Emmet County Fairgrounds

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Fred Sifert presenting an award at the Emmet County Fair

Charlevoix Avenue
The Emmet County Fair began around 1905 as the Emmet County Agricultural Society. It became the Charlevoix-Emmet County Fair in 2000. The fair has been located on the Emmet County Fairgrounds property at 1129 Charlevoix Avenue, Petoskey, for over 100 years. During World War II, because of a lack of funds, a vote of the people was taken and passed for Emmet County to take responsibility for the fair to ensure its longevity. 

Joe Bacon and the Fair

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At age 16, Joe Bacon helped his father clear brush and build the first county fairgrounds in 1886. At age 86 Joe had never missed a county fair; he exhibited and was a blue-ribbon winner for his poultry many times over the years. He and his father exhibited the first purebred cattle, sheep, and swine here. After he quit exhibiting, he served as a judge and supervisor. Joe died in 1972 at age 102. He recalled in interviews that the Ferris wheel and merry-go-round had been powered by horses and the midway full of "fakes, quacks, and pitchmen." The racetrack sulky and harness racing and yearling bull races for 13-16 year old farm boys. The prize for the bull races was $25. He said that to advertise the fair, the fair board would give out fly blankets for horses and you would see the advertisements all over the county. There were also posters all over barns and and along roads. When people came to the fair, they would spend the week camping on the grounds.