Between 1879 and 1882 Carl Sandburg and his friends walked the four miles to the fairgrounds in Knoxville. They carried their shoes and walked barefoot in the on the dusty road. They put on their shoes at the fair to avoid having their toes squashed by other fairgoers.

The admission was twenty-five cents. The boys were lucky to have a few more nickels to spend on the attractions. They visited the barns where livestock was judged. They learned the difference between stallions and mares, bulls and cows and boars and sows—nature's own sexual differences. Seeing the largest and best fruits and vegetables on display was also interesting.

They boys understood that the farmers came to the fair to learn and share the latest knowledge about farming techniques and food production. They could apply this new information to improve their farms and increase their income.

Sandburg and his friends didn't have the money for grandstand seats to watch the horse races. They stood by the wood fence at the edge of the racetrack to watch the horse races.

Harness racing has been popular in the United States since the 1850s. Building tracks for racing became a significant part of every fairground. Half-mile and one-mile dirt ovals were traveled by trotting horses and the elapsed time was recorded. Trotting horses have shorter legs and longer bodies which gives them stamina for racing.

Horses who could cover the mile in 2.5 minutes were recorded in a stud book and they became known as standardbred. Most trotting horses today descend from Hambletonian, a great grandson of Messenger, a horse brought to America by Henry Astor in 1788. Most horses today can run the distance in less than two minutes.

The race times by different horses became the obsession of owners and fans alike. The names of horses and their racing times were the topic of conversation for weeks after a race, Pictures of horses appeared in newspapers along with stories about their parentage and history of ownership.

From July 16^th through 19^th this summer, the Knox County Fair was conducted for the 164^th time. The opening day included an afternoon program of harness racing. The local newspaper reported the grandstand was only half-filled. The evening grandstand programs included a monster truck show, tractor pulls, stock car racing and a demolition derby. The means of transportation have and the interest of the public have changed greatly since the days when Carl Sandburg and his friends visited the fair.