The Big E Hits the Big 100

 For Hampden County residents, fall has become associated with everyone’s favorite source of cream puffs and traffic jams: the Big E. Each September, millions flock to the Eastern States Exposition for the fifth-largest state fair in the country, and this year marks the fair’s centennial celebration.

The Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield’s home of the Big E, launched in the early 20^th century in response to the regional decline in farming activity. Joshua L. Brooks purchased the 175 acres of swampland with the goal of inspiring and supporting farmers and revitalizing the agricultural economy.

The Expo’s first event was the National Dairy Show, held in 1916. Until that year, the event had been held annually in the Midwest, and the proposal of hosting it in West Springfield was originally rejected by the directors, on the assumption that the region’s small farming community wouldn’t attract a significant audience. Eventually, the directors conceded to Brooks’ persuasion, and 45,000 people attended the event. Brooks’ actions spearheaded the “Eastern States Movement,” which sought to revitalize the region’s agricultural economy.

 

The primary autumn events of the Eastern States Exposition, named the “Big E” in 1967, first opened to the public in 1917. This tradition has grown in popularity over the years and endured as a beloved New England tradition. It has been interrupted only by World War I and II, during which time the fairgrounds were requisitioned and used as supply depots for the military.

The Exposition fairgrounds now house over 25 buildings showcasing a variety of agricultural, commercial, and cultural products and demonstrations. Among these are the Coliseum, the Better Living Center, and buildings dedicated to each of the six New England states. The Big E is also home to the world’s largest traveling midway, with more food, shopping, entertainment, and ride offerings than any other fair of its kind.

Apart from the Big E, the Exposition fairgrounds host a number of agricultural and cultural events throughout the year, including the Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show, the Big East and the Fiber Festival of New England. The fairgrounds are also home to the historic Storrowton Village.

This year, the Eastern States Exposition celebrates its 100^th anniversary with a special 3,500 square foot exhibit dedicated to the memories collected over the fair’s century of history. 

WBZ (AM) and Hotel Kimball

Springfield is home to many firsts, including the first commercial radio station. WBZ was established in 1921 and based in the Hotel Kimball in Metro Center's Apremont Triangle Historic District. Though there were several other stations across the country at the time, WBZ was the first to specify broadcasts on 360 meters (833 kilohertz) and the first to be issued a commercial broadcasting license. 

Postcard from Hotel Kimball

WBZ aired their first broadcast remotely on September 19, 1921 from the Eastern States Exposition. The inaugural broadcast featured speeches from former Massachusetts Governor Channing H. Cox and former Connecticut Governor Everett J. Lake. 

For the rest of the 1920s, WBZ broadcast a varied lineup out of Hotel Kimball, including farm reports, baseball scores, college lectures, and live classical and opera music. Though Springfield wasn’t a major city at the time, the station hosted several famous guests. Acclaimed contralto Madame Louise Homer gave several live opera performances at the station. Jacques N. Cartier of CKAC Radio in Montreal also joined WBZ for one of the first bilingual French-English broadcasts in history. 

Broadcasting from WBZ

Special programming throughout the decade included the 1923 World Series and the 1925 inauguration of President Calvin Coolidge. The station also offered a series of radio extension courses, through which listeners could receive college credit from the Massachusetts State Department of Education. 

Due to its popularity and the desire to reach a larger market, WBZ swapped stations with the Boston-based WBZA in 1931. Though WBZA was shut down in 1962, WBZ continues broadcasting to this day under CBS. It remains the oldest surviving commercial radio station in New England. 

Hotel Kimball, the famous site of WBZ’s earliest broadcasts, was critically acclaimed since opening in 1911, with a widespread reputation as “the leading hotel in Western Massachusetts.” It earned accolades from the media and distinguished guests alike. The hotel hosted many dignitaries over the years, including Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. The New York Times described the hotel as “ranking with the finest [hotels] in the country. A magnificent hotel, modern and metropolitan in every appointment.” 

The Springfield Republican described the building as “representing an outlay of approximately $1,000,000, the Kimball stands as an example of all the latest ideas in hotel evolution….Everywhere there is splendor, yet it is splendor with refinement.” It was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places and spared demolition in 1983, instead sold to a pair of condominium developers and converted into the present-day Kimball Towers. 

Hotel Kimball is also the setting of author Bradley Latham’s novel, “Haunted Hotel.”  

Hotel Kimball was sold in 1983 and stands 

today as Kimball Towers Condominiums