The Dutchess County Fair

Eighty-two contemporary black & white photographs by documentary photographer Molly Ahearn, plus maps, antique historical photographs and memorabilia, bring to life this delightful history of the Dutchess County (New York) Fair, an annual highlight of the Hudson River Valley summer season since 1842, with almost half a million visitors now passing through its gates each year, making it the 2nd-largest agricultural event in NYS. Author Ahearn traces 166 years of fair history with such highlights as visits by Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, NYS governors Thomas Dewey and Averill Harriman, a "Talent Search" that discovered singer/songwriter Don McLean, and a colorful cast of stunt performers, snake charmers, "hootchy-kootchy" girls, and carney side-show acts. Photographer Ahearn captures the timeless memories of the fair--farm kids showing their animals and sleeping beside them in the tents, zany and hilarious sights on the midway, a draught-horse team thundering by, pig races, elephant rides, and summer fun as American as milkshakes and Ferris Wheel rides.