Agricultural Fairs in Perry County

Agricultural Fairs in Perry County. Perry County Bicentennial. , Perry county has had at least five separate fairs over two centuries. The first was in Landisburg in 1821, only decades removed from frontier society. New Bloomfield hosted the fair from 1852 to 1859. With 68% of the county involved in farming, and with enlarged markets made possible by the 1829 Pennsylvania Canal and 1849 Pennsylvania Railroad, agriculture prospered. However, the Civil War brought this second fair to a close. After the War, in 1868, a third fair began in Everhartville, Oliver Township, an area with growing industries, and operated at that location until 1874., The Perry County Agricultural Society initiated a fourth fair in 1885, a mile north of Newport on the John Kough farm in Oliver Township. When the Newport and Sherman's Valley Railroad inaugurated service in 1891, visitors from middle and western Perry County found easy access to the new venue. the fair thrived, drawing as many as 5,000 visitors a day to the exhibits, competitions and attractions. There was harness racing throughout this period, and even automobiles zipping around the half-mile track in the late 1930s. Hot air balloons launching parachutists in the 1890s, and one of the county's first airplanes performed in 1912. With the coming of World War II and a meningitis outbreak, this fair folded in 1941., A new fair board was formed in 1970, which leased the former fair grounds from John Snyder. In 1971, the fair was revived by dedicated leaders such as Paul Britcher, Sr., John H. Fox, Leonard Gochenaur, Nila Graybill, Virginia Kling, Jane W. McMillen, Robert S. Mitchener, Harry A. Schreiber, Ralph L. Smith and Samuel R. Wagner. This fifth edition of the Perry County Fair, a state-rated Class A extravaganza, attracts thousands of persons annually. Almost two centuries have passed since the first fair in Landisburg. Industry has come and gone, but farming is the mainstay of Perry County's economy., [Captions:] , In the early 20th century, attendees dressed formally for a day at the fair., In 1912, one of the first airplanes to land in Perry County was featured in the Fair., This 1909 panoramic view of the fairgrounds includes harness racing with a view of Buffalo Mountain and the 3,000-seat grandstand. A few automobiles appear between the grandstand and the brick Evergreen School.