Brace yourself: For the next three weeks, more than a million people will converge on the Arizona State Fair, lured by the promise of cotton candy, petting zoos, and the timeless ballads of Meat Loaf.

There's something for everyone at a state fair — petting zoos, live music, fried foods. For many states in the U.S., summer to fall is the season for the annual state fair. The country's first state ...