This is the season for county fairs. While the Barnstable Fair has come and gone, commercials for the Marshfield Fair are on the radio and the further you get from the Boston area, the more fairs are being held. Certainly, while there aren’t as many as there used to be, Massachusetts has enough to keep anyone busy.
The first recorded event that could come under the heading “county fair” in the “New World” was in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1765. Its descendant, the Hants County Fair, continues today. Also, in 1765, York, Pennsylvania had a two- day agricultural market, but that didn’t quite meet the requirements to be considered a county fair.
The idea of the county fair as an event organized by an agricultural society was brought to life by Elkonah Watson, a New England farmer and patriot. He was actually dubbed the “Father of the United States Agricultural Fairs” after he organized the Berkshire Agricultural Society. Along with this society, he organized an event that was first known as a “cattle show” in Pittsfield, MA in 1811. What made this event different and the precursor to the county fair was that it wasn’t a market or exhibit, but a competition with prizes and prize money. He went on to help other agricultural societies to organize and by 1819, most New England counties had fairs sponsored by their societies. Agricultural and domestic items were brought to be judged and awarded prizes.
In the 1900’s, Granges took over the role of some of the agricultural societies and sponsored local fairs as they still do today. This past weekend was the Rochester Grange’s yearly fair with many items on display for the judges and visitors.
Here in Rochester, beginning in 1999, we also had our own “country fair.” Rochester’s country fair was at first held in the area behind and beside the stores at Plumb Corner and was originally conceived as a way to usher in the New Millennium. At those first fairs, there were bring your own frog jumping contests, the centerpiece Woodsman Show and contest, fiddling competitions, tractor pulls and much more.
Over the years, the fair grew adding more events including concerts and wrestling shows. They moved to a new designated field off Pine St. and continued to attract crowds and add events. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not kind to the organization. First, Triple E forced evening money making events to be cancelled. Next, came the Covid Pandemic and finally, last year’s attempt was pretty much washed out by downpours. The triple whammies were enough to bring the fair’s many years to an end.
This year, the Rochester Historical Society is not replacing the beloved country fair, but we are having a Mini-Fair with a Historical Flair. This is planned for Saturday, August 26 from 10-3 at the Rochester Historical Museum at 355 County Rd. We will have games and contests for kids and adults that revolve around Rochester history. We’ll also have a special metal detecting demonstration starting at 11:15, as well as an all- day bake sale and a chance to buy Rochester books, maps, clothing, etc.
At this time, we want to thank all those volunteers from 1999-2022 who kept the country fair alive for the people of Rochester and the surrounding area.
By Connie Eshbach