 
Senate Resolution No. 957
 
BY: Senator WEBB
 
        COMMEMORATING  the 150th Anniversary of the Broome
        County Fair
 
  WHEREAS, Fairs and festivals  empower  communities  to  attract  new
visitors while capitalizing on local commercial and cultural value; and
 
  WHEREAS,  It  is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
support events of significance which contribute to the entertainment and
vitality of the communities they serve and which exemplify  the  history
and development of the State of New York; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to
commemorate  the  150th Anniversary of the Broome County Fair to be held
Tuesday, July 22, through Sunday, July 27, 2025; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  1858,  the  Broome  County  Agricultural  Society  was
incorporated; in 1871, the Society's Board convened to arrange the first
county  fair  to celebrate the agricultural bounty of Broome County; for
the first three years, the Broome County Fair was held  at  the  Johnson
Fairgrounds; and
 
  WHEREAS,  For  the  next  decade, the Broome County Fair was held in
Binghamton, New York; in 1891, the Fair returned to  its  Whitney  Point
location which has been its home ever since; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Attractions  at the Broome County Fair have varied widely,
reflecting the evolving history of our country; in  1908,  a  balloonist
was  hired  to  make  three  ascensions  with  a  parachute;  in 1915, a
barn-storming airplane came to Whitney Point, with arrangements with the
Fair's officials, to take passengers for short flights, one of whom  was
the well-known opera singer, Julia Allen; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  the 1930s, public weddings were featured at the Broome
County Fair; each couple was given $100 and flowers, and a minister  was
provided;  in  1934,  the  Fair opened with a baseball game, pitting the
Brooklyn Royal Giants against the  nationally  famous  House  of  David;
Grover  Cleveland  Alexander, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and
one of baseball's greatest pitchers, pitched for  the  House  of  David,
attracting a very large crowd; and
 
  WHEREAS,  The  internationally  famous  Captain  Fox  and  his Rough
Riders, New York State Police on horses, were an occasional  attraction;
for  several  years,  truck  pulls,  tractor  pulls,  draft horse shows,
demolition derbies, and horse races have been the main attractions; many
famous entertainers have performed at the Broome County Fair  throughout
its history; and
 
  WHEREAS,  The  facilities, including spectator stands, barns, ticket
booths, and other buildings, have changed through the many  decades  the
Broome County Fair has existed; in 1909, the annual $350 lease agreement
of  the Fairgrounds was discontinued when the 31-acre parcel of land was
purchased for $100 per acre; and
 
 
  WHEREAS, The Midway was larger than ever by 1916; high wire, comedy,
and  aerial  acts  were  featured  that year; nighttime attractions were
added in 1929; the Gillette Shows were introduced in 1981, remaining  as
a regular attraction; the following year, the first Special Kids Day was
created  to  bring  children with special needs and their support staff,
1,000 people in all, to the fair; this number  has  expanded  to  nearly
3,000; and
 
  WHEREAS,  The  Broome  County Fair has enlightened, entertained, and
enriched the Whitney Point, New York, community, its residents, and  its
visitors  for 150 years; many generations of participants and spectators
have enjoyed the attractions and shows provided  by  the  Broome  County
Agricultural Society; and
 
  WHEREAS,  It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend  those  organizations  which  have  brought  entertainment   and
cultural  enrichment  to  the  citizens  of  the State of New York; now,
therefore, be it
 
  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
commemorate  the  150th Anniversary of the Broome County Fair; and be it
further
 
  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted to the Broome County Agricultural Society.
Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Broome County Fair

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