Is the Michigan State Fair the nation's oldest?

Did New York hold a state fair before Michigan? The 2006 Michigan State Fair kicks off tomorrow and runs through September 4th. In performing some research to give a little background information on the state fair I have come across conflicting reports as to whether or not the Michigan State Fair is the nation's oldest state fair. At this page on the Michigan.gov website it states -

The Michigan State Agricultural Society sponsored Michigan's first state fair in Detroit, September 25-27, 1849. It was the second state fair in the United States. The first was in New York.

Then, over on this page of the Michigan.gov website it says -

The Nation's Oldest State Fair was officially first held in 1849, only twelve years after Michigan attained statehood.

The New York State Fair website claims that their fair began in 1841, eight years before Michigan's inaugural state fair was held. This would go with the first quoted statement above. I just find it strange that there are conflicting reports on the same website (Michigan.gov).

So the answer would be that the Michigan State Fair should claim the title of "Second Oldest State Fair" unless someone knows anything that contradicts the above information.

On the subject of the Michigan State Fair I should mention something. I have never been to the Michigan State Fair and wanted so see the fairgrounds so I did a search at Google Maps and used the satellite view. That is where this cool overhead picture from the Michigan State Fair fairgrounds came from.

Apparently, this is a park with the lower peninsula as a fish pond (hard to tell from the picture). According to the map of the state fairgrounds this is designated as the "Outdoor Zone Park."

View a satellite image of the Michigan State Fair fairgrounds via Google.

Check out the Michigan State Fair website for all sorts of information and activities.

Update: No apparent plot to blow up Mackinac Bridge

Update: This is in relation to yesterday's post about a possible terror plot involving the Mackinac Bridge. The FBI is reporting that there is no evidence linking the three Texas men that were arrested in Caro for purchasing 80 cell phones and having about 1,000 total cell phones in their van with a terrorist plot.

Also, yesterday I commented that I hoped the only thing these men were guilty of was selling phones at a markup that others could get for the same price at Wal-Mart. Evidently, these phones are more expensive in Texas and there is a great enough demand for these guys to make a trip across the country purchasing these phones for profit.

What I said yesterday still applies today -

I am not yet ready to live in a country where acts of terrorism are a daily occurrence.

Via The Detroit News

Alternative fuel turns out to be Manhattan's trash

Gary Varisto of C&V Logistics thought he had a great idea that would help the environment and create jobs at the same time. What he thought to be waste paper that could be pelletized into a burnable fuel that would create electricity instead turned out to be trash from Manhattan. He already had interest in the product from Cadillac Renewable Energy to use his product. Now the trash sits at Seng Dock & Trucking waiting to be disposed. Varisto doesn't have the funds available to pay for the trash removal. He had already invested $160,000 in the pelletizing equipment and his dreams of generating jobs and electricity with waste paper have been dashed.

Read the entire article at the Ludington Daily News.

Meth Awareness Website Launched by Michigan

The state of Michigan's Office of Drug Control Policy has launched www.michiganmethwatch.org to help raise awareness of the epidemic that Meth use has become. Information on community groups in your area is available as well as events across the state to further educate Michigan residents about the dangers of Meth and what you can do to help prevent the spread of Meth use.