LEONARDTOWN, Md. — Long before the fair begins and the livestock are led into the show ring, the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds are bustling with work from the volunteers who make the fair possible. For nearly eight decades, the St. Mary’s County Fair Association has relied on families and community members who devote countless hours to prepare for the county’s signature fall tradition.
The St. Mary’s County Fair returns Sept. 18-21 for its 78th year, offering livestock shows, parades, the Queen of Tolerance coronation, horse pulls and more. But beyond the attractions, the event is rooted in the service of people whose families have often volunteered for generations. From building exhibits to staffing gates, organizing classes and caring for the grounds, their contributions are the backbone of the event.
The St. Mary’s County Fair Association is a nonprofit group of unpaid staff that oversee both the fair and year-round use of the grounds. With a county fair history dating back to 1947, and the volunteers of the St. Mary’s County Fair Association combined with the Farmers and Homemakers Association in 1964, generations of family and friends have devoted countless hours to the fair. Many of the association’s members held leadership roles for decades, providing institutional knowledge and continuity while welcoming new volunteers.
For more than 40 years, John Richards, vice president of the St. Mary’s County Fair Association, dedicated time each year supporting the county fair. His wife, Ann Richards, who has also been part of multiple Maryland fair communities over the past six decades, worked with John as a volunteer.
As the St. Mary’s County Fair returns Sept. 18-21, John and Ann’s shared story reflects how family, volunteers and tradition keep the county’s signature event going year after year.
“We moved here [St. Mary’s County] 60 years ago, when we were first married. He was from Prince George’s County, and I was from Baltimore County,” Richards said. “I was in 4-H from 10 years old. Baltimore County was our fair, and the Maryland State Fair was my fair.”
Ann remembers the Maryland State Fair as “a big rural fair.” While that fair has evolved into something much larger today, the St. Mary’s County Fair still delivers a rural experience and has its foundations in agriculture, tradition and community.
John led the St. Mary’s County Fair Association as president for more than four decades. He emphasized that the fair runs on the strength of volunteers and community support. When he described the fairgrounds, he said this place was more than a fall-season event space; it’s a year-round hub for St. Mary’s County events, from festivals to law enforcement training.
“It’s a community center,” Richards said. “We have 4-H events, we have Boy Scout events, we have Girl Scout events, Shop with a Cop, the sheriff does K-9 training here, school bus driver training, and I can just go down the list.”
Draft Horse Pulls and 4-H Livestock Auctions
The county fair showcases the volunteer efforts and heritage of farmers and community leaders. Organizers of the popular horse pulls and livestock auctions continue traditional events passed down through generations.
Draft horse pulling traces its roots to logging, when teams were used to haul heavy timber out of the woods. The skill and power of those horses became a competition, and in St. Mary’s County it remains a primary attraction at the fair. Bruce Barnes, chairman of the St. Mary’s County Fair Association and longtime competitor, said the tradition still draws crowds.
“That’s why horse pulling got started, actually, because they used draft horses to pull logs out of the woods where you couldn’t take a big tractor out,” Barnes said. “My father and I, that’s how we made a living. Instead of using a tractor or a skidder, we used the horses to pull logs out of the woods.”
The formats for horse pulling include mini, lightweight and heavyweight classes. With pull distances of 27 1/2 feet and loads that can reach anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000 pounds, depending on conditions.
Community participation and family involvement with the fair keep 4-H traditions alive across generations. Ronnie Farrell, a former chairman of the St. Mary’s County Fair Association, once helped manage the horse pulls and now organizes the livestock auctions with the help of many auctioneers. He said the auctions are also an important part of the fair because they give the 4-H youth a real return on all the work they put into raising their animals.
“The livestock sale is to support those kids that are in those 4-H programs,” Farrell said. “It’s to sell their market hogs, steers, lambs and sheep.”
Proceeds from the livestock sales benefit local 4-H youth directly, helping them recover the costs of raising their animals and often funding future projects or college savings. Farrell said that the youth in the steer program especially benefit from putting these earnings back into their livestock. The auctions also reinforce the fair’s mission to educate and support young people in agriculture, keeping the connection between farm families and the wider community strong.
Agriculture, Clydesdales and Modern Attraction
There is more than livestock at the St. Mary’s County Fair. Sean Gardner’s giant pumpkins, grown with year-round dedication, highlight more of the agricultural spirit that has defined the fair since its beginning.
For the past four years, Gardner has been hauling giant pumpkins from Mechanicsville to the St. Mary’s County Fair to be judged and observed by fairgoers. He called himself more of an enthusiast than a farmer, but his giant pumpkins have become a staple attraction at the fairgrounds. His largest pumpkin weighed in at 684 pounds.
“This year is going to be the biggest,” Gardner said. “So, I think my personal best, I think I beat it by a few hundred pounds anyway.”
The ribbons and contests are not the whole reason Gardner dedicates hundreds of hours each year to growing giant pumpkins. The participation in the county fair and the community reactions to his pumpkins are even more rewarding.
