“It’s Time for the Pitt County Fair”
The first Pitt County American Legion Agricultural Fair opened to the public on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1920, at what is now Guy Smith Stadium on Memorial Drive in Greenville.
You may be surprised to learn that for the first decade or so of the fair, it was a tradition to have an hour-long parade along Dickinson Avenue leading to the fairgrounds at the fair’s opening.
In 1984, Louis May compiled a history of the fair and in 2020, fair photographer and historian, Beverly Allamon added additional research in celebration of the fair’s 100th anniversary.
NoCar Rare S555 .N8 P5 1958
On display here are images from the official 1958 Pitt County Fair program located in the North Carolina Collection along with a vintage photo from the Daily Reflector Images Collection.
Jeannie at the fair, Daily Reflector Collection
In addition to being in our catalog, a number of fair programs for previous years can be found in the North Carolina Collection Vertical File, recently made available for searching at https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/ncr-012?q=%22pitt%20county%20fair%22north%20carolina%20vertical
If this captures your curiosity, visit the North Carolina Collection on the third floor of Joyner Library. We specialize in all things printed relating to the “Old North State’ and particularly all that local history, genealogy and lore that so definitively captures our own eastern North Carolina.
Check us out.