Program

Hometown Heritage®

Subject

Education, Site

Location

41 Holloman Ave, Ahoskie, NC 27910, USA

Lat/Long

36.292395317243, -76.974450749572

Grant Recipient

Chowan Discovery Group

The Atlantic District Fair Association was founded in 1920 by people of color in Hertford County after being denied access to the county fair then held in Winton, NC.

Within a year, the Association had acquired the fairgrounds where this historical marker is now located, and the first annual Atlantic District Fair was scheduled. One of the earliest advertisements for that first fair held at the fairgrounds, published in the Hertford County Herald in 1921, read:

Announcing First Annual Fair of the Atlantic District Fair Association, Ahoskie, N. C. October 25—26—27, 1921. Farm—Livestock—Poultry Exhibits. Good Racing Program. Mid-Way Full of Good Shows. Many Free Attractions Daily. Remember the Date.

By 1924, the fair had proven to be a success, and the same newspaper reported in October of that year:

Since Tuesday, the opening day of the Atlantic-District fair (colored), immense crowds have paid daily visits to the grounds, located about a mile from the town limits of Ahoskie… All of the usual attributes of fairs are on hand at the local grounds, including some fine exhibits of agricultural products, vegetables, canned goods, and other domestic eatables. The fancy work department on the second floor of the new exhibit building and grandstand is very creditable. An assortment of livestock is also on exhibit…Horse racing featured each day’s program, and good racing has featured the program…the midway is bolstered by several independent concessions, vendor’s stands, and games of chance…The Ahoskie Concert Band gas furnished excellent music during the three days.

The history of the Atlantic District Fair Association and the fairgrounds is detailed in a publication titled, History of the Atlantic District Fair Association, Incorporated Ahoskie, Hertford County, North Carolina, (Organized 1919- Incorporated 1920), written by Clarence S. Newsome in 1991. Newsome writes that in 1947, a brick and masonry grandstand and two-storied exhibit building were constructed to replace the earlier wood structures that had been lost to fire. Newsome goes on to add, “since 1920, the annual Fair Week event has been one of the major highlights in the lives of thousands of people, from year to year. The Fair has been immense and inclusive with exhibits representing all areas of living “in this (Herford) and adjacent counties.”

Since then, countless visitors have followed the advice of that early advertisement in 1921 to “remember the date” of the annual fair hosted by the Atlantic District Fair Association, which, as of 2025, continues to be held every October to serve the educational, agricultural and recreational needs of the surrounding community.