810-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 27, 1996 CM t a First Fairs GAIL STROCK Mifflin Co. Correspondent Fairs have dated as far back as 500 years before the time of Christ! Hie prophet Ezekiel men tioned fairs in the biblical book of Ezekiel, winch was written in the sixth century. The early church celebrated religious holidays and seasons by actively sponsoring fairs. Then, during the mid-ISOOs, fairs lost their religious affiliation when churches stopped participat ing in and promoting fairs. From Big Business There’re so many fun things to do at (he fair! After seeing all of the exhibits, you can visit commercial displays of all types garden tractors, field tractors, machinery and other equipment. Carnival tides cover the midway! You can ride and play games with your friends! Most fairs have nightly enter tainment. Larger fairs schedule activities in front of the grand- Exhibiting Fun Every year, millions of folks flock to their local fair to see their area's best projects and products. Whether it's crop samples, home canned fruits or vegetables, home grown garden produce, sewing, woodworking or animal projects, everyone wants their best put on display. Earning prize money and ribbons certainly are an incentive, but pride in learning and a job well done just might be the best reward. If there is something special you Find Fair Fun Fast GAIL STROCK Mifflin Co. Correspondent Words to find: fun friends french fries fish (goldfish) finger foods free time fashions funy friends (animal) feed flurry (of activity) farm (machinciy) FFA 4-H farmers field (crops) fabrics flowers flies Fido id $ then on, fairs became events for exhibiting commercial displays and enjoying entertainment. In 1641, New York City (then called New Amsterdam) held the first annual fair in the American colonies. Agricultural fairs that displayed local farm products became commonplace throughout the colonies by the mid-1700’s. In 1840, New Jersey and New York held the first state fairs. stands harness racing, car rac ing, and rodeos. Even though volunteers plan most fairs, businesses look at fairs as a good place to teach customers. With more than 3,200 fairs held annually in the United States and Canada, fairs bring in more than $1.7 billion dollars for the areas in which they ate held. It all adds up to big business! like about your fair, something done that no one else docs, some thing unique to your area or some unique exhibits you’ve seen, let us know! Just send us aietter telling us about your favorite part of your local fair. Write to: Lou Ann Good, Lan caster Farming, P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522. Make sure you include your name, address, and name of the fair. orneir ABCDEFGHIJ 12 3 456 7 89 10 S TUVWXYZ 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 What shouldn't you eat too much of? 3 1 14 4 25 What should all 4-H'er*s and FFA'er's help with? and 3 12 5 1 14 21 16 What animals at the fair do not need to be fed? 1 14 9 13 1 12 19 What wheel carries lots and lots of people? 6 5 18 18 9 19 23 8 5 5 Check out these hot ideas! 19 1 14 4 23 9 3 8 5 19 8 15 20 4 15 7 19 Did you ever take part in these? 15 12 25 13 16 9 3 19 11 9 20 18 1 3 20 15 18 16 21 12 6 21 14 19 8 15 23 Whaf s your favorite activity at the fair? KLM N O 11 12 13 14 15 3 15 20 20 15 1 19 20 21 8 15 20 19 1 2 1 18 5 20 6 6 20 19 1 and 14 25 1 18 44 9 5 or 12 4 15 7