The Orange County Fair is an annual fair held in the town of Wallkill, New York. The fair began when farmers of Orange County organized an agricultural society to help promote a county fair. In 1808 they tried to organize the fair but it did not generate enough local interest. The society tried again in 1818 and held the fair until 1825. It took another sixteen years before county leaders met at the Old Stone Courthouse in Goshen, New York on September 11, 1841, and formed the Orange County Agricultural Society. That meeting was the birth of the Orange County Fair and the first fair was held on November 17, 1841, in Goshen.

Since that first fair in Goshen, the fair gained in popularity and other communities wanted to host it on a rotating basis. The fair rotated locations from year to year in Montgomery, NY, Chester, NY, Newburgh, NY, Warwick, NY, Washingtonville, NY, Goshen, NY and Middletown, NY.

In 1862 the fair's permanent site in Goshen was established but by 1872 the fair was in trouble because the lease on that site was not renewed, however, a group of Orange County farmers kept the fair alive in succeeding years.[1]

It was permanently located in the WallkillMiddletown area in 1897.[2]

The fair was cancelled during WWI from 1917 to 1918, WWII 1942–45 and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Orange County Fair Speedway

The fairgrounds are also home to the Orange County Fair Speedway, where they hold stock car races and demolition derbies during the summer months. It is the oldest continuously operating dirt track in the United States. In 1919, a group staged an automobile race during the annual fair. The first race was a huge success, and auto racing has been an integral part of the fairgrounds ever since.[3]

4-H And Future Farmers of America

The fair no longer maintains 4-H and Future Farmers of America exhibits, Future Farmers of America hasn't been a part of the fair for a number of years and in 2012, 4-H pulled out as well. The fair now brings in private agricultural displays and exotic animals which it considers more friendly to its customers.[4]

Westwood One / Pepsi Concert Series

In the 1980s and 1990s, each summer, the Orange County Fairgrounds hosted the Westwood One & Pepsi Concert Series, featuring some of the biggest names in the rock & pop music industry. Some of the music acts included:

