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MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

AGRICULTURE

COUNTY & STATE FAIRS

State Fair. At Timonium in Baltimore County, the Maryland State Fair is held each year toward the end of summer. It will next be held from August 24 to September 3, 2012.

[photo, Cedar shingles cutting demonstration, Anne Arundel County Fair, Crownsville, Maryland] County Fairs. Traditional showcases of agriculture persist in Maryland through county fairs, which celebrate the agricultural bounty and the traditions of farm life. Starting in the summer months of July and August, and continuing into September and October, county fairs open throughout Maryland. Depending on the particular county, they may span a week or a long weekend.

Cedar shingles cutting demonstration, Anne Arundel County Fair, Crownsville, Maryland, September 2006. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Produce, Frederick County Fair, Frederick, Maryland] At county fairs, the area's largest tomatoes, green beans, sunflowers, gourds, and pumpkins are on display. Handmade quilts hang proudly from barn rafters, and ways of beekeeping are explained. Young and old may vie at tractor pulls, judge and auction prize sheep, or demonstrate flower arranging or wood carving. Country music fiddlers serendade on Saturday nights, and gospel quartets awaken Sunday mornings.

Produce, Frederick County Fair, Frederick, Maryland, September 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Lamb, Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, Howard County Fairgrounds, West Friendship, Maryland] Special Annual Events. Special annual events also highlight Maryland agriculture. They include the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival held the first weekend in May at the Howard County Fairgrounds. It will next be held on May 5, 6, 2012. Started in 1973, the Festival has grown to be the largest one of its kind in the country, with classes, seminars, and demonstrations for breeders, spinners, knitters, and artists in wool and textiles.

Lamb, Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, Howard County Fairgrounds, West Friendship, Maryland, May 2008. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

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