NORWAY - The Dickinson County Fair, the Upper Peninsula's most popular county fair, has a long and rich history in the Norway area.
This is the 100th anniversary of the Dickinson County Fair.
Attendance routinely outpaces every other county fair in the U.P. The 2009 Dickinson County Fair set a new attendance record of nearly 60,000, Fair Board officials said.
With near-perfect weather in 2009, attendance was up about 6,100 over the previous record.
The fair has been successful for years.
According to a story by Bill Van Wolvelaere in the Dickinson County Fair Commemorative Booklet, the first fair was held in Norway in October 1905 and it was a huge success with large and excellent displays of fruit, vegetables, grains, livestock, farm products and dairy and fancy work.
The first agriculture fair and industrial exposition also featured high school football, a band competition, horse racing and an evening ball at the opera house.
Fairs were also held in 1906 and 1909 in Norway.
The third fair in 1909 was under the direction of the Menominee Range Agricultural Society.
Because the fair was a growing success, a 40-acre lot was purchased for $400 from the Keweenaw Land Company - with an option to purchase
another. The land acquired is the present site of the Dickinson County Fairgrounds in Norway. The second 40-acre lot north of the fairgrounds was purchased at a later date - now used for parking.
Work progressed on the racetrack and baseball field in the summer of 1910, and horse racing soon became a staple of the fair.
The first official county fair took place at the fairgrounds in September 1910.
The fair was not held in 1917 due to World War I, and in 1918 the fair was strictly agricultural.
In addition to many exhibits, the Dickinson County Agricultural Society's 1919 fair featured horse racing, wrestling, baseball, expert rifle shooting, music by brass bands, and a number of minor attractions suitable for young and old.
Blessed with "fair" weather, all attendance records were broken.
During the 1921 fair a new record of 1,500 entries overfilled the exhibition building.
The 1925 fireworks display was billed as the biggest and best pyrotechnic display ever shown in the Upper Peninsula. The 1925 fair also featured an airplane circus, horse racing, auto polo, and band concerts.
In 1926, a record of 20,000 people were entertained at the county fair.
In 1927, a one day record of 15,000 were on hand for Labor Day. Coincidentally, that was the year one lucky person won an $850 car - given to the purchaser of a lucky parking pass.
In 1927 fair officials faced a problem of "gate crashing." Juveniles, adults and entire families gained admission by walking in from all directions without paying admission. The solution was to erect a $900 temporary fence around the fairgrounds.
Admission prices for 1929 ranged from 25 cents to 75 cents with the entry into the grandstand being free.
The grandstand program included a daredevil ascending into a balloon to
4,000 to 6,000 feet hanging by his toes, then parachuting to earth.
In 1933 the fair was canceled. The Triangle Ranch Rodeo, sponsored by the Norway Lions and Legion, served as a replacement. Labor Day featured a Wild West show.
In the absence of county fair, the 4-H Calf Club held their annual calf show on the same day.
That same year, the holdings and control of the fair were transferred
from the Dickinson County Menominee Range Agricultural Society to Dickinson County.
In 1936 the Administration Building, judging area, and five adjoining barns were completed. The following year, the grandstand was expanded (seating capacity now 4,000), the racetrack was improved, and a permanent cyclone fence added security to the grounds.
Features of the 1939 Dickinson County Fair included a visit by the Champion Clydesdales of the Goebel Brewing Company of Detroit.
A week before the opening of Dickinson County Fair in 1940, the fair was canceled due a polio epidemic. There were 155 cases of polio across the peninsula that year.
After a one-year absence, fair officials were determined to make the 1941 the best ever. The Skerbeck Carnival first appeared at the 1941 fair and has been on the midway every year since.
In 1942 cancellation of the fair was threatened when the Office of Defense Transportation issued wartime restrictions on gasoline and rubber. Opponents argued that fairs were patriotic exercises and do more good than
harm for the agricultural community. Ultimately the decision was left in the hands of each county - in Dickinson, the fair went on.
"Although the type and method of display has changed greatly over the years, the purpose of the County Fair remains the same," the fair book notes.
Kathy Belanger, secretary for the Dickinson County Fair Board, said the fair is all about agriculture. It is also about community, experience, competition, and builds self-esteem.
"It is about keeping agriculture where it belongs and it helps teach kids responsibility," she said.
Belanger added the fair is about how people lived in the earlier days.
"It's all about family and family farms with canning, baking, etc. This is all the old times," she said. "People come and display their talents and show how they fed their family over the years."
The Youth Market Livestock Show and Auction, which is part of this tradition, will be held Saturday at 6 p.m.
Belanger said this helps children save for college and supports the local meat packers.
"They sponsor and buy meat," she said.
The grandstand was filled to overflowing during the 1951 fair.
Preview night for the 1979 fair featured a $3.50 bracelet for unlimited rides on Skerbeck Carnival amusements.
Future fairs featured Hee Haw fame, Osmond Brothers, Statler Brothers, Charlie Pride, the Nat King Cole of Country Western Music; Ricky Skaggs, Confederated Railroad, Neal McCoy, and Blackhawk.
For 100 years the Dickinson County Fair has stood the test of time.
It began with unselfish leadership from early organizers. The farmers, who featured their crops and livestock, sustained it.
"The fair has experienced ups and downs, but has continued to flourish thanks to a resource of volunteers - giving their time and talent," officials noted.
The success of the fair can also be attributed to the "millions" of patrons who have in the last 99 years pass through the gates to enjoy the midway, grandstand shows, and farm exhibits.
Lisa M. Hoffmann's e-mail address is lhoffmann@ironmountaindailynews.com.
