Fairgrounds History
On a wintery day in 1852 with snow blanketing the valley, leading citizens from the far reaches of Lehigh County ventured to the quaint hamlet of Egypt in Whitehall Township for a noble cause.
At this momentous gathering, the nonprofit Lehigh County Agricultural Society impassioned to reward the achievements of farmers, gardeners and homemakers, was born. The annual exposition the founders of the Society created, supports agriculture, entertains the public, and has hosted millions of visitors in three centuries.
The Great Allentown Fair, the thrust of the Society's mission, is ranked one of North America's Top 50 fairs every year. Its 1852 successful debut on a four-acre tract in Allentown prompted the Society's purchase of a 14-acre site just blocks north of the city's downtown. There, harness racing boosted the appeal of the exposition known for showcasing livestock and produce, rides, games, food stands and entertainment from the wonderfully sublime to the hilariously ridiculous.
Outgrowing that location by 1889, the Society made a daring move to 46-acres west of 17th Street between Liberty and Chew streets to begin an era of remarkable contributions to the region's renown and economic growth. From 1917-1919, the United States Army Ambulance Corps took over the fairgrounds to ready 20,000+ troops for World War I service marking another amazing use of the property.
The Allentown Fairgrounds is home to the Lehigh Valley's largest trade show facility Agri~Plex, the beloved Fairgrounds Farmers Market, the nostalgic Ritz Barbecue restaurant, the historic Fairgrounds Hotel restaurant, the MainGate Nightclub, the Pines Dinner Theatre and of course, The Great Allentown Fair.
Over the decades, the Society has strived to be a model citizen opening its gates to thoroughfare traffic, emergency parking and disaster relief, while as a private property owner, paying real estate taxes that support its city, county and school district.
The original agricultural mission of the Lehigh County Agricultural Story continues to be filled by the annual operation of The Great Allentown Fair, but the magnitude of the entertainers that appear at the Martin H Ritter Grandstand increase the event's national recognition.
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