For 112 Years––

Thanksgiving Aside, The Danbury Fair Was The Area’s Great Harvest Celebration

By Jan Howard

Long before the turn of the 20th Century, the Danbury Fair had become an annual symbol of harvest time in New England. It began as the Danbury Agricultural Society in 1821 and held at irregular intervals, and evolved into a permanent event. For 112 years the beginning of the month of October meant the annual Danbury Fair to local people and those who came from distances away. It opened its gates for ten days, with closing day usually on or near Columbus Day. There were glowing accounts of the first fair in 1869.

The Danbury Farmers & Manufacturing Society was formed and made arrangements to use property that had been purchased by an association formed by hat manufacturers Rundle and White. That first fair in 1869 attracted 900 entries.

In the late 1800s, fair exhibits could include leaf tobacco, home-brewed wines made of wild cherry, elderberry, and raspberry for judges to sample, hats, boots, saddles, carriages, wagons, churns, and stoves.

The fair became enormously popular. One thing that usually held true was that the fair always enjoyed great weather.

The only time the fair closed down was for three or four years in the 1940s because of the war effort. Because of rationing of food, gas, and other things and people being fully involved in the war effort, it was impossible to open the fair.

For Danbury school children, the annual fair meant a day off from school, on the traditional Danbury Day. If you were lucky and attended Danbury High School from outlying towns, such as Brookfield and Redding, you also had the day off to go to the fair with your friends.

Who can forget the scents, the sights, the excitement, the Midway pitchmen and the amusement rides, the giant statues, the parade, which for many years was led by General Manager John Leahy wearing his ringmaster’s uniform, and the crowds of the Danbury Fair. Some times you could barely walk because there were so many people all around you. Many people hold dear the memories of their visits to the fair, remembering the car races, the aroma of the food, the bright blue skies, and the colors of fall.

Once you attended, you were hooked. The fair became an annual event for individuals and families, whether or not they were involved personally in any feature of the fair. It was a time of great regret and sadness for many when it was learned the annual fair was to go the way of history to be replaced by what is one of the largest malls in New England.

Through the years the fair’s race arena featured all types of racing, from harness racing to midget autos in 1940, boats, and stock cars in 1951. The trotters ended in 1940. During the 1920s, there were vaudeville acts between the heats of horse races.

Many Newtown people were very involved in exhibiting at the fair, and some prepared for months before the fair opened, growing vegetables, such as pumpkins, squash, and corn to exhibit, making baked and canned goods, sprucing up farm machinery for display, and preparing farm animals for shows and contests, such as Bill, Donald, and Charles Ferris, who were involved in oxen pulls for many years.

The fair had a variety of attractions through its 112 years, modernizing through the years but still maintaining some of its standard events, such as the Cinderella children’s area, poultry and cattle shows, oxen pulls, music, vaudeville acts, and lots and lots of different kinds of food. In 1891 it featured a hot air balloon.

Special Fair Trains

In the early years, special trains brought fairgoers to Danbury. In 1901, as many as 157 coaches of passengers were brought to the fair.

On September 18, 1903, The Newtown Bee reported that the 35th annual Danbury Fair, opening on Monday, October 5, was “expected to eclipse all others in extent of exhibit and attendance.” The 1903 fair offered a horse show, horse races, dog and poultry shows, and grandstand attractions. Excursion rates were offered on all railroads.

The September 30, 1927, issue of The Newtown Bee described the new cattle barn that was being constructed on the Danbury Fair grounds, the first unit of several similar buildings the Fair Association planned to erect. The building was to be open and ready for the opening of the fair on October 3.

The barn accommodated 125 head of stock and was described as “the most modern type of building for this purpose.” It was modeled after barns on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition in Springfield, Mass., and the Canadian Exposition in Toronto, and was equipped with electric lights, running water, and large, roomy stalls.

The fair was well attended all the years of its existence. In October 1927, The Bee reported Newtown people attending the fair included John C. Beers, Mr and Mrs George U. Burr, Mr and Mrs A.P. Smith, Mr and Mrs R.D. Fairchild and family, M.K. Donahue, Mrs A.S. Pitzschler, Miss S.J. Scudder, Mr and Mrs Arthur Page, Mrs Eric Palmer, and William Talmadge. It was a social occasion.

The Bee said the Danbury Fair “opened on Monday with the snappiest and best fair in its history and an attendance of 3,643 for the opening day.” The fair also had the largest number of exhibitors in its history, the story said, “and is easily Connecticut’s largest and most successful fair.”

