Bruce Shallcross, General Manager of the Three County Fair,
will speak on the history of the fair and its upcoming 200th anniversary.

Northampton's annual Three County Fair, founded in 1817, is the oldest continuing agricultural fair in the United States. On April 25th at 2 pm, Bruce Shallcross, the fair's General Manager, will speak at Historic Northampton about the history of the Three County Fair and the development of agricultural fairs in general.

Northampton and its fair have shared good times and bad. The bad, Bruce says, have usually been river-related. The Valley's older citizens may still remember the catastrophic flood of 1936. A spring freshet, further north, pushed the Connecticut River to overflowing; the flood rampaged through Hadley, Northampton, and elsewhere. In this flood, water covered the fairgrounds ten feet deep. The city and its fair have a unique shared history; together they reflect changing times. For example, horse racing was integral to the fair for decades. What led to its decline and loss of popularity? It's especially interesting to look at this question now, when new casinos are opening in the region.

Bruce Shallcross has been involved with the Fair Association since the 1980s and has served as a Director, Vice President, President and Treasurer. He became its General Manger in 2002. Since 1970, Bruce has been a Certified Public Accountant, serving small businesses in the construction and machining trades in New England. On their farm in Conway Mass., Bruce and his wife raised Morgan horses, beef, hay and four children. Today Bruce lives in Williamsburg with his daughter and two of his seven grandchildren.