Hunterdon County 4-H and Agricultural Fair History
The Hunterdon County 4-H & Agricultural Fair was founded in 2000 to continue the tradition of a county fair in Hunterdon County after the dissolution of the Flemington Fair in 1999.
The Flemington Fair was the local venue for the agricultural and 4-H exhibits since 1848.
When the Flemington Fair announced it would cease to exist as an entity and event, several members of the Hunterdon County Board of Agriculture formed a committee to continue the local exhibition of 4-H and agricultural displays. The original committee consisted of several members of the Hunterdon County Board of Agriculture including Roger Everitt, George Conard, and Ken Totten. They approached the Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders for their support. The Hunterdon County 4-H & Agricultural Fair, Inc. is a non-profit, all volunteer group comprised of farmers, 4-H leaders/alumni, and local individuals.
Our mission is to celebrate our agrarian heritage by providing a county-wide Agricultural Fair for the residents of Hunterdon County and the surrounding area to promote agriculture, present educational exhibits, provide family entertainment, and offer competitive events for the agricultural community.
For the first four years, the Hunterdon County 4-H & Agricultural Fair was held at the Old Flemington Fairgrounds. During this period, the search began for a suitable location to relocate the fair resulting in the Hunterdon County Freeholders purchase of South County Park and dedicating it's use as a permanent fairgrounds. The new County Fairgrounds consisting of approximately 42 acres is a cooperative partnership between the County of Hunterdon and the Fair Association. The Fair Association proceeded to build the first five permanent buildings and installed a state of-the-art, flexible, outdoor power grid to provide services for the many vendors and exhibits enjoyed by the Fair patrons. We continue to improve the facility to make it capable of hosting a variety of large, diverse events.
We are extremely grateful to the county for their support and equally gratified by the donations of funds, materials, and labor from individuals and local businesses who have taken an interest in this most ambitious project. With the cooperation of the County, an additional 50 acres has been acquired for parking and other large area needs.
We are currently fundraising for our next building phase to include an Administration Building, a Small Animal Display Facility, and an entertainment Pavilion.
The Hunterdon County 4-H & Agricultural Fair has truly been a community effort with the initial support of the Hunterdon County Board of Agriculture and the Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the continued dedication of the 4-H families and many Hunterdon County businesses and individuals. We look forward to a long history of successful, family oriented events and community activities and entertainment.