In November 1928, The Bee reported that work was underway to enlarge the Danbury Fair grounds, which would, when completed, accommodate 1,000 additional cars. The land in the northwest section of the grounds was being cleared for that purpose. Several new tracts of land had been purchased adjoining the grounds, which were to be leveled, graveled, and put in first class condition for the next fall’s fair.

The plans also called for two new entrance gates, one on the south and one on the east side of the grounds. The work was necessary, the story said, because of the enormous increase in patronage of the fair by the motoring public.

The 1929 fair featured as one of its special acts “The Great Wilno,” who was shot out of a cannon and landed in a net.

Prior to World War II the New Haven Railroad operated a shuttle train between White Street in Danbury and the fair station at Seger Street that made it easy for Danbury residents to get out to the fair.

On October 3, 1952, the newspaper reported that, “Indian Summer came to Danbury Fair the opening three days with its theme of fruit and vegetables.” Grange displays were featured under the Big Top, and “visitors were often reminded of the theme,” the paper noted.

An Elaborate Program

The Bee noted on September 25, 1953, that, “A sure sign of approaching autumn is the extensive planning going on in the Danbury offices of Mr Leahy, general manager, and C. Irving Jarvis, assistant general manager, of the 84th annual Danbury Fair,” that was to be held from Saturday, October 2, through Sunday, October 11. “The officials have announced an elaborate program which will offer educational and entertainment features to the tens of thousands of visitors who will attend the event,” the paper stated.

The fair featured 80 free shows and attractions in various buildings. Special themes were featured each day, such as the state Grange, farmers, or others. Governor’s and Danbury Day became traditional. Wendell Cook’s circus band was featured in the Big Top that year, and the Danbury Cornhuskers played for square dancing with Al Brundage calling the dances.

On October 3 the Blue Ribbon Stadium was the scene of a meeting of grangers from Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts. Grandstand events that weekend featured Irish Horan and his “Lucky Hell Drivers,” featuring the “ram-jet cannon.” During the weekend of October 10–11, there were stock car races on the one-third mile dirt track.

There was a parade of cattle on Wednesday, and sheep shearing contests from Wednesday to Friday plus agricultural displays of purebred cattle, sheep, swine, and oxen. A horse show and horse drawing contest were held on October 10 and 11.

Big Top exhibits featured the traditional fruit, grain, and vegetable displays as well as competitions for cookery and needlework. During the week, the free grandstand show featured band music, Hunt’s performing elephants, and other attractions.

New Amsterdam was built in 1960 on the site of the fair’s former harness racing track.

Joie Chitwood’s Auto Thrill Show and King Kovaz and his Hell Drivers in the 1960s were followed by Dan Fleenors’ Hell drivers in the 1970.

In the 1970s attendance at the fair had grown. On September 30, 1977, as the fair entered its 108th year, The Bee noted that upwards of 350,000 patrons were expected to pass through the turnstiles during the ten days of the “colorful New England exposition.” The paper reported a “beehive of activity” as fair crews got ready for the big event. Inspectors were making last-minute checks to ensure the safety of patrons and concessionaires.

The paper noted that there were a variety of things to do, most of them free of charge. Some of the activities and events included a street parade, oxen draw contests, grandstand shows, midway rides, exhibits in the Big Top, the New England Village, New Amsterdam Village, a new White House replica, and cattle and machinery displays.

General admission in 1977 was $2.50 for adults, and $1.50 for children under 12. The Pennsylvania Central Railroad and Bonanza Bus lines ran special excursions to the fair.

By 1978, its 109th year, the fair was attracting more than a third of a million people annually. In its September 1 edition, a story in The Bee noted that “all signs” pointed to the biggest and best year yet.

The fair that year ran from September 30 to October 9, with fair officials expecting between 350,000 and 400,000 visitors. Admission was $3 for adults, $2 for children under 12 with babies free. There was a group discount for 50 or more people.

The 1978 fair promised many new attractions, plus the traditional free grandstand show from Monday to Friday and special paid attractions on weekends. There were the usual exhibits by local Grange members of fruit, vegetables, and floral arrangements and outdoor events.

John W. Leahy died in March 1975. The Danbury Fair property later sold for $24 million, and the last fair was held in October 1981. The fair was demolished and items from it sold to make way for the Danbury Fair Mall, which was opened in the mid-1980s.