As many Union residents have likely already heard, the 2020 Neshoba County Fair has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many Union residents love attending the Neshoba County Fair in July every year, and many own cabins on the fairgrounds. Other Union residents take their campers or buy season passes and drive every day. Some Union residents also find temporary jobs working at the fair, and the general opinion of the fair is a positive one. Although the coronavirus pandemic has cancelled all of this, this is not the first time the Neshoba County Fair has been cancelled in its 131-year history.
The Neshoba County Fair formally began in 1889 as an event for local farmers to come trade goods. According to the Neshoba County Fair’s website, The Fair takes inspiration from the regional agricultural fairs and camp meetings popular throughout the 19th-century (the historian part of me tells me that this would be an interesting topic to research). Neshoba County residents mainly found inspiration from The Lake Patron’s Union in Scott County. According to the Neshoba County Fair’s website, this “was a regional fair held on the former site of a Methodist camp meeting and served as a model for Neshoba Countians wanting to establish a fair of their own.” Originally, this fair was called the Coldwater Fair when this was first held in 1889. Two years later, the fair was moved to the current fairgrounds and named the Neshoba County Stock and Agricultural Fair Association. Admission was charged in order to cover operating costs, and the origins of the Neshoba County Fair began to take shape.
The Neshoba County Fair remained as an event primarily for local farmers until around 1894 when buildings were built for visitors. Until 1898, people camped out on the fairgrounds in tents and wagons, but in 1898, people began building fair cabins. These first cabins were simple, one-story cabins that were a bit more rustic than the modern fair cabins. The Neshoba County Fair became an important forum for politics as well after Governor McLaurin spoke at the Fair. Throughout the early 20th century, the fairgrounds underwent several improvements—the racetrack, electricity, more cabins. The Neshoba County Fair also grew to a seven-day schedule with entertainment coming from famous country music artists. While the 2020 Neshoba County Fair has been cancelled, this is not the first cancellation in The Fair’s history. During WWII, the Neshoba County Fair was cancelled for the duration of the war. The Fair was cancelled for a few years, and people still survived. The Fair reopened after WWII ended, and the Fair will reopen after the pandemic has subsided; the cancellation of the Neshoba County Fair is only a temporary thing, and Union residents will be able to enjoy the Fair again next year.
The Neshoba County Fair has become a treasured event for Union residents and residents of the entire state. Fairgoers look forward to famous country music artists, politicians, and many other events at the Fair. This will not happen this year; however, if the Fair can reopen after WWII, the Fair can reopen after the coronavirus pandemic. Union residents and Mississippi residents will still continue to enjoy the Fair next year and for many years to come.
