1946 (Yes, 1946) State Fair to Be Held

The state fair that could have been but never was will finally be--50 years later.

A gallon of gas was 15 cents, the minimum wage was 75 cents and a new home averaged $5,600.

The year was 1946, and although the world was at peace, the State Fair Board, along with then-Gov. Earl Warren, canceled the California State Fair because of post-WW II shortages.

Yet, boldly adhering to the credo “Better late than never,” Long Beach’s Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens on June 2 will present a mini-duplication of the 1946 State Fair.

“The mission of the Rancho is to educate the public regarding the issues, events and people who make up California’s heritage,” said spokesman C.J. Derby. “State fairs are definitely part of our culture.”

The event will feature such regular fair events as quilting and apple-pie baking, butter-churning and sheep shearing, pony rides, farm machinery and a dunk tank.

Fair-goers will be able to sit and knit a bit for a “Warm-Up America” project, making afghans for the homeless instead of GIs. All music will be 1940s-era swing, and the Modernaires will perform.

There is a connection, albeit tenuous, between the 1946 State Fair and Rancho Los Alamitos. The owner of Rancho Los Alamitos, Fred H. Bixby, donor of the property to the city, was the president of the state agricultural society in 1946. Bixby was the messenger who delivered the bad news about the state fair cancellation.