From left to right, Jordan Mister and Patrick Hirsh reigned as Miss Tranquility and Lord Calvert at the 2014 Calvert County Fair. (File Photo)
County fairs in Maryland are deeply rooted in the state’s historic agricultural economy. Such is the case for Southern Maryland’s county fairs – Charles (Sept. 17-20), St. Mary’s (Sept. 24-27) and Calvert (Sept. 30-Oct.4).
When tobacco was king in Southern Maryland, tobacco was also king at the Southern Maryland county fairs, with a building devoted to entries from tobacco farms. Now the fairs are lucky to get an entry from the miniscule production left after the tobacco buyout.
But the area’s county fairs still mix the rural and suburban lifestyles, even though the growing of crops or raising of livestock is often overshadowed by the growing of homes. Still those committed to retaining the area’s rural heritage are optimistic, as farmers moving out of tobacco are taking on new crops such as grapes for the burgeoning wineries.
County fairs in Maryland start in the dead of summer on the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland and conclude with the Calvert County Fair. The Maryland Agriculture Fair Board, in existence since 1937, provides assistance to the county fairs including financial aid for premium awards to exhibitors of agricultural displays.
Calvert County Fair is the oldest in the area, having been established in 1886. Its first venue was the farm of Dr. Talbot in Smithville, which is now Dunkirk. The first fair was primarily for horse racing, showing cattle and tobacco and provided men with a chance to visit with one another. It was held for a long time at a location on Fairgrounds Road in Prince Frederick before moving to the current fairgrounds on Route 231 in Barstow. The Calvert Fair Board was established 72 years ago.
Charles County Fair was established in 1924, managing to survive the Great Depression and thriving with the county’s growth and prosperity. It also survived a major fire in 2013. The fair was first held at Chapel Point and moved to its present site south of La Plata in 1931.
There were two St. Mary’s County Fairs beginning in the late 1940’s, one for whites and one for blacks. The white fair was established in 1947, with the first two at Camp Calvert on Breton Bay. In 1949 county government leased the current site on Route 5 south of Leonardtown to the St. Mary’s Fair Association, which has continuously updated the facilities.
The black fair, operated by the Farmers and Homemakers Association, was established in 1948 at Cardinal Gibbons Institute in Ridge and later moved to Loveville. It eventually moved to the fairgrounds site and the two fairs were held a week apart at the same location until 1963 when they were integrated.
An historic highlight of each fair is the crowning of the queen (and in Calvert’s case the king) of the fair. The names assigned to the queens each have historic significance. St. Mary’s has the Queen of Tolerance for the history of religious freedom established at St. Mary’s City. Charles has Queen Nicotina, of course for the county’s tobacco-growing heritage. And in Calvert there’s Miss Tranquility and Lord Calvert.
That tobacco tradition may have been a staple of each fair in the past, but they all continue to have livestock shows, exhibitor judging, entertainment and fair food. However they aren’t cookie cutter events, so someone attending all three can find plenty of variety to allow the absorption of the unique character of each county.
Each county fair in Southern Maryland is operated by an independent, all-volunteer board of directors, many of whom you see working at the fairs doing a myriad of tasks necessary to running them, including picking up trash and cleaning toilets. Money raised at the county fairs is plowed back into maintenance and expansion of facilities.
The county fairs are hugely popular, with just about everyone attending at one time or another, particularly on Fridays when traditionally schools are closed.
Each county fair distributes fair books that have schedules and information on exhibit entries. They are usually available at libraries and other public buildings. Their websites are also valuable sources of information.
The Charles County fair website is: http://charlescountyfair.com/
The St. Mary’s County fair website is: http://www.smcfair.somd.com/
The Calvert County fair website is; www.calvertcountyfair.com
The Bay net editor Marty Madden contributed to this story.
Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com
A carnival ride at the 2014 St. Mary’s County Fair.