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The internationally-acclaimed Iowa State Fair is the single largest event in the state of Iowa and one of the oldest and largest agricultural and industrial expositions in the country. Annually attracting hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, it is a "celebration of excellence," the real heartbeat of the Midwest, unequaled and unduplicated. The first Iowa State Fair was held in Fairfield, in southeast Iowa, October 25 to 27, 1854.The new grounds on the east side of Des Moines, stretching between University and Dean Avenues from East 30th to East 36th streets, were dedicated on September 7, 1886, with addresses by Gov. Larrabee and other notables. A historian of the times wrote, "There is doubtless no more beautiful site for the Fair in the U.S. Situated about two miles east of the state capitol, it rises from the plain in a beautiful and sightly eminence from which the country for miles to the west, northwest and southwest stretches out before the view." Iowa was the second state in the Northwest to acquire a permanent home for its Fair.The 2004 Fair - celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first Fair in 1854 - was the culmination of three years of planning. Special events including a horse caravan from Fairfield (a trek completed in 1954 as well), a reunion of former Fair Queens and Talent Search champions, plus a torch run from all four corners of the state helped drive a record 1,053,978 visitors to the 2004 Fair, the largest tally to date.
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