Upper Peninsula State Fair

The Upper Peninsula State Fair was established in Escanaba by Public Act 89 of 1927 for the purpose of "... exploiting and encouragement of improved methods in agriculture and industrial pursuits ..." Support for the event resulted in large part from the difference between the upper and lower peninsulas (for example, the agricultural conditions, natural resources, and industry) as well as from the geographical distances to the Michigan State Fair in Detroit which discouraged both attendance and participation. The Delta County fairground, the site of the county fair since 1910, was transferred to the state by the Delta County Board as a site for an annual state fair. The first Upper Peninsula State Fair took place in 1928.