Hamilton County Fair (Ohio)
The Hamilton County Fair, formerly known as the Carthage Fair, is the county fair of Hamilton County, Ohio. It was held annually by the Hamilton County Agricultural Society at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Cincinnati's Carthage neighborhood. It is the oldest county fair in Ohio, first held in 1820 on the Ezekiel Hutchinson farm and beginning in 1855 at the Fairgrounds location. It was the first fair west of the Allegheny Mountains to offer cash awards in livestock competitions.[1] The fair was canceled in 1861 and 1862 due to the American Civil War,[2]in 1917-18 and 1942-44 due to World Wars; in 2018 due to rain and flash flooding, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[3]besides 2021-22 until Fall 2023 for multiple reasons, " ... limited availability of vendors, volunteers, and public sanitation and safety equipment, coupled with vendors’ ongoing concerns for public health ...",[3] but was then cancelled due to Hurricane Ian.[4]
In the 1970s, the racetrack had to be relocated to make room for Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway's West Side extension.[1] The 2023 fair will be held at a new location on McDonald Farm in Sale Creek.[5]
| Hamilton County Fair | |
|---|---|
 A celebrity cow milking contest on Fountain Square advertises the 1973 Carthage Fair. | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | County fair |
| Begins | August 10, 2023 |
| Ends | August 13, 2023 |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Hamilton County Fairgrounds |
| Location(s) | Carthage, Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Coordinates | 39°12′08″N 84°28′24″W |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 168 |
| Inaugurated | 1855 |
| Founder | William Henry Harrison |
| Organized by | Hamilton County Agricultural Society |
| Website | hamiltoncountyfair |
Cincinnati Police and Hamilton County, OH Sheriff's Office, besides security guards, are the fair's patrollers.
References
- Hoffman, Steve (August 1972). "The Carthage Fair". Cincinnati. Vol. 5, no. 11. Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. p. 35. Retrieved October 18, 2015 – via Google Books.
- "History". Hamilton County Fair. Archived from the original on August 13, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- "2021 Hamilton County Fair postponed until next year". WTVCFOX. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- "Threat of Hurricane Ian cancels Hamilton County Fair". www.timesfreepress.com. Chattanooga Times Free Press, Inc. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
- Courter, Barry (6 August 2022). "McDonald Farm offers Hamilton County Fair the chance to focus, grow". www.timesfreepress.com. Chattanooga Times Free Press Inc. Retrieved 30 October 2022.