The fairgrounds were constructed beneath the cliffs of Knobley Mountain, running alongside the Potomac River. On Octothe “Cumberland Fair,” opened on a 100-acre site. The fair grew from 10 days to 12, increased its efforts to close the gap between citizens and agriculture, and has continued to whole-heartedly support the exhibitors which are the “heart of the event.” In the 1970s, the committee was successful in keeping Thoroughbred racing as part of the fair, as well as receiving a grant to expand the fairgrounds, which is now over 100 acres. A community-created “Save the Maryland State Fair Committee” raised over $600,000 to purchase the fairgrounds instead, ensuring it would continue at that location annually. In the 1950s, the Maryland Jockey Club, which was the majority stockholder of the Timonium property, was planning to sell the land. The Fair would not reopen its gates until 1946. Army as a storage depot and a vehicle repair center. Its simple format started to change into something more complex as time went on, with an increase in attractions and exhibits, but was halted due to the war effort in 1943 when the fairgrounds were leased by the U.S. Final results of the races were forwarded to interested horsemen in the surrounding areas by carrier pigeons. Popular attractions in the early years included plowing and working oxen, as well as horse racing. In the end, the two groups held joint fairs in 18, and finally merged to form the Maryland State Fair and Agricultural Society of Baltimore County in 1906. In its early years, the fair had a rival in the Pimlico Fair, also in Baltimore and also referred to as the State Fair. What might have been an end to the State Fair actually fueled it, as the Northern Central Railway became the primary source of transportation to the fair’s new location–a leased 37-acre plot of land known as the Timonium Estate. Later that year, the extension of the Northern Central Railway cut through the fairgrounds. The first successful State Fair in Maryland was held in 1878, run by a group of Maryland businessmen on a 4-acre lot in Lutherville. Summer is officially upon us, and with summer comes fairs! Whether you enjoy them for the food, entertainment, agricultural displays or the rides, have you ever wondered how all of Maryland’s county fairs came to be? Read on for a brief history of the fairs and how they all got their start.
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