By DOUG GRAVES

Ohio Correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The theme for the 2018 Tennessee State Fair is “The Heart of Tennessee,” which seems appropriate since the fair is held in Nashville, located in the heart of the Volunteer State.

The fair is currently at the 117-acre Metro-owned fairgrounds in Nashville and has been there since 1906. But after more than 100 years, the fair could be moving to a new location in 2019.

“It’s safe to say that the fair will remain in place for the foreseeable future,” said State Fair Manager Scott Jones.

Fair officials are in desperate need of space for improvement to the fair. Last year the Tennessee State Fair and Exposition Commission reached out to all 95 counties across the state to see if there was interest in hosting the event. The goal was to find a permanent site, with easy access to an interstate, where the fair could grow and thrive.

“The property we’re on now is owned by the city (Metropolitan National Government) and the state fair is operated by a nonprofit under the supervision of the state,” Jones explained. “So if you’re a renter, you don’t have a lot of say most times when it comes to development of the property.

“There is the possibility of a Major League Soccer stadium being built on the grounds and that would take up a big footprint on the property. It’s basically choking us out. We need more property.”

Tennessee Department of Agriculture Public Information Officer Will Freeman said there is no certainty as to the fair’s location by 2019.

“The current state fair commission took steps last year to spike interest for others to host the fair, but no viable alternatives were identified and no action was taken from this process,” he said, “so the Tennessee State Fair Association (TSFA) has been designated to operate the fair for 2018.”

In recent years attendance at the state fair has been declining, and many of the facilities at the site are showing signs of age. Metro also moved forward with converting 46 acres of the fairgrounds site into soccer fields, a greenway and dog park.

Bo Roberts, chair of the fair commission, said there is little room for the state fair to grow and it isn’t logical for Metro to invest heavily in an event that is only two weeks out of the year.

“I personally feel if you are going to have a state fair, it ought to be one that is worthy of the state,” he said. “Our state fair ranks about at the bottom any way you want to measure it. Things change. Times change. Demands change.

“Other fairs certainly have grown well beyond where the state fair is. It’s served its purpose and left its time for anything that I think would be worthy of the state fair.”

Last year a report studied the possibility of moving the state fair to the site of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester; however, further research revealed the site is too remote. Roberts said the ideal site would be about 600 acres and closer to Nashville.

Last year a consultant report conducted by Minnesota-based Convention Sports & Leisure International, found that Nashville’s 117-acre fairgrounds, which sits on hilly terrain, is not a viable long-term solution for hosting the Tennessee State Fair. The report calls the site “problematic on many levels, and is significantly constraining the growth, attendance and impact of the fair.”

According to fair officials, in 2015 approximately 100,000 people attended the state fair in Nashville, compared with some 200,000 who attended the Williamson County Fair and more than 500,000 who attended the Wilson County Fair.

The consultant report recommends 600 acres for a state fair and potential agriculture expo center, making Nashville’s fairgrounds vastly undersized. A change in location is expected to be made by 2019.

This year, at least, the fair will remain in Nashville and run from Sept. 7-16. “This is our home until something else becomes available,” Jones said.

A brief history

The Tennessee State Fair got its start in 1855 and just a few years later was suspended during the years of the Civil War. In 1869 the state ordered the sale of the fairgrounds property. That same year, the Tennessee Fair Assoc. (TFA) purchased 80 acres between the Charlotte and Harding pikes and established a new state fairground.

In place at the time was an amphitheater with seating for 10,000 people, a Floral and Textile Fabric Hall and a Mechanics Hall for the display of machinery. Word is that 30,000 attended the first fair held on these grounds, in October 1869.

The interest in a state fair was short-lived. In 1884, the fairgrounds was converted into a racetrack and named West Side Park. West Side Park was selected as the site of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, in the summer of 1897. Not long after the Centennial, the TFA sold the fairgrounds – today the property belongs to Metro Nashville Parks and is known as Centennial Park.

In 1900 the Nashville Retail Merchants Assoc. resurrected the state fair and in 1905 the TSFA was chartered by a group of local businessmen. The fair, resting now on 125 acres, was held in the fall of 1906. General admission was just 50 cents.

The first new structure on the grounds was the 18,000 square-foot Agricultural Building, which featured the large display of various tobacco grown in the state. Large tents dotted the racetrack infield and separate buildings for poultry, cattle and horses were erected.

The Cumberland Park Club House was adapted for use as the Woman’s Building. Three stories high, this building housed women’s exhibits such as quilts, embroidered goods, crocheted items, lace work and sewn items. Also included were baked goods and creative arts.

In 1907 the state legislature appropriated $5,000 to the TSFA to be used as premiums. Half the money was to be awarded in the livestock competitions and half in the agriculture products competitions. Then, in 1909 the legislature authorized Davidson County to issue bonds for the purpose of raising money to purchase a permanent site for a state fairgrounds, and created a 13-member fair board to be headed by the state commissioner of agriculture.

Davidson County purchased the Cumberland Park property from the TFA in 1911 for $150,000. Buildings, furniture and equipment were included in the sale. In 1923 the state relinquished control of the fair to the county and a county fair board was created. The county judge was a member, along with six additional people elected by the Quarterly Court to serve six-year terms.

Under the 1963 Metropolitan Nashville Charter the board became the Metropolitan Board of Fair Commission, comprised of five members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the Metro Council.

The Tennessee State Fair has been held every year since 1906, except for a four-year suspension during World War II. The fair has weathered many storms, including the Great Depression, a 1965 fire that destroyed most of the buildings at the fairgrounds and a 1970 fire that destroyed the coliseum. For information on this year’s fair, visit http://tnstatefair.org