During the autumn of 1868, pioneer members of the Erie County Agricultural Society held their first Fair in the Town of Hamburg. The site, the Hamburg Driving Park Association grounds located on present day McKinley Parkway, then a dirt lane, would eventually become the permanent home of the Erie County Fair. 150 years later, the Erie County Fair will celebrate its “Hamburg Sesquicentennial” with the return of daily fireworks along with other commemorations during the 179th Fair this August.
The nightly fireworks spectacular, produced by Skylighters of Western New York, will begin at 9:30pm, weather permitting and will last 10 minutes. The tradition of daily fireworks at the fair was initially inaugurated in 1927 to coincide with the first use of grounds-wide night-time illumination. The nightly Skylighters display is presented by Ch. 2 On Your Side, WGRZ-TV.
“Generations of Fairgoers remember winding down their Fair day by watching fireworks,” said CEO & Fair Manager Jessica Underberg. “We are proud to bring back this tradition as we celebrate our sesquicentennial year in Hamburg.”
Founded in 1820, the Fair was held at various locations throughout its early history including sites within the City of Buffalo limits. As the population of the City expanded, the Fair moved to outlying villages such as Lancaster, Orchard Park and East Aurora.
At the Society’s annual meeting during the winter of 1868, a spirited contest for that year’s Fair location took place between supporters of the Union Fairgrounds site in Springville and those who wanted to locate to a racetrack in Hamburg. By a one vote margin the Fair was moved to land owned by Luther Titus and the Hamburg Driving Park Association. The property included a half-mile racetrack, a number of buildings and grandstand seating. It was offered free of charge for holding the annual Fair until 1875. For a few years following 1868, the vote to move the Fair was still held at annual meetings with Hamburg winning each time. By the mid-1870s, it was accepted as the permanent location of the Fair. To further ensure its permanency, in 1880-1881 the Society purchased the grounds outright by acquiring 12 acres from Maria & Naomi Clark of Clark Street and 12 ½ acres from George Pierce. The price was $100 an acre. Now with its own land and control of its future, the Society began a year-by-year development program to transform the County Fair into a regional attraction.
The decision to relocate only 12 miles from the City of Buffalo kicked off a period of unprecedented growth for the Fair, eventually resulting in the Erie County Fair becoming one of the largest fairs in North America. In 2017, The Erie County Fair ranked as the 12th largest fair when compared to all state and county fairs in the United States and Canada.
About Skylighters of Western New York
Skylighters is a locally owned and operated professional fireworks company that has been creating memorable pyrotechnics since 1992. The company is owned by Western New York native Matthew Shaw. Skylighters has been providing firework displays at the Erie County Fair since 2014.
About the Erie County Fair
The Erie County Agricultural Society is a private not-for-profit membership organization. Established in 1819, the Society is the oldest civic organization in Western New York. The mission of the Erie County Agricultural Society (ECAS), sponsors of the Erie County Fair, is to preserve and enhance, by educational endeavors, the agricultural and historical legacy of New York State. The Fair strives to fulfill appropriate aspects of the agricultural, educational, entertainment and recreational needs of Western New York. The 179th Erie County Fair will be held August 8th – 19th, 2018. (www.ECFair.org).