As a born and bred Midwesterner, I love documenting fairs and festivals. I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana attending the 3 Rivers Festival. Each year, my family would travel to my father’s boyhood home in Wayne County, Ohio to attend the fair. The animals, funnel cakes, disorienting carnival rides and tractor pulls were rites I looked forward to each year.
I took the Ferris wheel image above at the Italian Street Festival in Indianapolis in 2010 and that inspired me to begin traveling to document events across the state. Since 2010, I’ve photographed a couple dozen festivals and fairs which I’ve compiled into my Indiana Fair Project.
County fairs and town festivals are often long-held events where communities gather to celebrate what makes them distinct. By visiting all corners of the state to photograph these annual happenings, I’m seeking to document how the traditions of these events connect Hoosiers to their past and to each other.
The Indiana State Fair is happening now, so keep an eye on Instagram for new images. Plus, I’ll be posting old favorites from the Indiana Fair Project. If Twitter is your preference, follow @zachdobson for some highlights of fairs and other interesting stuff.
Thanks for reading my blog and be sure to share this post with someone you know who loves the fair. Who doesn’t love the fair?! My wife assures me no one!
Love this post! County fairs take me back 60 years to my childhood and of course all the family years thereafter.