THE ROCKY BEGINNINGS OF CECIL’S FIRST FAIR

By CAROL DONACHE Special to the Whig

This story originally ran in the Cecil Whig on July 19, 2019

FAIR HILL — It’s summertime, and the living is easy, or so the old song goes. In Cecil County the days (and nights) are hot and sultry, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time for the Cecil County Fair.

While we may come to expect the sights and sounds of the fair in July, when the Cecil County Agricultural Society Fair was established in 1880 after several false starts it was actually held in October.

As early as 1875, citizens of the county attempted to organize an agricultural society of our own; many of our farmers were members of the Oxford (Pa.) Agricultural Society. In late March 1875, as reported by the Cecil Whig, “Pursuant to the call by a number of the leading farmers of the county published last week, a meeting of those in favor of forming a County Association was held in the office of the School Commissioners, at Elkton, on Tuesday last.”

A Board of Managers was elected at this meeting, where they signed a constitution, established committees, and elected officers before agreeing to meet again on the second Tuesday in April in Elkton.