By 1908, the Rochester Fair was a major event attracting people from a wide radius. Extra trains brought crowds of people into downtown Rochester. On Sept. 23, Martha Safford wrote in her diary, "I went to the (Safford Jewelry) store (located on the Square) to see the crowd. Extra trains at 9:30 and 10 o'clock. Everybody came and there are a whole lot of bad ones. Eveleth sent her silver to the store � I am careful to lock up my valuables."
On the first day of the fair Rochester schools were closed and children were admitted free. The Courier reported children were seen everywhere and they were having a splendid time. They rode the flying horses, an early carousel, and were entertained and educated by the exhibits, which were "never excelled by any like exhibition in New England."
One display in the beautiful floral court featured over 500 varieties of dahlias. The fruits and vegetables were unsurpassed. The household department displayed rows of preserves, pastry, butter and cheese, among other things made in the households of 1908. Hundreds of handsome needleworks and embroideries were admired.
The NH College in Durham, now UNH, had instructive demonstrations showing the best way to make butter on the farm, how to produce apples, and how to recognize insect damage. The Dover Business College had an up-to-date office display, including a graphophone used for shorthand dictation.
The Art Department was preeminent and included prominent professional artists with many leading names in Boston and New York entering oil paintings and water colors. The Courier reported, "The idea of an elaborate art display by professional talent originated with the Rochester Fair and it has from the beginning maintained its supremacy in this line." They said it was worth a visit to the fair just to see the over $75,000 worth of paintings. Painting china was a popular craft of the day, and the extensive china display was viewed by thousands of enthusiastic ladies.
Entertainment at the grandstand included thrilling high dives from as high as 72 feet into a six-foot water tank and a 50-foot narrow spiral platform used by unicyclists. One day, the annual crowd-pleasing hot air balloon rose so high people wondered if there was something wrong.
Some of the country's fastest racehorses were among the 294 racehorses at the fair. Extra stalls had to be added to house them all. Horse racing drew large crowds to the grandstand to watch exciting races. Driving horses, draft horses, and road horses of all types were exhibited. There were sleek cattle, sheep, swine, and over 2,500 birds in the poultry department, reflecting the importance of agriculture in the area.
The Midway had something for everybody. There were orations, moving pictures in a darkened tent, and an alligator farm. At the tent with the flying horses the organ was grinding out, "Onward, Christian Soldiers." A different tune was probably played at the tents of the Oriental Dancing Girls and the dancing "Girls in Red." A caged "wild man" was said to be 105 years old. A Filipino village with six natives was reported to be, "interesting, novel, instructive, and well worth seeing." An 1,800 pound black leatherback South American sea turtle was about 350 years old.
The Rochester Fair began in 1874 with two days of agricultural and mechanical displays at the Riverside Trotting Park located near the Cocheco River off North Main Street where Riverside Drive is today. Although this first fair was considered a success, no fair was held for the next two years because they couldn't find a place to have it. After successful fairs in 1877 and 1878 they decided to look for a permanent home. They bought 38 acres of land off Lafayette Street and named it Cold Spring Park, because there was a good spring of water nearby. The first fair at Cold Spring Park was held in 1879 and a fair has been held there each fall since.