ALTAMONT — After COVID cancelled the fair last year, for just the second time in its storied 128-year history, the fair is back in business and will run through Sunday, Aug. 22.
“It’s the third week in August and it’s fair time and we are ready to go,” said Pat Canaday, a member of the fair Board of Directors. “We are really happy to be back with the kids and the animals and just hearing the animal noises in the background while we are working. We are so excited.”
Fair officials are following the Center for Disease Control safety recommendations regarding COVID and people who are not vaccinated should wear masks indoors. But, since the fair is considered an outdoor venue, masks are not required but social distancing is encouraged.
Last year, prior to widespread vaccination, the fair was cancelled to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The last time the fair was cancelled was during World War II in 1942. When the Spanish Flu was ravaging the world in 1916, the county Department of Health restricted attendance to those older than 16 years old, a precaution protested by fair officials.
This year, the fair is back in full force with the midway featuring games and rides for adults and children, farm animals on display and ready to be judged and there is, of course, a healthy menu of fair food and drink.
The Altamont Fair works hard to stay true to its agricultural roots and features an agriculture and science building, antique farm equipment, historical exhibits and a host of 4H activities.
“That is our mission. Education and sharing of the agriculture story in the community. We take pride in trying to make sure we are educational as well as entertaining,” Canaday said. “The entertainment component is fun, but when we can have kids learn about animals or honey or maple syrup or about keeping the soil healthy or arts and crafts types of things like sewing and knitting and weaving, that is what is important.”
The first fair in Albany County was held in the City of Albany in 1819. Each fall, either Albany or another municipality hosted the fair but they were largely unorganized gatherings until Altamont stepped up in 1892 and formed a committee to host a true fair. A year later, the village hosted its first fair and it has been held on the same grounds each year since.
Admission for the first fair, held on about 24.5 acres of recently purchased land, was 25 cents and the net receipts for the four-day event was $884.13. The fair had started as the Albany County Fair but expanded to include Schenectady and then Greene counties becoming the only three-county fair in the state.
This year’s fair runs through Sunday, Aug. 22 and admission is $22 which includes parking, a host of entertainment and attractions and unlimited rides.
Click on a photo below to view a slideshow of the rest.
