The first county fair was held on Oct. 16-18, 1860 on Old Town Road at the Ralph Guelich farm.
It moved to the Clearfield Driving Park in the 1870’s. The Agriculture Society held on after the stock market crash in 1929, and the fair continued to operate until 1934, but was suspended in 1935 because of the economy.
The 1934 fair was held Tuesday through Friday, Sept. 11-14, and featured amateur boxing, band concerts, harness racing, a stock parade and auction of agricultural products.
The agricultural exhibits have always been a huge part of the Clearfield County Fair. Competition has always been keen and this was definitely the case in 1934.
William Augustus Henchbarger is pictured here walking one of his prized pigs at the grove in the in the Driving Park. “Gust” lived on upper Mill Road in Clearfield’s West Side, just above the Driving Park where the fair is held.
At fair time, he would walk his pig down the street to compete in the swine judging. After the competition was over, he would walk the pig back to its pen along Moose Creek, just behind his home.
First place premiums were as high as $4.50 for an aged boar pig and $3.75 for a senior champion boar. In these days, Mill Road was often referred to as part of Paradise.
By occupation, Gust drove livery for Leavy’s, delivering coal and driving the hearse for funerals. In earlier years, he drove the stage coach between Clearfield and Penfield.
Stop in at the Kerr House Museum at the Clearfield County Historical Society to view the fair display and a see timeline of the fair.