Delaware County Fair is back with Little Brown Jug, food, more
Both harness racing enthusiasts and fans of traditional county fairs will be happy to see the Delaware County Fair back this year.
In 2020, the fair was closed except for Junior Fair competitors, and the Little Brown Jug harness races ran without spectators.
“The Little Brown Jug is one of the top three harness races in the nation. It pulls in 40,000 people for that final Thursday of racing. That’s probably the thing that makes us most unique as a county fair,” said Sandy Kuhn, who is now in her sixth year as manager for the fair.
The official Little Brown Jug race, which pits 3-yearold colt pacers against one another and has a purse in the $500,000 range, will take place on Sept. 23, with a likely audience of 40,000 people. It’s the biggest race
of the week, but far from the only one.
The other 49 races include the “Jugette,” a 3-year-old filly pace; the “Buckette,” a 3-year-old filly trot; the “Old Oaken Bucket,” a 3-year-old colt trot; and the “Ms. Versatility Final,” an “aged mare” trot.
Races at the fairgrounds run every day from Sept. 19 through Sept. 23. The fair itself runs from Sept. 18 to 25. Visitors interested in harness racing can either watch from the grounds or the grandstand, with an extra fee for grandstand seating.
Of course, there’s a lot going on at the fair besides the racing.
Approximately a thousand kids participate in the Junior Fair, whether showing lambs, pigs, rabbits or sheep, or competing with baked goods or fabric arts.
“I grew up in 4-H and FFA (Future Farmers of America), so I have deep roots in the Junior Fair part of it. I grew up showing beef and sheep,” Kuhn said.
“We’re opening a brand-new building this year, to replace our old Junior Fair building. It will house any non-animal Junior Fair exhibits as well as the fair offices and an agricultural hall of fame,” she said.
The fair will be essentially operating normally this year, though masks are highly encouraged inside buildings.
One of its traditional events is “Operation Forever Grateful,” a cooperative effort by the Fair and the Delaware County Veterans Services held on Sept. 24.
“It’s an opportunity for us to thank veterans of the military. We have a dinner for around three or four hundred veterans and their guests, so up to six hundred people. Veterans get into the fair and attend the dinner free that day. And some of our local quilters quilt some really nice quilts and present them to some of the veterans,” Kuhn said.
Other options at the fair include make-and-take buckeye necklaces, Frisbee dog shows, pumpkin painting, a hot-dog eating contest, a goat costume contest, an opportunity to meet a strolling dinosaur and fair-ending fireworks on Sept. 25.
“Every part of the fair is fun,” said Kuhn. “The kids love the rides. Some people love the demolition derby and the tractor pull. Then you’ve got those hard-core people who are here to bet on the horses and have a lot of fun. It all depends on what stage of life you’re in!”
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