The Delaware County Fair is fast approaching, promising not only a week of fun for Delaware residents of all ages, but a boost to small businesses as people come from out of town to attend the fair and Little Brown Jug horse races from September 14-21.
According to Caroline Pusateri, program director of Main Street Delaware, Inc., the small business-supporting organization does its best to take advantage of visiting fairgoers:
"Our organization tries to cross-promote our downtown businesses and activities during fair week with some boosted social media posts to notify people that it is only a short six-minute drive to great restaurants and shopping in Downtown Delaware! In the past, we've also partnered with Delaware County Transit to have a shuttle service from the fairgrounds to the downtown on Jug Day, but we aren't doing that this year. Any foot traffic is good foot traffic for our downtown area, so shop owners view it as a positive."
The fair itself also promotes this connection by including a page on its website titled "Area Attractions," which provides phone numbers and emails to Destination Delaware County (Delaware's Convention and Visitors Bureau) as well as links to their website, encouraging fairgoers to try out Delaware's other attractions.
The fair is being held in its usual location at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, 236 Pennsylvania Ave, with the All-Horse Parade on September 8 kicking off the festivities. According to the Delaware County Fair website, it is run by the Delaware County Agricultural Society and has been an annual tradition since 1834, when it started out as an "exhibition and show of domestic animals and manufactures."
Since then, it has expanded to include the Little Brown Jug horse race, which according to the race's own website, is "one of the jewels in the Triple Crown of Harness Racing... built in the tradition of the famed Grand Circuit," and was founded in 1937 when the fair was moved from Powell to Delaware. The Little Brown Jug races occur from September 15 to September 19. The fair also includes rides, a midway, food trucks, and "displays from hundreds of exhibitors and a full schedule of motor sports events," making it an ideal event for kids and families as well as any adult who happens to have a weekend or afternoon free.
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