Fairs festivals and events ephemera subject files, 1883-2015 (bulk 1971-2011)
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Arrangement: alphabetical by event name.

Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library.

In library use only. Available by appointment.

Scope and content: Includes a wide variety of material relating to various fairs, festivals and events held in Nashville, Tennessee, spanning the time period from 1883 to 2015, with very few items dating prior to 1971. Materials include programs, posters, schedules, advertisements, invitations, brochures, postcards and similar items. Types of events include annual festivals relating to particular ethnic or nationality groups; food; and some music and art events. Single special events, such as Tennessee's Homecoming '86 celebration or the 1976 meeting of the United Nations in Nashville, are also included.

Some items concern events of a more general topical or thematic nature, such as dance marathons, flower parades, or military drill competitions. These items include a detailed program, including photographs of competing couples, pertaining to Leo A. Seltzer's "Walkathon" in 1934, which was a competitive dance marathon. Also included in these broad topical categories is an invitation to a reception for Admiral George Dewey and his wife at the 1900 Flower Parade; and a program for the Inter-State Competitive Drill and Military Encampment held in May 1883.

Two noteworthy events not covered by the Fairs Festivals and Events category include: the Tennessee Centennial Exposition (1897) which has its own category of Ephemera Subject Files; and the annual Southern Festival of Books, which has posters found in the Nashville Room Oversize Collection. Also generally excluded are materials housed elsewhere under other categories of Ephemera Subject Files, such as sporting events (to be found in Sports Ephemera Subject Files); non-profit fundraisers (to be found in Organizations); art events such as crawls and craft fairs (to be found in Art); and Holidays.

Cite as: [folder title or item description], Fairs Festivals and Events Ephemera Subject Files, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library

This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code)

Intentionally assembled by staff of the Special Collections Division, beginning at an unknown date, probably in the late 1960s, and collected on an ongoing basis.

Related materials may be found in Ephemera Subject Files under the following headings: Art; Communities; Film; Holidays; Organizations; Parks; Sports; Tennessee Centennial Exposition.

In English

Finding aid available in repository;,folder level control.,https://assets.library.nashville.org/documents/finding-aids/Special_Collections_Division_Finding_Aid_Ephemera_FairsFestivals.pdf.

Weed;,2003;,Carol Kaplan, Linda Barnickel.

Process;,2016;,Linda Barnickel.

Additional accruals are expected.