Record #:

23428

Author(s):

Kammerer, Roger

Abstract:

Pitt County held its Agricultural Fair on September 17 and 18, 1884. The County sent its show of goods to Raleigh for a state exhibition. Another fair did not occur until 1898, when the Greenville Tobacco Fair Association sponsored the event and a horse race, bands, and dancers were added for entertainment. The horse race, a popular event, continued for years to come, but another fair was not held until 1911. In 1919, Haywood Dale, W.M. Price, and R.L. Smith built a horse racing track and a baseball diamond with a grandstand and an exhibition hall. This site is now occupied by Guy Smith Stadium. The fair achieved success during the 1920s and 1930s. In 1936 local posts of the American Legion assumed sponsorship of the fair; the following year it was moved to a site on Highway 43, where the Medical Pavilion stands today. The fair was discontinued in 1943 because of World War II. It remained at the same location until 1950. In 1951, the fair was moved to the intersection of Airport Road and N.C. 11/US 13, and in 1978 it was moved to its current location on Greenville Boulevard NE near US 264.

Source:

Greenville Times / Pitt's Past (NC Microforms), Vol. Issue , Sep 28-Oct 11 2005, p6-7

Subject(s):

Fairs--North Carolina--Pitt County