W
here there’s a county fair every fall
And your friends are there no matter
when you call
Yeah, it may not sound like much but it’s where I’m from ~Jason Michael Carroll
The 150th Great Frederick Fair was held from September 14-22, 2012. This year, through my internship with Agrivisions, Inc. I had the opportunity to work in the Frederick Fair office before and during this GREAT event! It was one of the coolest and exhausting (lol – in a good/rewarding way) experiences of my life! 🙂 I worked with an amazing group of people in the office and got to see just how much preparation/hard work goes into making this event successful! Let me tell ya, it is more than I ever would of or could have imagined!
I loved every minute of this internship and was able to see the fair in a whole different light! I have grown up in Frederick County, attending the fair every year since I can remember. My family is life members and a couple of my family members serve on the fair board of directors. I always went to the fair, entered my crafts, photos and baked goods in the 4-H building, watched my friends show animals, went to the entertainment at night, rode the rides, strolled through the buildings and ate my way around the fairgrounds…
I never stopped and thought about who organizes the vendors in their designated spots, who prepares the barns, who hangs up all the signs, who lines up the entertainment, who stays up until the fair closes every night cleaning and sorting out finances and EVERYTHING ELSE… THE FAIR OFFICE STAFF AND MAINTENANCE! The fair even hires extra help during the fair– rightfully so, but I never thought of this until I saw it with my own two eyes! I developed a much greater appreciation and sense of gratitude and respect for the fair and the people who plan it. Anyway, just wanted to shout out to the Frederick Fair staff, maintenance and any volunteers who helped make this year a success! And, to thank the staff for allowing me to help out and learn so much! They are a very impressive bunch of people!
The Great Frederick Fair offers a large variety of exhibits and activities for people of all ages. The Great Frederick Fair hires Reithoffer Shows to come and set up/run the Carnival midway, which featured about 45 rides this year, including a new attraction, The Stinger! There are livestock exhibits, a poultry building, machinery row, City Streets and Country Roads, the Household and 4-H buildings filled with exhibits, a community tent and of course many food options!!!!!!! 
(In my opinion…)One of the neatest features at the fair is the birthing center which allows fair goers to witness the miracle of birth on the farm in person! This year, several babies were born, including a calf named Sammy and piglets. 
If you have never been to The Great Frederick Fair, or if you usually only focus on one section of the grounds, be sure to stay posted and visit next year, September 13-21, 2013.
There is so much to see, you may have to go several days! 🙂
{I can not thank the fair staff (Becky, Bobbert and Alice!) and my internship boss (Susan) enough for the amazing opportunities, wonderful memories and for teaching me so much! Love you all! I hope I can help next year too!!!!!!! 🙂 }
The Frederick Fairgrounds : 797 East Patrick Street Frederick, MD 21701 ; 301-663-5895
*All of my information/photos can be found on THE GREAT FREDERICK FAIR FACEBOOK PAGE OR http://thegreatfrederickfair.com/
karenthefarmersdaughter 