Sullivan County Fair

History

The first County Fair was held in or around 1851. The Fair was officially organized in 1883. The annual fair was held in early October in the late 1800's and was known as the Forksville Fair.  

In 1878, the membership was listed at 550 members. The following year (1879), members voted on a permanent location for the fair. Forksville won with 246 votes and Dushore received 47 votes.

The fair leased ground from Mr. D. T. Huckell for $50 per year, in 1885. The present fairgrounds were purchased in 1892 from J. W. Rogers for the sum of $1000.

The Fairgrounds has been maintained and improved as much as possible in a county that has only a population of 6600 people. Much time and effort has gone into continuing a traditional county fair. Although the fair is small in size, the exhibits from the residents of this county and surrounding counties are varied and a good indication of the pride of the Sullivan County Citizens.  

As part of its non-profit status, the fair must strive to educate the consumer of the rural way of life and also to encourage the youth of the county to be proud of the Sullivan County way of life. The County is not large, but the fair strives to exhibit the agriculture in a positive way. Agriculture is the largest asset of this county and the fair must do its part to encourage an understanding of where our food comes from. It also provides an area in the county for various groups to hold events and celebrations. 4-H, especially, benefits from the fair. 4-H members receive monetary rewards for hard work and public recognition of their work.