A few years ago Michigan lost its state fair and it broke my heart to report that. The first Michigan state fair was held in 1849. This state fair was claimed by Michigan to be the oldest state fair in the USA. The Michigan State Fair Agricultural Society bought the land for it on April 18th, 1905 for one dollar. The land eventually had a coliseum with seating for 5,600 and held two NASCAR races. Funding for the State Fair was cut off by the governor in Oct. 2009. There was no fair in 2010 or 2011.
In 2011 Great Lakes Agricultural Fair, a 501 C (3) organization, was created to provide a resurgence and rising of an agricultural event
The Great Lakes State Fair took place August 31 through September 3, 2012 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in the Detroit suburb of Novi.
There is a interview on this page with Mike Watts is the Fair’s executive director.
The 2013 fair won’t be held at the State Fairgrounds in Detroit. Its new home will be the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. Take a look at this article Michigan State Fair Returns For Labor Day Weekend 2013, posted March 26th, 2013. The fair also has a new website so you can see what is going on.
A few years ago Michigan lost its state fair in I was so mad I slap the people that claim them