Greater Gulf State Fair, 1971

The 1971 Greater Gulf State Fair was held for six days in October at Hartwell Field. The fair was an annual project of the Mobile Junior Chamber of Commerce, also known as the Mobile Jaycees, with members on hand to staff and run the event; 1971 marked the first year in a longterm contract with Hartwell Field to make it the location for the festivities going forward. The below photograph, taken on the opening night of the fair, October 25, 1971, shows children enjoying one of the rides. The two little boys at the front are Mike and Richard Stewart, aged 6 and 3, respectively. Their father, John Stewart, was the 1971 fair president for the Mobile Jaycees. Opening night of the 17th-annual fair boasted a ribbon ceremony in the morning and another ceremony in the evening. The night’s agenda included the announcement of the winner of the first “Fairest of the Fair” competition; the winner would then reign over the fair for the week of its run. The 1971 winner was Wanda Kaye Bryant, a cheerleader from Alba High School. 

“More than 130,000 persons are expected to visit the Fair during the week, viewing the hundreds of civic, cultural, educational, professional and military displays, riding the rides and seeing the shows of the Al Kunz Century 21 Midway, plus eating their fill at the numerous food and drink stands operated by civic and church groups.”

– an excerpt from an October 25, 1971
edition of the Mobile Register

STEP RIGHT UP: The Attractions of the 1971 Greater Gulf State Fair

• The selection of the 50 members of the 1971-72 Azalea Trail Court
• The “Dive of Death” show, featuring an acrobat named Geronimo diving from 60 feet in the air onto an air pillow
• A free Saturday morning set aside for 2,000 of the area’s disabled, orphaned and underprivileged children 
• A children’s petting zoo featuring 53 different animals (including a chimpanzee and a buffalo) and a show from “the world’s only diving mules”
• A rock and gem exhibit by the Mobile Rock and Gem Society featuring a 4.99-ounce, 3.6 million-year-old chunk of moon rock. Fairgoers brought rocks and fossils for workers to identify.
• Numerous competitions, including those for domestic arts, flowers, needlework, sewing, canning, knitting and apiary products.

By the Numbers

31,406
The attendance on Friday night of the 1971 Greater Gulf State Fair. This marked a record single-day crowd at the time. 

50 cents
The price of a children’s ticket for kids ages 6 -11 for the the 1971 Greater Gulf State Fair. 

$17,450
The total amount of money presented to winners of various competitions and exhibitions held that year. Prize money ranged anywhere from $2 to $200.

1975
The year the Greater Gulf State Fair purchased a 90-acre site at Cody Road and Zeigler Boulevard entirely with proceeds from the operation of the annual fair. This property is now known as The Grounds.

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