“Honestly, it’s just for the fun of it. It’s just for the kids. It brings lots of smiles,” Gardner said. “Every year kids get their pictures with the pumpkins, and then I get to see them, and it’s sort of heartwarming.”
When the season ends, Gardner carves the giants into canoes. He said his daughter has paddled them out onto the water, but with this year’s successful growing season, he is hopeful the giant pumpkin will support him in the open water.
The Clydesdales from Suttler Post Farm in Mechanicsville are another one of the unforgettable sights at the St. Mary’s County Fair. John Richards noted that their six-horse hitch has earned championships at the Maryland State Fair and in West Virginia. Ann Richards added that the team is also known for delivering Christmas trees to the White House, a tradition that connects the horses to both state and national history. Visitors can see the Clydesdales on display throughout the fair and catch performances in the evenings.
The fair also introduces new attractions each year to keep visitors engaged. This year the fair will embrace robotics demonstrations and battles from the growingSTEMs community robotics program. They will give visitors a glimpse of how local youth are shaping the county’s future.
GrowingSTEMS, a nonprofit based in Hollywood, Md., is bringing combat robotics to the county fair. The group runs STEM programs for students from elementary school through adulthood and will showcase a cage-protected competition featuring 3-pound robots built and driven by local participants.
“This year at the fair, we’re going to be hosting a combat robotics competition. So, think battle bots, but a little bit smaller,” Andrew Koch said, treasurer and secretary of growingSTEMS. “This is a really cool way to bridge the agricultural community that’s really focused on building hands-on and experiencing things in a very hands-on and down-to-earth way, with the tech community that’s also interested in cool, flashy, modern things. So, I think this will be a unique addition to the fair.”
Tradition at the Heart of the Fair
The St. Mary’s County Fair has remained rooted in agriculture and family traditions. Each September, visitors attend the fair for livestock shows, horse pulls, the parade, arts and crafts, home arts, farm and garden entries, and the fair’s farm museum, all celebrating the county’s rural heritage.
The 4-H livestock shows and auctions are among the fair’s best-known events. 4-H clubs give young people the chance to learn responsibility and leadership through hands-on projects in agriculture and community service. They also help connect children and teens with mentors, peers and the traditions that build skills and confidence.
“It’s a youth program, and that’s what it’s all about, getting the youth involved in agriculture and showcasing their animals that they work hard on all year,” Jay Farrell said, president of the St. Mary’s County Fair Association. “On Saturday evening they have a livestock auction, in which they’ll auction their animals off to the local buyers and anyone interested in buying homegrown meat.”
Farrell said that while members of the board are all unpaid, there are some paid positions at the fair, like local labor that is necessary for the fair’s daily operations. For example, maintenance, electricians and a few critical positions throughout the duration of the event.
“We’re all volunteers. Everybody here [at the St. Mary’s County Fair Association] is a volunteer, no paid staff at all. And everybody loves the fair and loves the kids and wants to do things to promote agriculture and all in the community,” Farrell said.
Other long-standing attractions reflect the fair’s mix of competition and community. Saturday’s parade brings in fire companies, businesses and civic groups. Inside the exhibition halls, residents display canning, sewing, artwork and school projects. The farm museum showcases historic equipment with volunteers on hand to explain its use.
Another county tradition involves local art contests and submissions. This year, the 78th annual St. Mary’s County Fair official catalog cover features artwork from Anslea Schifflebein of Leonardtown High School.
“They all draw their own drawing, to promote the fair and try to involve all the different aspects of the fair into a clean-cut picture,” Farrell said. “And then we have a committee that goes through them, and then they’ll pick the winner, and then a couple runners-up and all that.”
The St. Mary’s County Fair remains a showcase of agriculture and competition. It continues to be a gathering place where families, volunteers and neighbors come together to celebrate community and preserve local traditions.
“They’ve been carried on for generations and generations,” Farrell said. “It’s still a rural area with down-to-earth people and old country type things. It’s not a put-on show at all. It’s down-to-earth.”
Fairgoers know the event is as much about food and fellowship as it is about livestock and horse pulls. Families return each year planning their meals around stuffed ham sandwiches, funnel cakes, barbecue and ice cream.
“Some families treat it like a homecoming or a family reunion time when they come home to visit and to eat fair food,” Ann Richards said.
That sense of reunion and tradition, served with food, parades and auctions, is what keeps the fairgrounds filled each September.
St. Mary’s County Fair 2025 – At a Glance
- Thursday, Sept. 18 – Gates open, Queen of Tolerance Coronation, horse shows
- Friday, Sept. 19 – School Day, free student admission until 5 p.m., cake auction, mule jumping, lightweight horse pull
- Saturday, Sept. 20 – Parade, livestock auction, heavyweight horse pull, evening entertainment
- Sunday, Sept. 21 – Baby Show, antique tractor pull, horse shows, family day traditions
For more information about the fair, check out the official 78th Annual St. Mary’s County Fair Catalog of Classes.
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