From its beginnings in 1856 on a nine-acre spot on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee, the Mid-South Fair persevered, becoming one of the most long-lived and successful events in the Mid-South. This is the first complete history of the Mid-South Fair, the story of the fair comes to life in lively anecdotes and hundreds of engaging photographs. This pictorial history celebrates the many vibrant faces of the Mid-South Fair, the education, the agriculture, the industry, and the entertainment.

Celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Mid-South Fair, established in 1856 by the Shelby County Agricultural Society and held annually in Memphis, Tennessee, in a collection of nostalgic images that evoke the sights and sounds of one of America's largest fairs. Original.

Established in 1856 by the Shelby County Agricultural Society, the Mid-South Fair celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2006. Memphis, known as the cotton capital of the South, depended on agriculture for much of the 19th century, and the fair offered farmers and the general public a venue to learn of new products and to compete with others from the region. Through the Civil War, yellow fever epidemics, and two world wars, the fair has prevailed to become one of the largest in the nation. It has been a part of many lives and formed many memories of rides and rodeos, cotton candy and pronto pups, and that first big drop on the roller coaster. The Mid-South Fair: Celebrating 150 Years brings back those memories through words and photographs, taking the reader back to a time when excitement was only a ride away on an old wooden roller coaster.

Who doesn't love the bustle and jangle, the smells, the sounds, the energy, and the tastes of a lively state fair? In this fast-changing world, keeping any endeavor alive and thriving for 150 years is an accomplishment, but the South Carolina State Fair has met any challenges with doggedness, determination, and flair. In the early 1700s South Carolinians were gathering to exchange information about crops and livestock, and small rural fairs were held, enhanced by horse racing, raffles, and other diversions to draw in the populace. The State Agricultural Society of South Carolina was founded in 1839 and held its first annual fair and stock show in November of the following year. In 1869 the State Agricultural and Mechanical Society of South Carolina was founded to revive the fair and has presented a fair in every year except 1918. The South Carolina State Fair has a long and storied history from those early days to its current "meet me at the rocket" days. Those initial fair goers would have been astonished to see the rocket, a Jupiter intermediate-range ballistic missile, greeting them as they arrived on the grounds. The long story of the fair is inextricably bound to the history of South Carolina, of course, and indeed the history of the United States. Stroup ably weaves many strands together through archival records, newspaper reports, anecdotes (have you heard about the "Schara-mouche-Dance by a person from London?") and vintage artifacts, illustrations, paintings, and photographs from the fair's inception to the present. The fair has been an admixture of serious agricultural and animal husbandry and pure entertainment—the scandalous as well as the wholesome, and Stroup investigates them all, from the "Colored State Fair" to the infamous "girlie shows" to the prizes won for livestock—and touches on characters as diverse as Preston Brooks and Seabiscuit. As lively and entertaining as a state fair itself, Meet Me at the Rocket is as thorough a history of an important state institution as can be found. Buy a cotton candy, visit the exhibits, ride the merry-go-round, and enjoy this singular exploration of South Carolina's agriculture and industry, its science and art and history. A foreword is provided by Walter Edgar, the Neuffer Professor of Southern Studies Emeritus and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at the University of South Carolina. He is the author of South Carolina: A History, editor of The South Carolina Encyclopedia, and host of the radio program Walter Edgar's Journal.

Covers everything from prize animals to fair architecture to speeches to Pronto Pups.

Memphis has been described as both "the Metropolis of the American Nile" and "a small town with a whole lot of people in it." This volume of vintage photographs captures the unique mix of urban culture and rural roots in a community where great bridges and modern buildings tower within sight of cotton plantations. In some 200 historic photographs accompanied by insightful captions, Memphis traces the development of this truly American city. From the age of steamboats that carried cotton, lumber, and industrial products throughout the Mississippi River Valley to modern networks of railroads and highways, Memphis' location on the Fourth Chickasaw Bluff has made the city a natural transportation and distribution center. In spite of the devastating yellow fever epidemics of the 1870s and the disastrous floods of the twentieth century, the commercial and cultural life of Memphis has flourished. Action scenes of urban life depict the busy streets, fine buildings, beautiful parks, and thriving commerce of pre-World War II Memphis. Within these pages, the city's heritage and diversity are reflected in a variety of photographic essays, including the annual Mid-South Fair and Historic Beale Street.