County fairs document a rich history of agriculture when growing food was a part of everyday life. This history spans 90 years from 1919 until the present. Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of our everyday life, our sophistication and many accomplishments including the convenience of grocery stores, we forget that we owe our existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.
Old historical society pictures feature many residents holding a prize potato, a hand-carved wooden item, or freshly baked bread. The names of many of these individuals date back to the original homesteaders and first people. They couldn’t rely on food shipments from boats arriving from Duluth nor were they able to buy furniture at a local store. They were an independent group, proud of their ability to live a self-sufficient lifestyle.
Unfortunately this group is struggling to stay alive today. Rural Minnesota farms con-tinue to go under in this state as global markets become more common than farmers’ markets.Back in the ‘30s our local farm cooperative listed well over the state-required 100 members. Farms thrived as indicated by old Extension reports until the dairy closed around 1950.
Nevertheless, Cook County residents con-tinued to participate in sharing the season’s suc-cess by entering their prize vegetable or winter craft creation. Fair entries included canned and cooked foods, homemade breads, and pies. Winter sewing projects and hand-made wooden chairs and tables were common entries. Birch bark canoes and wooden boats were on display giving evidence of our rich diversity in cultural heritage and the once thriving commercial fish-ing industry.
Fair representation included the commu-nities of Grand Portage, Grand Marais, Lutsen, Tofte, Schroeder, Hovland, Mineral Center, Rosebush, Cloverdale, Colvill, and Maple Hill.The old tin fair buildings built in the 1920s were filled to capacity through the 1990s when they were moved to a different location and replaced by the new com-munity center. In the mid 1980s it was common to have over 75 animal exhibits.
The current Fair Board is trying to bring back those pioneer roots by encouraging county residents to support fair events and exhibit the handcrafts, the food or flowers they have grown, and be proud of sharing our rich heritage with others.County fair history is a view into the past and a glimpse into the future. More importantly, it is a reflection of a lifestyle choice for rural Minnesotans. The change in our Cook County Fair needs to reflect time-honored traditions but still make room for new innovations.
We hope you will participate in the county fair this year by entering your projects on Wednesday, August 19th from 9 AM to 7 PM at the Cook County Community Center or stopping by to enjoy the exhibits and activi-ties Aug. 21 and 22 (10 AM – 8 PM) . Premium books will be available around the county at all Community Centers. Call (218) 387-3015 if you need a copy.
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