Rich history behind the Delaware State Fair

The Delaware State Fair has come a long way in 99 years.  The long, winding tale begins with a small group of locals, and continues to be written today, now a huge event that draws hundreds of thousands to Harrington for ten days in the middle of the July heat.

It was conceived by small group of residents around a potbelly stove in the Harrington Railroad Station in 1919.  The group soon grew so large they had to move their meetings to the fire hall.

The Kent and Sussex County Fair, as it was known at the time, was incorporated in January 1920.

Thirty acres were purchased for $6,000 the following month.  Prices to get in, just a quarter for kids under 13, and 50 cents for adults.

One thing that has remained a constant has been the family atmosphere.

"My mother would bring me to the fair and turn me loose.  And maybe I was ten years old, and she never had to worry," said David G. Jones, a member of the fair's board of directors since 1973.  "And that's true today."

There have been a lot of changes at the Delaware State Fair over its 99-year history, but the most crucial change of all was the construction of the Harrington Casino, which opened its doors in 1996.

Jones told 47 ABC the opening of the casino changed everything.  Dividends that began flowing in from the casino injected new life into the fair.  It gave officials the ability to pave dirt roads and add brand new pavilions and air-conditioned buildings.

The biggest change has been we've gotten rid of the mud and we've gotten rid of the standing water.  And we've been able to do some paving," said Jones.

Leroy Betts has been on the board of directors with Jones since 1986.  He added before the casino opened, the fair had a lot of run-down buildings that the fair had to dump money in to constantly repair.

As time has gone on the fair has evolved in small ways to mirror changes around it in the world.  Such as changes in the entertainment the fair provides.

"As society has changed the fair has to change," said Betts.  "And a lot of us directors want us to keep in mind the tradition.  It's a family oriented thing and we want to keep that in place.

Officials tell us plans have been in the works for about two years now for the celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the fair in 2019.  However, they are not able to share details with the public on what is planned at this time.