From the very first 3-day fair in 1850 in Cincinnati to the 12-day exposition of today (at one time the fair lasted 17 days), the Ohio State Fair has celebrated Ohio's products, its people and their accomplishments for more than 160 years.

In 1846, the Ohio Legislature created the 53-member Ohio State Board of Agriculture. One of the Board's first acts was to establish a District Fair. The resulting 1847 District Fair at Wilmington, Ohio and the 1848 District Fair at Xenia, Ohio were both successful, leading to the planning of a State Fair.

The first Ohio State Fair was planned for September 1849, but an outbreak of Asiatic cholera forced cancellation of those plans. The following year, autumn dates were chosen to lessen the risk of cholera. Even so, the superintendent of grounds, Darius Lapham, died of the disease just a few weeks before the opening date.

Camp Washington, Cincinnati (two miles north of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio) was the site for the first Ohio State Fair, October 2–4, 1850. The site was described as 8-10 acres with grassy slopes, shade trees, and numerous tents. The grounds were enclosed by a 10-foot (3.0 m)-high board fence. Cattle were tethered to a railing along the carriage road.

The railroads offered strong support to the early state fairs. Special rates were offered whereby exhibits were transported without charge, and the exhibitor rode for half fare. Several Central Ohioans contributed to the support of the first Fair, including Alfred Kelley, owner of the Columbus and Xenia Railroad.