User:DavidRenfro/sandbox/Georgia State Fair

The first Georgia State Fair was held at Stone Mountain, GA in 1846, under the sponsorship of the Southern Central Agriculture Society. The first State Fair offered premiums of $153.90 and charged ten cents for admission. A profit of $104 was made at the first fair, though total receipts were $4,178. In 1850, the State Fair had grown so much that it moved to Atlanta. In 1851, it moved again to Macon, GA. The fair celebrates its 162nd birthday in 2013, as it has been held consecutively since 1851, with the exception of four years during the American Civil War and the year 2009, when the Exchange Club of Macon changed the fair dates from October to April/May.

The first State Fairs in Macon were held on the old fairgrounds just south of Seventh Street, which contained Camp Oglethorpe. Following the Civil War, the State Fair was held in several alternate locations. In 1871, extensive construction of new buildings and facilities brought the State Fair to Central City Park (east of the old fairgrounds on the Ocmulgee River), where it is still held to this day. In 1920/1921, the State Fair was reorganized under the name "Georgia State Exposition" and operated as such until 1940, when the Macon Chamber of Commerce bought the corporate stock. The Chamber of Commerce operated the State Fair in 1940 and 1941.

In 1942, the Exchange Club of Macon assumed control of the State Fair, becoming its major fund-raiser to support local charities and community service programs. The Macon Exchange Club Fair Association, Inc., acquired the Georgia State Fair from the Macon Chamber of Commerce in 1982 and entered into a contract with the City of Macon for the use of Central City Park for operating this annual event. Many other civic, church, and fraternal organizations raise monies for their projects at the State Fair, such as the Jaycees, 4-H clubs, FFA, area churches and others. The Georgia State Fair has a long tradition of family entertainment ranging from its agricultural and artistic craft roots to its carnival midway atmosphere.

Through its charity fund, the Exchange Club of Macon had given away its profits to charitable organizations in the local area, amounting to over $1,700,000. In addition, payments to the City of Macon total over $700,000 and premium payments to exhibitors total over $1,700,000. Thus, from 1942 through 2005, the Exchange Club of Macon has returned to Macon and local area a sum totaling over $4,100,000, through operation of the Georgia State Fair. The citizens of Macon, Bibb County, and the State at large, have contributed to the growth of this Fair and have a tremendous part in continuing the pages of this history.