Saratoga County Fair

There is a small town in Saratoga County which is located in upstate New York called Ballston Spa. Back in 1841 the Saratoga County Agricultural Society was formed in Ballston Spa, they are ones that present the Saratoga County Fair. This is one of the oldest fairs in New York State. I remember back in the 1980’s when our girls were in 4-H they participated in horse shows and dog shows, entered their rabbits in competition, made lots of delicious baked goods and entered many sewing, photography and craft items. We had a wall of ribbons hanging after the fair and then they went on to the New York State Fair with some of their blue ribbon winners. The fair was fun, it was held the last week of July and all the kids looked forward to it. The Saratoga Fair was more of a family affair with 4-H exhibits, entertainment and music, favorite fair foods, off course a large amusement park of exciting rides for kids of all ages and the County’s finest animals and competitions, there was always something for everyone to enjoy.  https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2020/07/saratoga-county-fair-a-short-history/

Due to the spread of COVID-19, the board made the decision to cancel the 179th Saratoga County Fair that was scheduled for July 21 through July 26. Since 1841 ince 1841 the fair has only been canceled once and that was during the Civil War.

Rich and I were involved in 4-H leadership too. Rich taught dog training and helped at horse shows. I taught sewing and one of my favorite classes was the “booboo class.” There were members as young as 8 or 9 up to their teens, they would all be so excited when the completed a garment and got it ready for fashion show at the fair. But if a mistake was made while sewing, some would get very upset thinking their project was ruined. It was then that I come up with the “booboo class.” One girl was overlocking the edges of her blouse and the sleeve fabric got in the way of the cutter and she had a tiny triangle cut in her sleeve. The look of devastation on her face thinking it was ruined. But I told her we would come up with a way to fix it. We added a piece of lace edging around both sleeves about 3″ up from the edge and the “booboo” was gone! She also had a beautiful custom style blouse now!

I was cleaning closets a few weeks ago have went down memory lane when I came across some of the outfits my girls made for fair. These were the styles of the 80’s and early 90’s.

I remember our girls working on projects throughout the year and then the week before the fair, they would be in the kitchen round the clock baking! Our oldest daughter would be working on her horse, getting him all cleaned and trimmed for showing. That was her biggest excitement at the fair, showing her horse. But in 1982 about a week before fair she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The 4-H supervisor decided it would be a risk to have her ride in the horse shows in case she fell off. Not knowing what the outcome of her surgery would be in mid August, we were able to talk him into letting Chris ride but we had to sign waivers stating we would not hold the fair or 4-H responsible if she incurred an injury. The horse shows went on and Chris was a happy camper while she participated.

Off subject on fair but after Chris’s brain surgery it left her right side paralyzed. But she was a persistent 13 year old and after being in rehab and working hard for a few months she regained full strength, only had to wear a brace for a dropped foot. But other than that and having a big horseshoe scar on her head she fully recovered.

Can you imagine a fair going on for 179 years and then COVID-19 struck it down? We don’t have kids in 4-H anymore getting prepared for fair but I can see the disappointment on those who were excited for fair to open in July this year only to find there wouldn’t be one. BUT WAIT!!! This fair has been a long standing tradition for so many families and this would be the first year many would be missing out.  A member of the fair’s Board of Directors worked with the New York State Association of Agricultural Fairs and the New York State Showpeople’s Association to organize a statewide virtual fair earlier this year. 

So between July 20th and July 26th, the Saratoga County fair went on, the virtual fair! They had virtual coloring contests, the fair pageant, scavenger hunts and even had a Food Truck Festival with some of the yummy fair food! https://saratogacountyfair.org/index.php/virtual-fair/

This was a walk down memory lane for me, remembering all the fun times at the Saratoga County Fair many, many years ago!