Creativity, tenacity has kept fair part of county since 1856

Before fairgrounds in Knowlesville, annual event was held in Village of Albion, and Bokman farm

This photograph from the 1980s captures the energy of the Fair – the skills of the young equestrians and the thrills of hurtling through the air on a carnival ride.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Vol. 3, No. 24

KNOWLESVILLE – Jumping frogs, greased pigs, racing pigs, costumed goats, square dancing on horseback, manure pitching – these are some of the fun activities hosted at the 4-H Fair over the years.

The Orleans County 4-H Fair opens Monday, July 24. That this is the 77th Annual Fair is a testament to the tenacity, resourcefulness, and creativity of a legion of groups, agencies and individuals who nurtured it through some lean times.

The Orleans County Agricultural Society’s first show was held in Albion in 1856 and thereafter annually until 1942 when the stresses brought on by WWII eclipsed any thoughts of celebration.

A Farmer’s Picnic was held at Bullard Park in Albion in 1945. Re-formed after the war, the First Annual Orleans County 4-H Junior Fair was held in 1946, also at Bullard Park and from 1947-1963 at the old fairgrounds on West State Street in Albion.

We are accustomed to the spacious grounds, fine buildings, and amenities available at the fairgrounds in Knowlesville, but that site was not purchased until 1965.

The Field Day Committee first entertained the notion of acquiring its own property in 1958. Several sites were investigated, but plans fell through, for a variety of reasons.

The fair was held at the Mike Bokman Quarter Horse Farm, located at the intersection of Long Bridge Road and Route 31E in Albion, for two years – 1963 and 1964.

In January 1965, the fair finally found a home. The purchase of the Howard Venus farm was approved. The southern section of the farm, between Wood Road and Taylor Hill Road on Route 31E, became the new fairgrounds. The northern section, which included a house and barns, was later sold to Robert K. Nice.

Preparation work on the site began immediately. The biggest project was the construction of the 72’ x 108’ pole building (now the Lartz Building) to house livestock exhibits.

Fund raising efforts intensified. Banks, canning factories, feed dealers, fertilizer companies, farmers and individuals were canvassed. The 4-H Club leaders sold pies, seed kits, and first aid kits. They held dances, organized a scrap metal drive and a plat book sponsorship.

The Birdseye company in Albion donated snap bean seeds. Volunteers cultivated ten acres of seed and sold the harvest back to Birdseye.

The Fairgrounds was officially opened on Wednesday, August 4th by Assemblyman Alonzo Waters of Medina, John Stookey of Lockport, who represented the state 4-H clubs, and Harold Trolley, president of Cooperative Extension. Congressman Barber Conable was the guest speaker at the “Dedication of Fairgrounds and Livestock Building” on Saturday, August 7th.

Fireworks at 11 p.m. signaled the ending of that first fair. The tradition of celebrating agriculture, encouraging farm families, and inspiring the next generation of future farmers was secured.

(Material courtesy of former Village of Albion Historian, Dr. Neil Johnson, who chronicled the history of the fair from 1946 to 1995.)