Bygone Hudson Valley

In celebration of the Ulster County Fair, which runs through this Sunday, here are a few highlights from the fair’s lengthy history.

The first Ulster County Fair was held in 1886 in Ellenville, thanks to the planning of the newly formed Southern Ulster Agricultural Society. The three-day fair was held at the Ellenville Driving Park, the grounds of which were part of an estate owned by John W. Rode. (Today that site is home to the Ellenville Central Schools.)

According to the booklet “A History of the Ulster County Fair: The First 100 Years,” by Carol Wills Laurito,  “Admission to the [first] Fair was reasonable, too – a single ticket cost only 25 cents; a one-horse carriage ticket cost 10 cents while a two-horse carriage ticket was 25 cents.” In later years, admission to the Ulster County Fair was free; admission was once again charged beginning in 1975. At that point, the entrance fee was $1.00.

In its early history, the Society offered “Schoolchildren Day,” with free admission to the Ulster County Fair for students. Some schools in the area closed for all or part of the day in order for children to attend the fair. (At that time, the Fair was held in the early fall.)

Some of the competitions at the early fairs included bicycle racing contests, baseball games and decorated wagon parades in which the participants were awarded prizes. Meals could be purchased at the fairgrounds, in what the Agricultural Society described as “a first class restaurant.”

By 1895, the Ulster County Fair had become a well-respected agricultural event. A notice in the August 24 issue of the Rockland County Journal announced “The fairs of this Society are now recognized to be among the most interesting held in this part of the State.” The same notice announced more than $8,800 in purses to be awarded for the various horse racing events held at the fair.

Trips in hot-air balloons were a popular attraction at the fair in the early 1900s.

The Kingston Freeman ran a story in 1902 about brothers who had not seen each other in more than 20 years reuniting unexpectedly at the Ulster County Fair. Emil and Adolph Reiss met by chance at the poultry exhibit – both men were supposedly drawn there by their memories of raising and exhibiting pigeons as young men in New York City.

A 1906 notice in local newspapers announced the schedule for the three-day fair: athletic events on Day 1, floral parade and competition on Day 2 and horse-racing on Day 3, with exhibits and music provided by the Clayton Military Band on all three days.

In 1923, lights provided by the U.S. Army allowed the Ulster County Fair to remain open into the late evening.

The fairgrounds in Ellenville were purchased in 1932 by the Ellenville School District and the Ulster County moved to Kingston that year. It was first held at Forsyth Park in that city, and later the State Armory building, before returning to the park.  Following its move to Kingston, the Ulster County Fair became a single day event for over 30 years.

In 1967, the Ulster County Fair moved to New Paltz, on the site of the former Ulster County Home and Farm, where it has remained ever since. By the 1970s, the fair featured a dozen commercial and educational tents, 4-H booths with more than 4,000 items and livestock displays, Grange displays, square dancing, band concerts and numerous other shows over four days.

A special fair theme was announced in 1976 in honor of the country’s bicentennial: “We Are Proud to Be Americans.”

The 100^th Anniversary of the Ulster County Fair was celebrated in 1987. Today, Ulster County Agricultural Society’s annual Ulster County Fair is a six-day event.

The Ellenville Public Library and Museum is currently hosting “Early Days of the Ulster County Fair,” an exhibit of postcards, photos and ephemera from its archives. The exhibit will be on display through August 30, 2014. For more information, call (845) 647-5330 or visit the library’s website: http://eplm.sharepoint.com/Pages/default.aspx