The 120th Kentucky State Fair kicked off this week in Louisville. So with so many years of history, we decided to round up some of the fair’s most memorable moments.
Through the years
1902 — The first Kentucky State Fair was held in Louisville at Churchill Downs.
1903 — The second Kentucky State Fair moved to Owensboro. Do you think there was good barbecue?
1905 — No state fair was held in 1904, and it moved to Lexington a year later.
1906-1907 — The State Fair returned to Louisville and was once again held at Churchill Downs.
1908 — Louisville was named the permanent home for the State Fair, and a 150-acre Fairgrounds was built in the Chickasaw neighborhood.
1942-1943 — The State Fair was canceled due to World War II, and Fairgrounds facilities were converted to defense uses.
1944 — The State Fair temporarily returned to its original home — Churchill Downs — for one year.
1948 — The State Fair hosted a demonstration of a new technology — television. The state’s first TV station, WAVE in Louisville, hit the air the following November.
The Kentucky Exposition Center, seen here in 1961, opened in 1956 and included Freedom Hall + Cardinal Stadium.
Photo couresty ASC, UofL
1956 — Following six years of construction, the State Fair moved to its new home — we now know it as the Kentucky Exposition Center.
1986 — The midway got some competition as Kentucky Kingdom opened at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center.
2004 — The Kentucky State Fair celebrated its centennial with a history exhibit + nostalgia-themed events.
The Midway — seen here in 1956 — has always been a popular destination at the Kentucky State Fair.
Photo courtesy ASC, UofL
2012 — Somebody call Cinderella, we found her a new ride. A pumpkin weighing 1,074.5 pounds set the record for the largest in State Fair history.
2024 — The 120th Kentucky State Fair will be a celebration of Kentucky’s 120 counties. Fun fact: Kentucky has fourth-most counties of any state, behind Texas (254), Georgia (159), and Virginia (133).
