The Prince George’s County Fair takes place September 7-10, 2017, at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center and Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
A historic county fair
The fair started in 1842 as a friendly gathering for local farmers to display their produce and livestock and have a little fun. Today, it is Maryland’s oldest race fair in one of the oldest counties in the United States.
Although the Prince George’s County Fair began with cattle and field crops, it eventually came to include what were then called “women’s arts,” with competitions for the best jams, jellies, canned goods, cakes, breads, cookies, clothing, etc. quilts and crafts. It still does, and winning one of these culinary or craft competitions is still considered a great achievement.
4-H and Open Class Cattle Competitions
The annual family event continues to focus on animals with livestock and 4-H arts and crafts competitions, and open-class livestock and craft contests for cattle, goats and sheep. However, there is much more to this long-running and well-organized fair.
Plus ponies, breeds, arts, and beautiful babies
In addition to animal competitions, there are live animal exhibits, a petting zoo with camels, pony rides, fun pig and duck races, noisy mini-car races, and fireworks. Fair visitors love the arts and crafts competitions in photography, fine arts, carpentry, basket weaving, flower growing, and flower arranging. Additionally, vendor and small business window displays provide entrepreneurs with an opportunity to meet and greet the public.
Beautiful baby contests with pampered and pampered babies and toddlers are considered a delightful highlight of the fair.
And plain old fun
When it’s time for pure, old-fashioned fun, fair visitors head to the middle, where there are plenty of food concessions, carnival games, carnival rides (including a Ferris wheel and roller coaster), and entertainment at I live with local bands and others.
In a historic county
Prince George’s County, with nearly one million residents, abuts the eastern border of Washington, DC, placing it directly in the capital region. Because it is so close to Washington, it has many government facilities from Joint Base Andrews to the United States Census Bureau.
The English created the county in 1696, naming it after Prince George of Denmark (1653-1708), the husband of Queen Anne of Great Britain. In its early history, the southern regions of the county were populated by tobacco farms worked by enslaved Africans, endowing the area with a high population of African Americans. Today, Prince George’s County is one of the wealthiest African-American majority counties in the United States.
This venerable county has a number of structures on the National Register of Historic Places.
Prince George’s County Fair Location
The Prince George’s County Fair is at the Equestrian Center and Show Place Arena, 14900 Pennsylvania Ave., Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The fair is located on I-495 (Capital Beltway) at Exit 4 near Oxon Hill, Maryland. There is plenty of free parking available.
For more details on current hours and admission fees, visit the fair’s website or call 301-442-7393.
