The Mineola Fair

The Mineola Fair is one of the oldest operated fairs in New York State. An act authorizing public markets and fairs was adopted by New York State in 1692. On November 11, 1817, a meeting was held to consider creating an organization devoted to farming and rural economy. The agricultural society was created on June 12, 1819 and began sponsoring yearly fairs until it dissolved in 1822. The New York State Agricultural Society was formally founded in 1832. On October 13, 1842, the first Queens County Agricultural Society held its first Fair and Cattle Show. These tents fairs were usually held in September or October. Due to the constant worry about bad weather and the insecurity of the tents, the society determined it needed a permanent fairground. On April 3, 1866, forty acres of land on the Hempstead Plains near Mineola was given to the Queens County Agricultural Society.

The Society was able to host its twenty-fifth fair at the new fairgrounds in 1866. For nearly 85 years, the fairgrounds served as the home of the Agricultural Society. In 1899, the year Nassau County was created from Queens County, Governor Theodore Roosevelt delivered an address there. The last time the fair was held in Mineola was 1952. The fair then moved to the Roosevelt Raceway until the end of the 1960s

 In 1961, the fair officially became the Long Island Fair. When the fair interfered with the racing schedule, the Fair was moved to its present home at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration. Since 1985, the fair has been held in a recreation of the original 1866 fairgrounds.

Source:

Hammond, Gary R. The Mineola Fair: Mirror of a Country’s Growth. Reprinted from The Nassau County Historical Society Journal, 1999.