Valley Girl Views: The Montour County Fair

The Montour Delong Fair website tells us that the first Montour Delong Fair was held at the Delong Memorial School in 1935. That was not however, the first Montour County Fair, nor was it the first fair to be held in Washingtonville.

The first mention I could find of a Montour County Fair was in an 1853 edition of the Sunbury American, where it referenced the "late fair at Danville." The next mention was in 1858, when the Montour County Fair opened in Washingtonville. The fair that year was held "at the mouth of the Mahoning Creek, and later fairs were held at Washingtonville."

In 1860, the new "Montour County Agricultural Fair" opened in Danville, and an annual fair was held there through 1899. In 1900, that association folded and the fairgrounds in Danville were to be sold.

Beers 1915 History tells us - "In the course of time, a difference arose between the representatives from the town and country and the society divided, the Northern Montour Agricultural Society being organized. The headquarters of the latter are at Washingtonville, where the annual fairs were held. The Montour County Agricultural Society held annual fairs in Danville. "

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A Time Line Of the Montour County Fairs

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1853 - The Sunbury American reported that the Fair at Milton "was not what it should have been, especially in its arrangements, and the same is said of the late fair at Danville"
1856 - Montour County Agricultural Society was organized Feb 18th 1856
1858 - Montour County Fair opened at Washingtonville, September 28-Oct 1
1859 - Montour Agricultural Fair held at Danville, Oct 5-7th
1860 - Montour County Fair held at Washingtonville, 3-5th of October
1870 - First annual Montour County Agricultural Fair held
1879 - Montour County Fair held at Danville Sept 24-27th. "The Northern Montour Fair commenced yesterday at Washingtonville... nearly all places of business will close Friday afternoon allowing the merchants to visit the fair."
1882 - Montour County Fair Oct 4-7, held at Danville
1884 - Fair held at Danville, Closed on the second day on account of wet weather. Would open again on the 28th and continue for 4 days.
1885 - Montour County Fair at Washingtonville. Advertised the racehorse "Maud S.", and "palmed off a Danville horse by the same name. A large number of gamblers were arrested on the grounds." https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/10/when-fake-race-horse-came-to.html
1886 - 16th Annual Montour County Agricultural Society Fair held at Danville, Oct 6th-9th
1891 - Fair held in Danville October 6-9
1896 - Fair held at Danville October 21-24
1900 - Meeting was held to discuss the feasibility of reorganizing the Montour Agricultural Fair. Grounds owned by J.L. Riehl. Not enough interest was garnered, the grounds were to be sold.
1907 - An article in a Chambersburg newspaper reported "Edward Pentz... a resident of Danville, has purchased the old Montour fair grounds at Danville and will re-establish the annual county fair there."
1915 - "At present there are no fairs held in Montour County, most of hte people attending the Bloomsburg Fair." -J. H. Beers & Company, 1915.
1935 - The first fair by the new Montour Delong Fair Association was held October 24-26, at the Delong Memorial School
1942-1945 - No fairs were held during World War II.
1968- The Fair was moved to August

"It is the purpose of the directors of the Montour-Delong Fair Association to maintain the fair as an educational institution, rather than allow it to expand into a midway entertainment type of organization." Danville Morning News Oct 1935