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The Pima County Fair is a funfair that happens every year in Tucson, Arizona, the county seat of Pima County. The fair runs for 11 days in April. It features live animal shows, concerts, carnival rides and vendors. Hundreds of local groups perform every year. The Pima County Fair is one of the most popular attractions in Tucson.
| Pima County Fair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Funfair |
| Dates | Usually on or near the final full week in April, including surrounding weekends |
| Location(s) | 11300 S. Houghton Rd Tucson, Arizona |
| Years active | 1911 - Present (except 1917-18, 1942-45, 2020-21) |
| Organised by | Southwestern Fair Commission Inc. |
| Website | http://www.pimacountyfair.com/ |
Pima County Fairgrounds
editThe Pima County Fairgrounds is a 640-acre facility located on the far southeastern edge of Tucson. It is home to the annual fair, first held in 1911 (and held somewhat sporadically in the years following, being held more regularly after World War II), as well as numerous trade shows, concerts and community events. For a few years in the 1930s, the fair was held in conjunction with the Tucson Rodeo.
For most of the 1960s and early 1970s was held in conjunction with, and operated by, the Southern Arizona International Livestock Show. The current Southwestern Fair Commission, a non-profit, private corporation, was established in 1975 by Pima County to operate the fairgrounds (the livestock show is still held on the fairgrounds as a separate event). Before relocating to the present site in 1972, the fair was held at the Tucson Rodeo grounds on South 6th Street as well as other locations in Tucson, including a site on South Campbell Avenue.[1]
Located on its grounds, the Tucson Speedway was built in 1968 as a 3/8 mile clay auto racing track; it was paved in the 1990s and hosts NASCAR-sanctioned short track events. There are two outdoor amphitheaters, a covered beer garden/cantina, as well as two multi-purpose arenas, two outdoor arenas for horse events and a conference and events center. Ray Cammack Shows is the official carnival/midway provider for the fair.
The 1st Pima County Fair
editAccording to historian David Leighton, of the Arizona Daily Star newspaper, the first Pima County Fair was held from October 25–28, 1911. The Tucson Chamber of Commerce and the Pima County Fair Commission chose the Elysian Grove amusement park (located about where Carrillo School, south of the Tucson Convention Center is now at) as the location for the first fair. Elysian Grove consisted of two parts, the fields which were in the open and the pavilion which had a roof over it. The pavilion held three rows of booths that where rented by local Tucson businesses and also held displays of various items, as well as contests. During the four-day event there was a high school football game between Tucson High School and Phoenix High School, numerous animal exhibitions such as a stock show, dog show and poultry show as well as many displays put on by local educational institutions.[2]
In 2020 the fair was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[3] and postponed in 2021 from April 15-25, to April 21-May 1, 2022, when it resumed.[4] It also went on hiatus from 1917-18 & 1942-45.
Concert lineup (as of Apr, 2013)
edit| Performer | Date |
|---|---|
| Silversun Pickups | April 19 |
| Skid Row Warrant & LA Guns | April 20 |
| Hands & Feet - Hands & Feet | April 22 |
| Tesla | April 24 |
| Tyga | April 25 |
| Hollywood Undead | April 26 |
| Easton Corbin | April 27 |
| Larry Hernandez | April 28 |
Concert lineup (as of Apr, 2014)
edit| Performer | Date |
|---|---|
| Tyler Farr | April 17 |
| Juicy J | April 18 |
| Megadeth | April 19 |
| Kottonmouth Kings | April 20 |
| Bret Michaels | April 23 |
| Kid Ink | April 24 |
| Scott Weiland | April 25 |
| Lee Brice | April 26 |
| Voz De Mando | April 28 |
References
edit- ^ "Pima County Fair History". Pima County Fair. Archived from the original on 2019-03-24. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
- ^ "David Leighton, "Why Fair Avenue is nowhere near the fairgrounds," Arizona Daily Star, June 1, 2015". Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^ Rabago, Launa (March 23, 2020). "The 2020 Annual Pima County Fair is cancelled" (PDF). extension.arizona.edu/. Pima County Fair. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- ^ Rabago, Launa. "The Annual Pima County Fair is postponed" (PDF). pimacountyfair.com. Pima County Fair. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.