History of the Fair:
The Fair began in 1841 as the Herkimer County Agricultural Society, traveled from village to village, and became located at the Herkimer Site (which is now the Herkimer Thruway interchange) in the early 1900's. At that time, the County Fair had a race track and grandstand which was destroyed by fire. The County Fair was incorporated and held annually after moving to Frankfort in 1950. In 1958 it moved to a permanent site on Cemetery Hill Street in Frankfort after purchasing the Slocum Farm. The first fair at the new site was held in 1958 using the existing farm buildings and plenty of tents with Gillette Shows as the carnival for the 4 Day event with an attendance of 14,000.
The Fair continued to grow and presently sits on 26 acres with 10 permanent buildings which includes a permanent bathroom and shower facility, a Horse Corral, and 1,850 aluminum bleacher seating surrounding the event show ring. The Fairgrounds is the home of several events including the Great American Irishfest held end of July, The New York State Trappers Convention held at the end of August, and the New York State Good Sam Samboree during July. Other events include Auctions, Craft Fairs, Motor Home Rallies, and Music Fests.
