TOLCHESTER — If it’s Kent County Fair time, then it’s almost a sure bet that it will be sticky, icky, hot and humid.
In that regard, the 2026 edition of the fair that was staged over four days earlier this month at the Ag Center in Tolchester followed the script.
Plus, thunderstorms rolled through the area on Friday and Saturday, July 17 and 18, leading to a very brief power outage during the livestock auction on Saturday, and smoke from Canada’s wildfires triggered some air quality alerts.
Aside from that, Beth Hill, principal agent associate for 4-H youth development in Kent County, said matter-of-factly, “It was a great fair.”
While acknowledging that weather affected attendance, the always-upbeat Hill noted “there was a nice breeze most of the time.”
And for emphasis, she said a second time, “It was a really good fair.”
New this year was a talent show, which came at the suggestion of Trenton Montooth, youth member of the fair committee.
Trenton lined up 10 acts, all 4-H’ers, and recruited his mother Kim as the emcee for the show on opening night, July 15.
Also noteworthy: 475 entries in the photo contest and about 100 entries combined in the livestock and cake auctions that closed out the fair on Saturday night.
The 50-plus animals in the auction — cows, pigs, sheep, goats and hens — were the most ever for one fair and the 48 cakes were the second most, according to Hill.
There was an increase in the average price paid for most animals.
“Our patrons were very generous,” Hill said.
Visitors to the fair on Friday night included 12 recently graduated high school seniors from across the country who were participating in the American Exchange Project, spending one week immersing themselves in an American community completely different from their own. They had traveled to Kent County from Alaska, Minnesota, Oregon, Utah, Kansas and California — all arriving at Baltimore/Washington International Airport at various times on Wednesday, July 15.
They embraced their county fair experience, which included a pork barbecue dinner, pickle-eating contest and goat milking demonstration led by the Fitch family — all on Friday, July 17.
Kent County has six 4-H clubs: Bits and Bridles [horses], Chestertown Christian Academy’s Clovers, Triple Shots Shooting Sports, Puppy Pals, Fuzzy Tails and Shiny Scales [rabbits and small pets] and Kent Clover Calf.
Collectively, there are 160 club members, the largest number in 15 years, according to Hill.
“We’ve recovered well from COVID,” she said, noting that 4-H club membership nationwide dropped sharply during the pandemic due to canceled hands-on activities and meeting restrictions.
One Response
This was a GREAT article! I wish I had been in town for this event! Beth Hill is awesome!