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Towns and cities across America created slogans to promote themselves as nice places to live. Sidney R. Clark created “Do it for Rochester” for the Rochester, New York, Chamber of Commerce in the early 1900s. Ray Stannard Baker wrote an article about Rochester in The American Magazine in 1910. The article described a city where “do it for Rochester” was not just boosterism. Instead, Baker depicted a city full of civic engagement with citizens eager to contribute to a common good. Rochester was known as “the eye of the continent” and favorably sited as a conduit between major urban and manufacturing centers.

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Jesus “Chuy” Garcia unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Chicago in 2015. Since 2012 Garcia has been a member of  the Cook County Board of Commissioners. He was born in Durango, Mexico and immigrated in 1965. Garcia has held positions on the Chicago City Council (1986-1993) and the Illinois State Senate (1993-1999). His election to the state senate marked the first time a Mexican-American was a member of that institution. The mayoral election pitted Garcia against incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Garcia won 34% of the votes and forced a runoff election that he then lost.

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Politician, educator, and author Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to the United States Congress. She was in office from 1969 to 1983. She was not only the first woman who ran for president for the Democratic Party, but also the first black candidate for a major party in a presidential election. Chisholm died in 2005 and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

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The 2016 election provided two of the most unpopular front runners in U. S. history, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Bernie Sanders however consistently topped the polls in popularity and his political campaign rallies broke numerous attendance records. He ran as a Democrat with a very socialist viewpoint. His presidential campaign suffered from a lack of fair news coverage. Sanders’ fundraising broke from the traditional. Instead of depending on funding from wealthy donors and PACs, Bernie looked to small donations from individuals. Social media was a large part of how Bernie ran his grassroots campaign. After his campaign ended he endorsed Hillary Clinton. He currently holds a seat as a United States Senator from Vermont.

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The first Ohio State Fair was held from October 2-4, 1850. The event moved permanently to Columbus, Ohio in 1886. Guests today have the opportunity to compete in various competitions including: agriculture, livestock, fine arts, sports, and cooking. The Ohio State Fair Homebrew competition began in 2010 and in 2017 judged 580 different brews of beer, mead and cider. Traditions are a prominent feature of the fair. The mascot Butter D. Cow has been interacting with guests since 2002. Smokey the Bear has welcomed guests by name since 1959 when they visit the fair’s Natural Resource Park. Butter sculptures were first introduced in 1903 and sculptures today reflect positive ideals and cultural trends. 

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The New York State Agricultural Society held the first state fair in the nation on September 29-30, 1841. It’s original intent was to promote agricultural improvement and provide a venue to introduce new good and services to farmers. Early fair attractions included animal exhibits, a plowing contest and samples of manufactured goods. The fair was hosted in multiple cities until 100 acres of land was donated by the Syracuse Land Company in 1889. Permanent exhibits and a museum were opened in 1928. The addition of the midway allowed for the expansion of the entertainment provided. Entertainers such as Sonny and Cher, Lady Antebellum, and Bruno Mars have all performed at the New York State Fair. Today’s fair still provides agricultural exhibits and shows, especially horse shows.  Other entertainment includes rides, beer competitions, cooking shows and more.

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Considered one of the largest and best known state fairs in the United States, the Iowa State Fair is held annually in the month of August. The first fair was held in 1854 and it moved from town to town until it moved permanently to Des Moines in 1886. The fair strives to be a place where people can be educated, informed and entertained. It hosts one of the largest livestock shows and the state’s largest art show. The fair was featured in the novel State Fair by Phil Strong, which was then adapted by Rodgers and Hammerstein as a musical in 1995. One of the long time favorites of the fair is the Butter Cow sculpture. The sculpture has been a part of the fair since 1911 and it takes approximately 600 pounds of butter to sculpt.

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St. Patrick, also known as Maewyn Succant, was born in Britain around A.D. 390. He was brought to Ireland after being kidnapped and taken into slavery where he later became a priest. After his passing, St. Patrick was remembered as the priest who opened many monasteries, churches, and schools. He was named the patron saint of Ireland in 1631.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations started in America in 1601 in St. Augustine, Florida. At the time, people celebrated St. Patrick for being the saint of corn. Eventually, these celebrations were tied to the patron saint of Ireland, while creating many traditions still in practice today including wearing green, drinking beer, eating corned beef and cabbage, and displaying the symbolic shamrock.

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Rushville Nebraska is a community of about 1,100 residents. It was established as a town in 1885 along the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad. Because of its close proximity to the Pine Ridge Reservation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs used Rushville as a supply point up until the 1960s. Buffalo Bill Cody spent time in Rushville when he was recruiting for his Wild West show. Cody also filmed a reenactment of the “Battle of Wounded Knee” in Rushville.