Landon Hall, 18, of Raleigh Liberty High School FFA in Raleigh County, sits on a fence rail with his Hereford steer named Simba before particpating in a demonstration on opening day of The State Fair of West Virginia Thursday, August 8, 2024.
Ten full days of carnival rides, live entertainment, agricultural exhibits and unique fair food get underway on Thursday, as the State Fair of West Virginia returns to its Greenbrier County home in Fairlea for the 100th time.
The Ferris Wheel at the Carnival Midway on opening day of The State Fair of West Virginia, Thursday, August 8, 2024.
CHRIS DORST | Gazette-Mail
The annual end-of-summer festival began in 1921 as the Greenbrier Valley Fair, which the state Legislature, 20 years later, officially designated as the State Fair of West Virginia. World War II closed the fair from 1942 through 1945, while COVID kept the fairgrounds vacant again in 2020, making 2025 the 100th running of the event.
In its early years, cattle dominated the livestock competition, with the Shorthorn breed proving the largest share of entries. A newly built half-mile track, still in use, provided a venue for harness racing. One of the more popular attractions was a display of farm implements, featuring the latest innovations of the time. Also displayed, judged and admired, as they are today, were baked goods, canned foods and hand-sewn or knitted clothing.
Landon Hall, 18, of Raleigh Liberty High School FFA in Raleigh County, sits on a fence rail with his Hereford steer named Simba before particpating in a demonstration on opening day of The State Fair of West Virginia Thursday, August 8, 2024.
CHRIS DORST | Gazette-Mail
During this year's fair, in addition to 4-H, FFA and open livestock and horse shows, the West Virginia High School Rodeo will be held. The fan-favorite Draft Horse Pull takes place at 9 a.m. Aug. 15.
During the fair's 1921 debut year, Robin, King of the Comedy Jugglers, was among the entertainment headliners, along with Harry Wheadon's Sensational Slack Wire Act and the Roza Rentz Trio, an aerialist troupe.Â
