IHB had the chance to put the “public” in public history at the State Fair’s Hoosier Heritage Day. We talked with fair-goers, specifically 1,137 of them, about our marker program and survey, and were lucky enough to obtain promises of repairs and pictures. We also encouraged people to paint our Iron Brigade Commander marker, from Cambridge City, which was in need of a major facelift. We saw some familiar faces, as several guests who helped us paint last year returned.
The public asked several questions about the marker text, delighting our historians’ hearts.
We were delighted to see many of the great people who visited our booth in 2013 again this year.
Our mobile bookshop was in full force, as we were able to sell books at this year’s fair.
Our mobile bookshop was in full force, as we were able to sell books at this year’s fair. A variety of books were displayed, including our new book about the Beatles’ 1964 Indiana state fair performance, All Those Years Ago. The Indiana State Archives also commemorated the event with a Beatles exhibit.
The day concluded with a beautiful sunset and some obligatory fried treats. Come see us next year and bring your history questions!