Artist / BandTourDate
Jan & DeanReunion TourJuly 24, 1981
The Beach BoysAugust 28, 1983
Aerosmith with Orion the Hunter (band)Back in the Saddle TourJuly 5, 1984
38 Special w/ special guest Night RangerTour de Force TourJuly 30, 1984
Stray CatsRant n' Rave w/ the Stray Cats TourJuly 31, 1984
Crosby, Stills & NashCSN Summer TourAugust 10, 1984
Huey Lewis and The NewsSports TourAugust 24, 1984
Santana (band)Beyond Appearances TourJune 30, 1985
Huey Lewis and The NewsSports Tour - "Power Of Love" SegmentJuly 18, 1985
Willie NelsonWillie Nelson & Family LIVE!July 30, 1985
Foreigner w/ special guest Joe WalshJuke Box Heroes TourAugust 1, 1985
Bryan Adams w/ special guest Cock Robin (band)Reckless TourAugust 27, 1985
Rick Springfield w/ special guest Til' TuesdayCathode Ray Tour / Voices Carry TourSeptember 1, 1985
Jackson BrowneLives In The Balance TourJuly 6, 1986
Alabama w/ special guest Sawyer BrownThe Touch TourJuly 23, 1986
The Monkees with Herman's Hermits & Gary Puckett & The Union Gap20th Anniversary Reunion TourJuly 24, 1986
Loverboy with special guest DokkenLovin Every Minute Of It TourJuly 31, 1986
Stevie Nicks w/ special guest Peter FramptonThe Rock A Little TourAugust 17, 1986
John FogertyRockin' All Over the World TourSeptember 9, 1986
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers w/ Georgia Satellites & Del FuegosRock 'N' Roll Caravan '87 TourJuly 11, 1987
Bryan Adams with Special Guest The HootersInto The Fire TourJune 15, 1987
Heart (band) with Tom KimmelBad Animals TourJuly 23, 1987
Kenny Rogers w/ special guest Ronnie MilsapKenny Rogers 10th Anniversary TourAugust 28, 1987
Huey Lewis & The News w/ special guest Bonnie Hayes & the Wild ComboFORE! TourAugust 30, 1987
Heart w/ special guest Michael BoltonBad Animals Tour IIJune 26, 1988
Def Leppard w/ special guest Europe (band)Hysteria TourJuly 26, 1988
Judas Priest w/ special guest Cinderella (band)Mercenaries of Metal TourJuly 27, 1988
WhitesnakeSlip of the Tongue TourAugust 5, 1988
Aerosmith w/ special guest Guns N' RosesPermanent Vacation Tour / Appetite For Destruction TourAugust 7, 1988
INXS w/ Jimmy BarnesCalling All Nations TourAugust 19, 1988
Bob DylanNever Ending TourSeptember 2, 1988
Poison (band) w/ special guest TeslaOpen Up And Say...Ahh! TourJune 2, 1989
Ozzy Osbourne w/ special guests White Lion and Vixen (band)No Rest For The Wicked TourJuly 2, 1989
Bon Jovi w/ Skid RowNew Jersey Syndicate TourJuly 9, 1989
Metallica w/ The CultDamaged Justice Tour / Sonic Temple TourJuly 14, 1989
The Beach Boys w/ special guest Chicago (band)Endless Summer Tour / Beachago Tour 1989July 25, 1989
Yes (band)An Evening of Yes Music Plus TourAugust 9, 1989
Tom Petty w/ special guest The ReplacementsStrange Behavior TourAugust 18, 1989
The B-52'sCosmic TourJune 15, 1990
Kiss w/ special guest SlaughterHot In The Shade TourJune 17, 1990
Aerosmith w/ special guest The Black CrowesPump Tour / Shake Your Money Maker TourJune 19, 1990
Mötley Crüe w/ special guest TeslaDr. Feelgood World Tour / Five Man Acoustical Jam TourJuly 1, 1990
Whitesnake w/ Faster PussycatLiquor & Poker World TourJuly 6, 1990
Heart w/ Giant (band)The Brigade TourJuly 18, 1990
Crosby, Stills & NashTour: Live It UpJuly 23, 1990
Poison with Slaughter & Bullet BoysSwallow This Live: Flesh & Blood World TourJune 5, 1991
Megadeth / Slayer / Anthrax / Alice In ChainsClash Of The Titans TourJune 27, 1991
Doobie BrothersAmerican TourJuly 4, 1991
David Lee Roth w/ Cinderella & ExtremeLittle Ain't Enough TourJuly 5, 1991
YesUnion TourJuly 22, 1991
Huey Lewis and the NewsHard At Play TourJuly 24, 1991
The Scorpions w/ Great White, Aldo Nova, & Mr. BigCrazy World TourJuly 25, 1991
Judas Priest with Alice Cooper, Metal Church & Dangerous ToysOperation Rock N' Roll TourAugust 16, 1991
Bad Company w/ special guest Damn YankeesHoly Water Summer TourSeptember 2, 1991
ZZ Topp with ExtremeRecycler Tour / Pornograffiti TourSeptember 11, 1991
Steve Miller Band w/ Curtis SalgadoThe Lost Cities TourAugust 7, 1992
The Allman Brother w/ special guest Jeff Healey BandShades of Two Worlds Tour / FEEL THISAugust 28, 1992
TeslaPsychotic Supper World TourSeptember 20, 1992
Van Halen w/ special guest Vince Neil BandRight Here, Right Now TourJuly 6, 1993
Soul Asylum / Spin Doctors / Screaming TreesMTV Alternative Nation TourJuly 15, 1993
Phish w/ Blues Traveler & Widespread Panic1993 SUMMER TOUR / HORDE TourJuly 21, 1993
Def Leppard w/ special guest Ugly Kid JoeAdrenalize TourJuly 30, 1993
Metallica / Danzig / Suicidal TendenciesShit Hits The Shed TourJune 17, 1994
ScorpionsFace the Heat TourJuly 6, 1994
Michael Bolton w/ special guest Celine DionThe Color of My Love TourAugust 4, 1994
YesTalk TourAugust 21, 1994
Queensrÿche w/ Type O NegativeThe Road To The Promised Land TourJuly 25, 1995
101.5 WPDH 20th Anniversary $20,000 Cash Bashwith Special Guest .38 SPECIALJune 28, 1996
Def LeppardSlang TourJuly 19, 1996
Cypress Hill & FugeesSmokin' Grooves TourAugust 6, 1996
Iggy Pop w/ Sponge (band) & Bloodhound GangNaughty Little Doggie TourJune 20, 1997
Stephen LynchJuly 21, 1997
Boyz II MenEvolution TourJuly 6, 1998
Goo Goo Dolls with Sugar RayDizzy Up the Girl TourAug. 29, 1999
The Marshall Tucker BandJuly 25, 2001
SurvivorFriday July 23, 2004 8PM (PEPSI portable stage)
Buddy JewellJuly 24, 2004 (PEPSI portable stage)
Mountain / Vanilla Fudge / Canned HeatThen & Now TourJuly 27, 2004
Josh TurnerLong Black Train TourJuly 28, 2004
Vital Remains w/ ImmolationDeath In The Forest Festival 2006May 20, 2006
3 (band)The End Is Begun TourJuly 19, 2008
Graham ParkerOctober 11, 2008
Night Ranger w/ Vince Neil35th Anniversary TourJuly 18, 2018
The Iron MaidensAug 6, 2021

References

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