History

According to Kate Scott’s History of Jefferson County, published in 1888, “The first agricultural fair in Jefferson County was held on the grounds of the Mountain Park Association, October 5, 6, and 7, 1870.  The fair was quite successful, and the exhibits, though not numerous, were of excellent character.  The exhibit of stock was very good, the papers of that day speaking of this feature as a ‘credit to the county, and showing the interest taken by our people in improving their stock.’ 

“On the 10^th of February, 1879, a meeting was held at the office of James T. Carroll, esq., in Brookville for the purpose of organizing a society to be known as the ‘Jefferson County Agricultural Society’.  A fair was held on the grounds within the borough limits, located on the level ground lying in the bend of Sandy Lick Creek near where it unites with the North Fork to form Red Bank Creek, the fall of that year, which proved a success both financially and otherwise, and the association assumed a permanent footing.”

Over the next 80 years or so, a number of “Jefferson County Fairs” have been started at various locations, have run for a period of time, and then dropped from the scene due to the passing of the prime leaders or downturns in the county economy.  Each is recorded in local history and folklore, but remembered by the public only through the various buildings that were left behind when the gates were closed for the final time.

The current version of the Jefferson County Fair was conceived at a dinner meeting in October of 1962 with members of the Jefferson County Pomona (County-level) Grange and the Sykesville Lions Club in attendance.  A similar countywide meeting was held on October 29, 1963 and committees were set up to form plans to stage an annual fair that would be operated jointly by Grangers and Lions.  These committees met on January 8, 1964 and laid the foundation for the fair, which they named the “Jefferson County Town & Country Fair”.

The main purpose was written “to bring urban and rural folk together in a mutual project”.  Many meetings and much work by many persons resulted in the First Annual Fair held on August 13, 14, and 15, 1964 on the streets of downtown Sykesville with exhibits set up in the Town Hall.  Following this fair, the board of directors issued this statement, “We knew it wouldn’t be as big as some fairs, but we tried to make it interesting, beneficial, and educational in its infancy.”

The following year, the Grangers and Lions announced, “This is our second year.  We’ve grown some, expanded, and enlarged since last year.  This growth and expansion has been made by the continuous hard work of the Fair Board and committees and the support of the public.  We hope you will enjoy your visit again this year with us and that you will continue to help us grow.”

Over the next few years, the site moved around the downtown area but was cramped for space and lacked enough places for visitors to park.  Before the end of the 1960’s, a piece of land had been secured on the hilltop to the north and east overlooking the town of Sykesville.  A track area was carved out on the lower portion, livestock buildings were dismantled from a show ring area near Emerickville, and two new metal-sided buildings were constructed for exhibits and commercial displays. 

This was an attractive spot, but there were some problems.  There appeared to be no future opportunity to connect Sykesville utilities with the needs of the fairground, and the access roads to the site were set on steep hills with a risk of bad accident involving carnival or livestock trucks, as well as the exhibitors and visitors to fair events.  Meanwhile, the popularity of and the need for family-oriented recreation in Pennsylvania had been increasing, but there were few easily accessible family-oriented areas available to serve rural Jefferson County. 

In 1989, the Jefferson County Commissioners were given the opportunity to have a positive impact on the future of recreation in the area.  A 50-acre parcel of land, located at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Route 28, was donated to Jefferson County by Rhoda and Steve Strishock to be used as a new home for the Jefferson County Fair.  That same year, and authority was created to oversee the operation of the fair. 

Recognizing the need for multi-use, year-round use, and regional-use recreational facilities in the county, the Fair Board undertook the development of a “master plan” for the new Jefferson County Fairgrounds.  The plan considered the physical site characteristics and the county’s recreational, social, and economic needs.  It was completed by an interdisciplinary team made up of fair board members, agency personnel, and consultants. 

The name was modified by dropping the words “Town & Country”.  Since the new site was not quite ready for occupancy late in the summer of 1991, the newest version of the Jefferson County Fair was set up in the Industrial Park just across Interstate 80 from the permanent location.  Since formally moving in the fairgrounds there have been a variety of facilities constructed on the grounds including 2 exhibition buildings, 2 horse barns and a horse show ring, 4 livestock barns, a milking parlor, a large livestock show arena, several office buildings, and a 30-unit restroom building, along with a grandstand that will seat over 5,000 people and a collection of smaller service buildings to complete the picture. 

Today, the Jefferson County Fair continues to serve the residents of the county and surrounding areas with a fine, mid-Jul show and exposition of agriculture.  Off-season entertainment over the years has included a rodeo, big truck and tractor pull, demolition derbies, monster truck show, concerts, and many other community-related activities.