LEONARDTOWN, Md. — The St. Mary’s County Fair Association introduced its new president during a presentation to the St. Mary’s County Commissioners on Tuesday, just days before the 78th annual county fair opens.
John Richards, who served as president of the association for more than 40 years, announced he is stepping aside from the top role and now serves as vice president. Richards introduced Jay Farrell as the new president and praised the direction of the fair.
“I am very happy to have Jay Farrell as president,” Richards said. “He is going to take us from where we are today to places you have never seen before.”
Farrell, who has volunteered with the fair for decades, called it a privilege to step into the leadership role.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be here, especially this year as president,” Farrell said. “It could not happen without the tremendous support of our volunteers and our board.”
Farrell said that making the fair possible is a yearlong process. He said every month they are working on something, whether it is improving the fairgrounds or planning new events coming to Leonardtown.
The St. Mary’s County Fair Association makes efforts each year to preserve the agricultural history of St. Mary’s County at the county fair.
“It still promotes rural heritage and agriculture,” Farrell said. “That is what our main goal is, to keep that going for the county.”
Among this year’s highlights are the traditional livestock shows, horse pulls, parades and 4-H auctions. Newer events include mule jumping on Friday evening and robotics demonstrations hosted by the local nonprofit GrowingSTEMS.
Richards also told commissioners that he previewed this year’s giant pumpkin, weighing more than 1,000 pounds, that will be on display at the fairgrounds.
Commission President Randy Guy thanked the fair association for its continued work.
“We want to keep agriculture in our county as much as possible,” Guy said. “Mr. Richards’ time has been 40 years of great agricultural achievements.”
Richards and the county commissioners exchanged gifts at the end of the presentation. The commissioners were each given a St. Mary’s County Fair T-shirt featuring artwork from Leonardtown High School’s Anslea Schiffelbein, which is on the cover of this year’s fair catalog.
St. Mary’s County Fair 2025 – At a Glance
- Thursday, Sept. 18 – Opening day, Queen of Tolerance Coronation, horse shows
- Friday, Sept. 19 – School Day free admission until 5 p.m., cake auction, mule jumping, lightweight horse pull
- Saturday, Sept. 20 – Parade, 4-H livestock auction, heavyweight horse pull, evening entertainment
- Sunday, Sept. 21 – Baby Show, antique tractor pull, horse shows, family day traditions
The St. Mary’s County Fair will run Sept. 18-21. The fairgrounds are located at 42455 Fairgrounds Road in Leonardtown.
For more information, check out the St. Mary’s County Fair official 78th catalog of classes.
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