| 2 | 5 | | WHEREAS, The Cooke County Fair Association is celebrating |
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| 3 | 6 | | the 150th anniversary of the Cooke County Fair in 2021; and |
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| 4 | 7 | | WHEREAS, The first county fair in Cooke County was held |
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| 5 | 8 | | near Gainesville in 1871, on land that had been donated to the |
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| 6 | 9 | | Cooke County Agricultural and Mechanical Association by Robert |
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| 7 | 10 | | Wheelock, the county's first judge, and J. M. Perry; it featured |
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| 8 | 11 | | exhibits and a mule-driven flying jenny, which was an early |
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| 9 | 12 | | version of the merry-go-round; fairs were held on the site until |
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| 10 | 13 | | 1875, when the land was sold; and |
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| 11 | 14 | | WHEREAS, The fair association established a new 40-acre |
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| 12 | 15 | | fairground in 1891 and conducted an annual fair there until 1894; |
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| 13 | 16 | | the next fair was held in 1897 at a third location, which featured |
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| 14 | 17 | | a racetrack, agricultural displays, livestock judging, and |
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| 15 | 18 | | balloon ascensions; subsequent fairs took place at different |
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| 16 | 19 | | sites in 1899 and 1906; and |
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| 17 | 20 | | WHEREAS, After festivities were suspended between 1913 and |
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| 18 | 21 | | 1926, the Cooke County Fair was reestablished in 1927, and in |
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| 19 | 22 | | 1928, it drew more than 13,000 people with two parades, an |
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| 20 | 23 | | archery contest, baseball games, a team-pulling competition, and |
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| 21 | 24 | | a rodeo; that same year, the City of Gainesville provided the |
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| 22 | 25 | | fair association with the use of land east of the city, and over |
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| 23 | 26 | | the years, several exhibition halls were added to the property; |
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| 24 | 27 | | the fair association took its current name in 1939; and |
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| 25 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Put on hold again during World War II, the fair |
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| 26 | 29 | | was restarted in 1947; the Fair Park Community Center was used |
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| 27 | 30 | | throughout the year for an annual horse show, a reunion of war |
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| 28 | 31 | | veterans on the Fourth of July, and a Juneteenth celebration by |
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| 29 | 32 | | the county's African American residents; during the 1950s and |
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| 30 | 33 | | 60s, the fair was held in downtown Gainesville; and |
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| 31 | 34 | | WHEREAS, In the 1980s, the fair association purchased its |
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| 32 | 35 | | current location just outside of the city and built a fair barn; |
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| 33 | 36 | | destroyed by a storm in 2006, the barn has been rebuilt, becoming |
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| 34 | 37 | | host to many other events year-round, including 4-H and FFA youth |
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| 35 | 38 | | workshops, rodeos, circuses, livestock shows, and shooting |
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| 36 | 39 | | competitions; and |
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| 37 | 40 | | WHEREAS, For a century and a half, the Cooke County Fair |
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| 38 | 41 | | has brought the community together to benefit youth, promote |
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| 39 | 42 | | agriculture, and celebrate the area's rich legacy, and it is |
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| 40 | 43 | | truly a pleasure to join in marking this special occasion; now, |
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| 41 | 44 | | therefore, be it |
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| 42 | | - | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 87th |
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| 43 | | - | Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby commemorate the 150th |
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| 44 | | - | anniversary of the Cooke County Fair and extend to the Cooke |
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| 45 | | - | County Fair Association sincere best wishes for continued |
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| 46 | | - | success; and, be it further |
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| 45 | + | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 87th Texas Legislature, |
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| 46 | + | 3rd Called Session, hereby commemorate the 150th anniversary of |
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| 47 | + | the Cooke County Fair and extend to the Cooke County Fair |
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| 48 | + | Association sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it |
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| 49 | + | further |
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