Orange County Fair (New York)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2013) |
The Orange County Fair is an annual fair held in the town of Wallkill, New York. The fair began as an agricultural exhibit in 1843 and was permanently located in the Wallkill–Middletown area in 1857.
The fairgrounds are also home to the Orange County Speedway, where they hold stock car races and demolition derbies during the summer months. It is the oldest continuously operating dirt track in the United States. In 1919, a group staged an automobile race during the annual fair. The first race was a huge success, and auto racing has been an integral part of the fairgrounds ever since.
There were no races from 1942-1945 because of WWII. Auto racing was suspended "for the duration" because of shortages of gasoline, steel, aluminum, and rubber. Ever since then, OCFS has been operating every Saturday night from April to August.
The track also hosts the annual Eastern States Weekend, where dirt modified, 358- modified, and sportsman drivers race their cars in 200 (modified), 150 (358s), and 50 lap races. The weekend usually falls in mid-October. This is the end of the racing season for most regulars at the track.
The fair no longer maintains 4-H and Future Farmers of America exhibits, Future Farmers of America hasn't been a part of the fair for a number of years and in 2012, 4-H pulled out as well. The fair now brings in private agricultural displays and exotic animals which it considers more friendly to its customers.[1]
Westwood One / Pepsi Concert Series
Through the 1980s and well into the 1990s, the Orange County Fairgrounds hosted the Westwood One & Pepsi Concert Series, featuring some of the biggest names in the music industry every summer. Some of the music acts that appeared through the years included;
| Artist / Band | Tour | Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Beach Boys | August 28, 1983 | |
| Aerosmith | Back In The Saddle Tour | July 5, 1984 |
| Crosby, Stills & Nash | August 10, 1984 | |
| Santana | June 30, 1985 | |
| Huey Lewis and The News | July 18, 1985 | |
| Foreigner | August 1, 1985 | |
| Joe Walsh | (Opened For Foreigner) | August 1, 1985 |
| Rick Springfield | September 1, 1985 | |
| Til Tuesday | (Opened For Rick Springfield) | September 1, 1985 |
| Jackson Browne | July 6, 1986 | |
| Loverboy | July 31, 1986 | |
| Stevie Nicks | The Rock A Little Tour | August 17, 1986 |
| Peter Frampton | August 17, 1986 | |
| Bryan Adams | Into The Fire Tour | June 15, 1987 |
| The Hooters | (Opened For Bryan Adams) | June 15, 1987 |
| Heart | July 23, 1987 | |
| Def Leppard | Hysteria Tour | July 26, 1988 |
| Judas Priest | Mercenaries of Metal Tour | July 27, 1988 |
| Cinderella | (Opened for Judas Priest) | July 27, 1988 |
| Aerosmith | Permanent Vacation Tour | August 7, 1988 |
| Guns N' Roses | Appetite For Destruction Tour (Opened for Aerosmith) | August 7, 1988 |
| Poison | Open Up And Say...Ahh! Tour | June 2, 1989 |
| Ozzy Osbourne | No Rest For The Wicked Tour | July 2, 1989 |
| White Lion | Big Game Tour (Opened For Ozzy Osbourne) | July 2, 1989 |
| Vixen | (Opened For White Lion) | July 2, 1989 |
| Bon Jovi | New Jersey Syndicate Tour | July 9, 1989 |
| Metallica | Damaged Justice Tour | July 14, 1989 |
| The Beach Boys | July 25, 1989 | |
| Chicago | July 25, 1989 | |
| Yes | August 9, 1989 | |
| Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers | August 18, 1989 | |
| The Replacements | August 18, 1989 | |
| Kiss | Hot In The Shade Tour | June 17, 1990 |
| Slaughter | (Opened For Kiss) | June 17, 1990 |
| Aerosmith | Pump Tour | June 19, 1990 |
| The Black Crowes | (Opened For Aerosmith) | June 19, 1990 |
| Mötley Crüe | Dr. Feelgood World Tour | July 1, 1990 |
| Tesla | Five Man Acoustical Jam Tour | July 1, 1990 |
| Heart | The Brigade Tour | July 18, 1990 |
| Slayer | Clash Of The Titans Tour | June 27, 1991 |
| Megadeth | Clash Of The Titans Tour | June 27, 1991 |
| Anthrax | Clash Of The Titans Tour | June 27, 1991 |
| Alice In Chains | Clash Of The Titans Tour | June 27, 1991 |
| Yes | July 22, 1991 | |
| Huey Lewis and The News | July 24, 1991 | |
| Judas Priest | Operation Rock N' Roll Tour | August 16, 1991 |
| Bad Company | September 2, 1991 | |
| Damn Yankees | (Opened For Bad Company) | September 2, 1991 |
| Extreme | Pornograffiti Tour | September 11, 1991 |
| The Allman Brothers | August 28, 1992 | |
| Van Halen | Right Here, Right Now Tour | July 6, 1993 |
| Vince Neil Band | (Opened For Van Halen) | July 6, 1993 |
| Soul Asylum | MTV Alternative Nation Tour | July 15, 1993 |
| The Spin Doctors | MTV Alternative Nation Tour | July 15, 1993 |
| Screaming Trees | MTV Alternative Nation Tour | July 15, 1993 |
| Phish | July 21, 1993 | |
| Blues Traveler | (Opened For Phish) | July 21, 1993 |
| Def Leppard | Adrenalize Tour | July 30, 1993 |
| Ugly Kid Joe | (Opened For Def Leppard) | July 30, 1993 |
| Metallica | Shit Hits The Shed Tour | June 17, 1994 |
| Danzig | Shit Hits The Shed Tour | June 17, 1994 |
| Suicidal Tendencies | Shit Hits The Shed Tour | June 17, 1994 |
| Yes | August 21, 1994 | |
| Queensrÿche | The Road To The Promised Land Tour | July 25, 1995 |
| Stephen Lynch | July 21, 1997 | |
| The Marshall Tucker Band | July 25, 2001 | |
| Buddy Jewel | July 24, 2004 | |
| Canned Heat | July 27, 2004 | |
| Vanilla Fudge | July 27, 2004 | |
| Mountain | July 27, 2004 | |
| Josh Turner | July 28, 2004 | |
| 3 | July 19, 2008 | |
| Graham Parker | October 11, 2008 |
External links
 | This festival-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |