The present county Fair originated in 1924. Other fairs were held in the county, but on April 29, 1924, Phil S. Haner, Robert Carlin, Louis Tolliver, and Edward Alton, signed the application for the incorporation papers for the Christian County Agriculture Fair Association. The fair was the outgrowth of a small fair and livestock show held in Manners Park for two or three years prior to 1924. The success of this small effort prompted the leaders to expand and bring into being the present fair.

The 40 acres of land at the west edge of Taylorville, where the Fair is now located, was rented from 1924 thru 1935. The ground was purchased in 1935 for $5000.00. In the early days, the Christian County Agriculture Fair was home to the most outstanding Society Horse Shows in the Mid-West and was the largest show in the State of Illinois for County Fairs. The Fair regularly had exhibitors from all over Illinois and several other States.

The Fair also sponsored Harness and Running Races. The track was considered one of the best in the United States. The Fair was a member of the “Top Line” race circuit and sponsored the first two and three-year-old “Colt Stakes” in the State. In 1953, The Christian County Ag Fair and several other Fairs formed the “Illinois Bit to Colt Stakes Association.”

Other divisions or events held by the Fair were the Western Horse Show, beef cattle, dairy cattle, hog, and sheep shows. In the earlier years of the Fair, there were draft and mule shows and horse pulling contests. These shows slowly gave way to the truck and tractor pulls you can see today. Many of today’s events were started in the early years of the Fair including, 4-H, FFA, Miss Christian County, and many other attractions. Over the past 90 plus years, hundreds of Christian County residents have given thousands of hours of their time and effort to make today’s Christian County Ag Fair one of the finest in Illinois.

Thank you for being a part of the Fair and we hope you enjoyed this little piece of fair history!