Anne Arundel County Fair Returns For 66th Installment

For the 66th year, local residents will gather to celebrate the county’s culture during the annual Anne Arundel County Fair.

The fair, which will be held September 12-16, has a variety of activities and entertainment to appeal to those of all ages.

New attractions this year will be a performance by local band Amish Outlaws and a goat playground called Goat Mountain.

A special event this year will take place Wednesday night when the Anne Arundel County Antique Tractor Club dedicates five benches to the fair in honor of the victims of the Capital Gazette shooting earlier this summer.

The fair is “steeped in tradition,” said fair president John Kozenski.

“It represents the community by giving the community a place to gather to show, learn and showcase the best that they have,” Kozenski added.

Many of the fair’s activities center on the agricultural aspect of the county: equestrian demonstrations, tractor pulls, hog calling and pig races.

“We have something to do, really, for all ages,” Kozenski said.

The fair also features carnival rides, eating contests, magicians and artwork exhibitions.

Four main contests will take place over the course of the week: Arundel’s Got Talent (September 13 at 6:00pm), Fair Queen (September 12 at 7:00pm), Poultry Princess (September 12 at 7:00pm) and Cutest Kid. The Cutest Kid contest is ongoing throughout the week.

“Any child that goes in there is guaranteed to walk out with a prize,” said Thomas Agli, the director of operations and sales at MB Branding Solution, which is in charge of marketing for the fair this year. “It’s more to create activities for the kids.”

A special aspect of the Anne Arundel County Fair is that it’s entirely volunteer-run. Today, many local fairs have had to outsource labor because “volunteers of knowledge cost money,” Kozenski said.

“We’ve been lucky and blessed in Anne Arundel County with such a large resource of people that are qualified to the positions,” Koenski said. “We’ve been lucky that we’ve been able to remain a volunteer fair.”

The Anne Arundel County Fair runs from September 12-16 at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds, which is located at 1490 Generals Highway in Crownsville. The fair is open 10:00am-10:00pm on Wednesday; 9:00am-10:00pm on Thursday and Friday; 9:00am-11:00pm on Saturday; and 9:00am-8:00pm on Sunday.

Tickets are $7 for those ages 9 and up, and the fair is free for those 8 and under. On Wednesday, scouts in uniform get free entry. On Thursday, senior citizens, the disabled and members of the military get free entry from 10:00am-3:00pm. On Friday, entry is lowered to $5 from 9:00am-1:00pm.

For more information on the 66th annual Anne Arundel County Fair, visit www.aacountyfair.org.