MALONE — The start of the annual Franklin County Fair is today, which marks the 176th time it’s been held here in Malone, and the local fairgrounds even holds a place in the Historical Marker Database.
The county fair has become one of the most popular and anticipated events in the area as the week-long attraction brings families together from across the entire region. But the county fair wasn’t so large in its infancy, and there was even a 25-year gap in the years it was held in the early half of the 1800s.
The good thing is that after its long hiatus, farmers across the region petitioned for its return, and since that time, the Franklin County Fair has been growing and its leaders on the Franklin County Agricultural Society (FCAS) working to improve upon it every year.
The origins
As far as documentation of the origin of the Franklin County Fair, besides newspaper reports of the day, a couple of books give mention to it. One titled “North Country Settlers; Malone in the 19th Century” by Ted Mills, outlines some of the history of the fair.
The Franklin County Fair’s origins have its roots with the creation of an agricultural society, which sprouted thanks to $100 in state funding in 1820 “for the promotion of agriculture and domestic manufacturers,” Mills wrote.
Mills connects the agricultural background and growth in Malone and its adjoining towns, and explains just how vital farming and farmers were to the local economy. He wrote that the FCAS “brought together in the County Fair both the community-building pleasures of carnival and competition, and the peer-judged awards that would encourage excellence in agriculture and domestic manufacture.”
According to Mills, in regard to the fair, the “heart of the event was, and still is, the hundreds of men, women and children who enter livestock, floral displays, quilts, and other samples of their best work competing for the coveted ribbons and premiums.”
He described the county fair as “a major theater of quality performance as well as entertainment.”
Another detailed account of the county fair’s history comes from Frederick J. Seaver, who mentions a good deal about the newly formed local agriculture society, its rebirth and the new fair in his book titled “Historical sketches of Franklin County.”
The FCAS was organized in 1820 and was composed of board members Joseph Plumb, of Bangor, Thomas Smith, of Chateaugay, Asa Wheeler, of Malone, and John Wood, also of Malone, he wrote.
During those early days, prizes were awarded for “best field of crops and best farming generally,” and committees were formed to “inspect competing fields and farms,” along with “premiums for stock for the ‘likeliest bull’ and ‘likeliest cow.” Premiums was the terminology of the day for what today is known as prizes.
A top bull would earn a $10 prize and the second place a $7 prize, according to Seaver, with the top prize for an acre of wheat hitting the $8 mark, among a host of others. He also specified that horse racing was not among the list of competitions.
“Of course there were no purse in any year for trails of speed, for probably there were no fast horse in all this section and certainly there was no race track,” he wrote.
A list of prizes was made public until 1826, but after that there were no more reports in the “Franklin Telegraph,” the local newspaper of the day, so it was presumed the agricultural society went “out of existence.” and with it, the early version of the county fair.
The Ag society is reborn
From the late 1820s to 1850, apparently there was no formal Franklin County Agricultural Society – but it was reborn following a petition by farmers and others in 1851 – and the next year the fair, actually called an exhibition, was reestablished, according to Seaver. The first exhibition was held on land that was an open field on which wheat was grown, as William Andrus allowed its use for nothing more than the society being responsible for fencing the area and removing the stone.
That initial fair lasted two days, and $437.31 was the gate receipt, Seaver wrote, adding that the prize amounts in the early fairs weren’t as high as the ones more than two decades prior, and many of the awards were of ‘diplomas only.’”
But gradually, the fair started to catch on – especially as the FCAS kept growing the event.
Starting out as a means for farmers to showcase their livestock and produce by competing with other farmers, the concept of an entertaining fair caught on with the public, and year after year, the agricultural society explored other forms of attractions to lure the pubic – and bring in some revenue.
Seaver wrote that attendance at the second two-day fair, “during which the weather was unfavorable,” was estimated at between 5,000 to 6,000 (pretty good numbers considering there were no automobiles), and gate receipts totaled $871.88 – nearly $40,000 in today’s dollar value.
By 1853, “a race track a third of a mile long in circumference had been built, and a trotting purse of twenty dollars was advertised, with special attractions to consist of Indian foot-races and a game of lacrosse,” Seaver wrote.
The fair also started to add attractions, with music and a “competition between lady equestrians for prizes” added in 1854. and the people continued to come and word spread of the annual fair in Malone.
“Men from far-away places who are strangers to the locality also attend year after year simply because our fairs are so attractive and the welcome of the people so cordial,” Seaver wrote, “And not a few of these make no reservations in pronouncing the Franklin County fairs to be unequaled in New York except by the State Fair.”
The Franklin County Fair is also mentioned in Malone’s Sesqui-Centennial publication that was produced in 1952 to celebrate the town’s 150-year anniversary dating back to 1802, according to the pamphlet’s cover.
The first “annual exhibition” of the county’s agriculture society was held 15-18 years after the first settlers arrived in Malone, and the fair was just a one-day event with it being held at irregular intervals, according to that pamphlet, and the grandstand and track were first constructed around 1902 and the cattle barns about 1937.
The “Franklin County Fair has the distinction of being rated as one of the top Fairs of the State for a good many years,” the publication reads.
New attractions arise
Fast-forward to the 1960s, when carnival rides, games, concerts and a plethora of entertaining performances were now the norm for many fairs in the country, including the Franklin County Fair.
Somewhere along the line motorized vehicles entered the scene, although the exact date automobiles were introduced to county fairs is unclear.
What is known, is that in 1964, the local fair introduced tractor pulls, which involves a modified or antique tractor competing to pull a heavy, specialized sled down a dirt track, and the tractor that pulls the sled the greatest distance wins.
Shortly after that, circa 1968, the demolition derby made its debut in Malone and has become one of the Franklin County Fair’s most popular events.
Demolition derbies involve drivers intentionally colliding with each another in an attempt to disable the other cars and be the last one running, and the first such spectacle can be traced back to the 1930s, when drivers would take part in “bumping contests” as part of stock car racing events.
The first documented demolition derby took place in 1958 at Long Island’s Islip Speedway, and it didn’t take long to quickly became a popular attraction at racetracks across the United States and Canada.
As far as concerts, there was no comprehensive list found of the bands and musicians that have played in the history the Franklin County Fair, however, that list is certainly a long one. From country to pop stars to classic rock and roll bands, the fair has hosted a variety of performers to suit many types of music enthusiasts and fans.
History marker
As for the historic marker, it is a testament of the level of recognition the county’s fairgrounds has and its prominent role in the North Country. These markers are part of an initiative to place historical markers around the New York State to commemorate historical sites, pointing out local significance that makes that particular place unique and interesting -.and fittingly the one at the fairgrounds was erected by Franklin County Historical Society.
Unfortunately, the historic marker isn’t up these days. According to a fair official, it was found detached and broken in half over the winter and has yet to be replaced.
For those who never noticed the local marker, which now sits waiting to be repaired or replaced, it notes that the fair has been held here since 1852, mentions its description in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book Farmer Boy, and notes the grounds served as a marshalling site for two Irish Fenian invasions of Canada.
Certainly, the Franklin County Fairgrounds and its annual fair full of rides, games, music, livestock and other forms of entertainment, has earned its place as a historic marker of Malone and the North Country.