Aug 3, 2025 4 min read

By Emily King

For more than two centuries, the Washington County Agricultural Fair has been a beloved tradition that brings together the best of rural heritage and summertime fun. Now in its 227th year, the fair returns to the Washington County Fair-grounds on Saturday, August 9, with eight full days of agricultural showcases, family-friendly activities, live music, and grandstand favorites like the Demolition Derby. As the oldest fair in Pennsylvania and one of the oldest in the nation it continues to evolve while celebrating the community’s deep farming roots. We spoke with Wayne Hunnell, Vice President of the Fair Board, to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into planning the fair and what visitors can look forward to in 2025.

Each day, the fair has a lineup of events, with the biggest shows taking place in the grandstand arena in the evening.

Historically, the top attended event at the fair has been the School Bus Demolition Derby and School Band performance, which both happen on Wednesday, August 13.

“A few years ago, we had the marketing class from Carnegie Mellon do a marketing study on why people attended the fair, their main reason for coming, and what they liked the best. The top of the list was the livestock shows and being able to see the live animals. The second largest reason was for the fair food. For our area the derbies are always a big draw annually,” says Hunnell.

But last year, a new addition to the fair lineup came close to topping the attendance for School Bus Demolition Derby day-the rodeo. Up until 2024, the fair had not held a rodeo for ten or more years. It was such a success that the board brought it back for 2025 and anticipates the event to be a huge success again.

The fair will be hosting several concerts with local talent like Ruff Creek, Aaron Margaria, the Skyliners, and Bon Journey, and newcomer Morgan Gruber Acoustic Trio, Scott Blasey and Good Karma. The Washington County Agricultural Fair typically does not schedule a large concert for the grandstand arena because of local competition makes it hard to get big names on the schedule. The entire concert series, presented by Dollar Bank, takes place in the Show Tent.

Families with young children will be able to find a variety of kid-friendly events on every day of the fair. The livestock shows and petting zoo are usually the main draw for family fun.

“There is always a large variety of animals with the cows, goats, lambs, miniature horses, and usually some other more exotic animals like camels and llamas,” says Hunnell.

Kids love to watch cats, dogs, and birds perform tricks and magic in the “Rock n’ Roll Pet Kids Show”, which occurs daily. The “Stone Age Show” is also a hit with the younger audiences, where kids can meet life-sized dinosaurs in a fun and engaging performance that encourages audience participation. They also enjoy the sillier competitions, like the milk chugging contest.

“Planning and scheduling the various events is one of the harder tasks and there are activities that overlap,” says Hunnell.

Not only does that mean that fair-goers have to make some decisions on what they most want to see, but it also creates a challenge for the 4-H and FFA kids who are participating. Some of the events that they would like to compete or participate in may overlap. The Fair Board keeps this in mind when they plan the fair events, hoping to ensure that there are as few scheduling conflicts as possible.

With a thoughtfully curated schedule that blends agricultural heritage with crowd-pleasing entertainment, this year’s fair promises something for everyone whether you’re coming for the animals, the funnel cake, the school bus demolition derby, or the rodeo. Behind every event is the hard work of the Fair Board and local volunteers who strive to create an experience that reflects the spirit of the community. So mark your calendars for August 9-16 and come ready to make memories at the 227th Washington County Agricultural Fair.

For more information about the fair and a list of events, please visit washingtonfair.org.

Sponsored content brought to you by Visit Washington County PA and Washington County Agricultural Fair.