The 2009 edition of the Nebraska State Fair was sort of a bittersweet event as this was the last year for the State Fair in Lincoln, it's being relocated to the central Nebraska city of Grand Island and will be held there beginning next year. In the early years the State Fair was moved between several different cities but in 1901 it was finally given a permanent home in Lincoln and has been held at State Fair Park for 108 years. The University of Nebraska has acquired the fairgrounds and plans to turn it into a Research Park with most of the buildings to be removed or demolished. My family and I have enjoyed attending the fair almost every year for over 40 years, it's only an hour and a half drive from Linn. On Sunday Dad and I made our way to Lincoln to attend the fair one last time, it was nearly perfect weather, and there were large crowds, much bigger than we had seen in a long time. Dad rented a mobility scooter so he could get around the fairgrounds,I walked around taking in the fair and taking lots of pictures. It was a day of mixed emotions, while it was a very enjoyable time on the one hand there were also the feelings you get when you say goodbye to an old friend that you know you won't see anymore, all in all it was a day I'll remember for a very long time.
Ferris Wheels on the Midway
The 4-H Building
This building was dedicated on September 6. 1931 and is one of only four buildings that will remain on the fairgrounds when the University of Nebraska takes over, plans are for the building to be renovated and be a centerpiece of the new campus.
Judging Sheep at the 4-H Arena
The Budweiser Clydesdales were at this years Nebraska State Fair, this is the beer wagon that's pulled by the Clydesdales.
The Best of Show Quilt at the Bob Devaney Center
(click on the pic to see the amazing detail)
