151st Annual Broome County Fair July 28th – August 2nd

Matt Brooks: Good morning, I’m Matt Brooks on X101 Always Classic for another edition of Meet Cortland County. With me in the studio today it Jonah Reardon, Vice President of the Broome County Agricultural Society Board of Directors. We’re here to talk about the Broome County Fair coming to the Broome County Fairgrounds in Whitney Point this Tuesday, July 28th through August 2nd—celebrating 151 years! First off, Jonah, thank you for joining me today.

Jonah Reardon: Yeah, thanks Matt. It’s great to be back in the studio with you.

Matt Brooks: It’s great to have you here. It really puts things in perspective because last month was America’s 250th, and we’re talking about 151 years. This has been  a fair thats been around for a while. Can you tell me about some of the history of the Broome County Fair?

Jonah Reardon: Yeah, so coming off of our 150th anniversary last year, we’ve been around since 1871. County fairs have been around even before that, I think dating back to 1820. Initially, the whole purpose of these county fairs was to promote and celebrate agriculture within various communities, for farmers to come together to show off what they’re producing and be able to learn from one another. We’ve really kept that tradition alive. The main purpose of our fair is to promote agriculture, but in more modern days, we want to make sure that we’re providing some family fun for folks as well.

Matt Brooks: Yeah, there’s a whole array of vendors and attractions I remember from last year. And you were saying before we got on air, the schedule for this year is packed!

Jonah Reardon: The word I’ve been using is ambitious. Coming off of this anniversary year, we said we have a lot of great things that we do well, but we need to provide even more, recognizing that our fairgoers are craving new and exciting opportunities when they attend our fair. A lot of those old traditions—our grandstand events, carnival rides, and agricultural exhibits—are there. But even more exciting this year, we have live music, contests every day, strollers, and entertainers all throughout the grounds. And we just announced earlier this week that for the first time in over 15 years, we are bringing back fireworks!

Matt Brooks: Fireworks! What day is that coming?

Jonah Reardon: That’s coming on our opening day on Tuesday. We’re kind of celebrating our own America 250 on Tuesday with our kickoff for the fair, but that evening we’re going to have fireworks right on the grounds. The best spot to watch it is either through our grandstands or our American Legion Pavilion. We’re just thrilled for this year, Matt.

Matt Brooks: The return of the fireworks! Again, it was already packed last year, so “ambitious” is a great word to describe what’s on the docket for this year’s Broome County Fair. Now, for people who don’t frequent Whitney Point, what should people know before heading to the fairgrounds—parking situations, traffic, what should they expect when planning a trip?

Jonah Reardon: What’s great, if you’re coming from Cortland County living here myself, is getting right on I-81 and getting right off the exit, we’re right there off Route 11. We have parking on our grounds and in our surrounding areas; our local school allows us to utilize their facility. Anyone that needs accessible parking, we encourage you to utilize our school lot since it’s paved there. When you come in, essentially you pay for your admission and we’ll get you parked—parking is free. Then we get you right there on the midway where you can buy tickets for rides. If you want to avoid any lines, I encourage you to go online and buy your tickets as well, especially for our grandstand events.

Matt Brooks: And online, that’s where you can get not only the tickets in advance, but more information. Again, it’s an ambitious schedule this year. Where should people go? What is that website?

Jonah Reardon: That website is www.broomecountyfairny.com.

Matt Brooks: Now, we are running a bit out of time, Jonah, but before we head out—you mentioned the fireworks, you mentioned all the new additions coming to the Broome County Fair—whether it’s a new attraction or maybe one that has been there in years past, what is your favorite thing about the Broome County Fair?

Jonah Reardon: The thing I’m looking forward to the most this year is our Cow Plop Bingo, where people can come, pick a square, and see where the cow’s natural duty lies! Really exciting for that, trying to incorporate more of our agriculture into some of those family fun activities.

Matt Brooks: That is the first time I’ve ever heard of a game like that!

Jonah Reardon: Google it, it’s great!

Matt Brooks: I know you said bingo, so I know my wife’s ears are burning, so we’ll definitely have to check that out. But I want to thank you, Jonah, for stopping by, giving a preview of the Broome County Fair celebrating 151 years, this Tuesday the 28th through August 2nd. If you want to see some fireworks, make sure to get there on opening day. We’ll be there from 5:00 to 7:00 on opening day as well. Big thank you again, Jonah.

Jonah Reardon: Thank you.

Matt Brooks: It’s been another edition of Meet Cortland County here on X101 Always Classic. I’m Matt Brooks.