The Orange County Fair is an annual fair held in the town of Wallkill, New York. The fair began when farmers of Orange County organized an agricultural society to help promote a county fair. In 1808 they tried to organize the fair but it did not generate enough local interest. The society tried again in 1818 and held the fair until 1825. It took another sixteen years before county leaders met at the Old Stone Courthouse in Goshen, New York on September 11, 1841, and formed the Orange County Agricultural Society. That meeting was the birth of the Orange County Fair and the first fair was held on November 17, 1841, in Goshen.
Since that first fair in Goshen, the fair gained in popularity and other communities wanted to host it on a rotating basis. The fair rotated locations from year to year in Montgomery, NY, Chester, NY, Newburgh, NY, Warwick, NY, Washingtonville, NY, Goshen, NY and Middletown, NY.
In 1862 the fair's permanent site in Goshen was established but by 1872 the fair was in trouble because the lease on that site was not renewed, however, a group of Orange County farmers kept the fair alive in succeeding years.[1]
It was permanently located in the Wallkill - Middletown area in 1897.[2]
The fair was cancelled during WWI from 1917 to 1918, WWII 1942–45 and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The fairgrounds are also home to the Orange County Fair Speedway, where they hold stock car races and demolition derbies during the summer months. It is the oldest continuously operating dirt track in the United States. In 1919, a group staged an automobile race during the annual fair. The first race was a huge success, and auto racing has been an integral part of the fairgrounds ever since.[3]
The fair no longer maintains 4-H and Future Farmers of America exhibits, Future Farmers of America hasn't been a part of the fair for a number of years and in 2012, 4-H pulled out as well. The fair now brings in private agricultural displays and exotic animals which it considers more friendly to its customers.[4]
In the 1980s and 1990s, each summer, the Orange County Fairgrounds hosted the Westwood One & Pepsi Concert Series, featuring some of the biggest names in the rock & pop music industry. Some of the music acts included:
Artist / Band | Tour | Date | |
---|---|---|---|
Reunion Tour | July 24, 1981 | ||
August 28, 1983 | |||
Back in the Saddle Tour | July 5, 1984 | ||
Tour de Force Tour | July 30, 1984 | ||
Rant n' Rave w/ the Stray Cats Tour | July 31, 1984 | ||
CSN Summer Tour | August 10, 1984 | ||
Sports Tour | August 24, 1984 | ||
Beyond Appearances Tour | June 30, 1985 | ||
Huey Lewis and The News | Sports Tour - "Power Of Love" Segment | July 18, 1985 | |
Willie Nelson & Family LIVE! | July 30, 1985 | ||
Juke Box Heroes Tour | August 1, 1985 | ||
Reckless Tour | August 27, 1985 | ||
Cathode Ray Tour / Voices Carry Tour | September 1, 1985 | ||
Lives In The Balance Tour | July 6, 1986 | ||
The Touch Tour | July 23, 1986 | ||
20th Anniversary Reunion Tour | July 24, 1986 | ||
Lovin Every Minute Of It Tour | July 31, 1986 | ||
The Rock A Little Tour | August 17, 1986 | ||
Rockin' All Over the World Tour | September 9, 1986 | ||
Rock 'N' Roll Caravan '87 Tour | July 11, 1987 | ||
Into The Fire Tour | June 15, 1987 | ||
Bad Animals Tour | July 23, 1987 | ||
Kenny Rogers 10th Anniversary Tour | August 28, 1987 | ||
FORE! Tour | August 30, 1987 | ||
Bad Animals Tour II | June 26, 1988 | ||
Hysteria Tour | July 26, 1988 | ||
Mercenaries of Metal Tour | July 27, 1988 | ||
Slip of the Tongue Tour | August 5, 1988 | ||
Permanent Vacation Tour / Appetite For Destruction Tour | August 7, 1988 | ||
Calling All Nations Tour | August 19, 1988 | ||
Never Ending Tour | September 2, 1988 | ||
Open Up And Say...Ahh! Tour | June 2, 1989 | ||
No Rest For The Wicked Tour | July 2, 1989 | ||
New Jersey Syndicate Tour | July 9, 1989 | ||
Damaged Justice Tour / Sonic Temple Tour | July 14, 1989 | ||
Endless Summer Tour / Beachago Tour 1989 | July 25, 1989 | ||
An Evening of Yes Music Plus Tour | August 9, 1989 | ||
Strange Behavior Tour | August 18, 1989 | ||
Cosmic Tour | June 15, 1990 | ||
Hot In The Shade Tour | June 17, 1990 | ||
Pump Tour / Shake Your Money Maker Tour | June 19, 1990 | ||
Dr. Feelgood World Tour / Five Man Acoustical Jam Tour | July 1, 1990 | ||
Liquor & Poker World Tour | July 6, 1990 | ||
The Brigade Tour | July 18, 1990 | ||
Crosby, Stills & Nash | Tour: Live It Up | July 23, 1990 | |
Swallow This Live: Flesh & Blood World Tour | June 5, 1991 | ||
Clash Of The Titans Tour | June 27, 1991 | ||
American Tour | July 4, 1991 | ||
Little Ain't Enough Tour | July 5, 1991 | ||
Yes | Union Tour | July 22, 1991 | |
Huey Lewis and the News | Hard At Play Tour | July 24, 1991 | |
Crazy World Tour | July 25, 1991 | ||
Operation Rock N' Roll Tour | August 16, 1991 | ||
Holy Water Summer Tour | September 2, 1991 | ||
ZZ Topp with Extreme | Recycler Tour / Pornograffiti Tour | September 11, 1991 | |
The Lost Cities Tour | August 7, 1992 | ||
Shades of Two Worlds Tour / FEEL THIS | August 28, 1992 | ||
Tesla | Psychotic Supper World Tour | September 20, 1992 | |
Right Here, Right Now Tour | July 6, 1993 | ||
MTV Alternative Nation Tour | July 15, 1993 | ||
1993 SUMMER TOUR / HORDE Tour | July 21, 1993 | ||
Adrenalize Tour | July 30, 1993 | ||
Shit Hits The Shed Tour | June 17, 1994 | ||
Scorpions | Face the Heat Tour | July 6, 1994 | |
The Color of My Love Tour | August 4, 1994 | ||
Yes | Talk Tour | August 21, 1994 | |
The Road To The Promised Land Tour | July 25, 1995 | ||
101.5 WPDH 20th Anniversary $20,000 Cash Bash | with Special Guest .38 SPECIAL | June 28, 1996 | |
Def Leppard | Slang Tour | July 19, 1996 | |
Smokin' Grooves Tour | August 6, 1996 | ||
Naughty Little Doggie Tour | June 20, 1997 | ||
July 21, 1997 | |||
Evolution Tour | July 6, 1998 | ||
Dizzy Up the Girl Tour | Aug. 29, 1999 | ||
The Marshall Tucker Band | July 25, 2001 | ||
Friday July 23, 2004 8PM (PEPSI portable stage) | |||
July 24, 2004 (PEPSI portable stage) | |||
Then & Now Tour | July 27, 2004 | ||
Long Black Train Tour | July 28, 2004 | ||
Death In The Forest Festival 2006 | May 20, 2006 | ||
The End Is Begun Tour | July 19, 2008 | ||
October 11, 2008 | |||
Night Ranger w/ Vince Neil | 35th Anniversary Tour | July 18, 2018 | |
Aug 6, 2021 |