Erie County Fair facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Erie County Fair
Genre	County Fair
Dates	11–22 August 2021 (currently postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
Location(s)	Hamburg, New York
Years active	180

The Erie County Fair is a really big and fun event held every August in Hamburg, New York. It's in Erie County, New York, and it's one of the largest fairs in New York State. In fact, it's often the fourth biggest county fair in all of North America! Over a million people visit it each year.

The very first Erie County Fair happened way back in 1820. It was put on by a group called the Niagara County Agricultural Society. The fair is famous for its exciting rides and games, especially the "midway." This part of the fair has been run by Strates Shows for nearly 100 years! This long partnership between the fair and Strates Shows is a big deal in the world of amusement parks.

In 2019, Strates Shows brought back a special ride called the "Sky Wheel." This classic double Ferris wheel was featured to celebrate their 95th anniversary with the Erie County Fair. It was the first time the Sky Wheel had been at the fair in over 20 years!

Sadly, the 181st Erie County Fair, planned for 2020, had to be postponed. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fair, which was supposed to be from August 12-23, 2020, will now happen the next year, from August 11-22, 2021. This postponement means the fair has only been cancelled twice since 1841. The other time was in 1943 during World War II. It was cancelled then to help save gasoline and other important supplies for the war effort. The fair came back the next year with record numbers of visitors.

History of the Erie County Fair

The Erie County Agricultural Society is a private group that started in 1819. It was first called the Niagara County Horticultural Society. Its main goal was to hold a county fair. The first fair was in 1820 in Buffalo, New York. A year later, Niagara County split into Erie and Niagara Counties. The agricultural society also split. The Erie County Agricultural Society is the oldest community group in Erie County.

The fair was briefly called America's Fair in the early 2000s. This was an attempt to make it popular beyond just Erie County. But it soon went back to being called the Erie County Fair.

Early Fairs and Challenges

The first fairs in 1820 and 1821 were held on the Buffalo waterfront. Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, an active pioneer in Buffalo, was the first president of the group. The location was near Terrace and Main Streets. People were excited about the "Farmer's Holiday." However, local farmers lost interest because travel was hard and the economy was slow. Everyone was also focused on building the Erie Canal.

After the Erie Canal opened in 1825, Buffalo grew quickly. The fair didn't happen from 1822 to 1840. But in 1841, the Erie County Agricultural Society started up again. They held a fair at Lafayette Square in Buffalo. Since 1841, the fair has only been cancelled once, in 1943, due to World War II rationing.

Moving Locations

The fair stayed in Buffalo until 1849. Then, as the city grew, it moved to a country spot. In 1850, the fair was held outside Buffalo for the first time, in the Village of Aurora. Lancaster hosted the fair in 1851. People could take special trains from Buffalo for just 25 cents! In 1852, the fair was in East Hamburgh, which is now Orchard Park. The fair moved around to different towns like Cold Springs and Aurora in the following years.

Important Changes and Speakers

In 1855, two big things happened. First, the fair started charging an admission fee of 12 ½ cents. Second, a famous newspaper editor named Horace Greeley spoke at the fair. He was known for saying, "Go west, young man, go west!" His speech at the fair was about practical farming topics. These included drainage, using tiles, and canning fruit, which was a new idea then.

In 1868, Luther Titus from Hamburg offered the fair a new home. He offered the Hamburg Driving Park Association's track and grounds for free. By a close vote, the fair moved to Hamburg. It held its first event there in 1868.

In 1881, the society bought its first land from Maria and Naomi Clark and George M. Pierce. This is the same place where the fair is held today! With its own land, the society started to make it a permanent home for the fair.

Fair Numbering and Milestones

The Erie County Agricultural Society held annual Fairs from 1841 to 1855. In 1856, the original society was reorganized. The fair held in 1856 was again called "number one." Over the years, the fair's organizers added the earlier fairs to the official count. By 1964, the fair was celebrating its 125th event!

In 2014, the Erie County Agricultural Society held its 175th fair. A big highlight was Nik Wallenda walking on a high-wire over the fairgrounds. He had crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope two years before!

Recent Events

On July 20, 2017, a tornado hit the Hamburg fairgrounds. It broke car windows and blew tree branches around. The damage was about 1.2 million US dollars. But repairs were done quickly, and the 2017 fair happened on time!

In 2017, the fair also celebrated 30 years of the "Giant Wheel" Ferris wheel. This huge ride is part of the Strates Shows midway. The Giant Wheel is still a main symbol of the fair, standing tall over the rides every year.

On August 19, 2018, nearly 1.2 million people visited the 179th Erie County Fair. This was the second highest attendance ever, just behind the 2014 fair.

On August 18, 2019, the 180th Erie County Fair set a new attendance record! A total of 1,238,456 visitors came, breaking the old record from 2014. The 2019 fair had almost 18,000 more visitors than the year before. It also featured new rides to celebrate the 95th anniversary with Strates Shows. These new rides included the Frisbee, the Crazy Mouse roller coaster, and the famous Sky Wheel.

Locations of Erie County Fair