The Harford County Farm Fair, Inc. is incorporated as a 501 C 3 non-profit corporation. The Fair has no paid employees and is run by a volunteer Board of Directors. The annual Fair held every July is the result of the efforts of the unpaid Board and hundreds of volunteers and the generosity of corporate sponsors.
As a matter of policy, the Fair Board has always kept admission to the fair as low as possible in order to provide affordable family fun to the local community while fulfilling the Fair's mission of promoting Harford County's agricultural heritage and encouraging youth involvement in agricultural activities, particularly through the 4-H. All proceeds from vendor booth fees and admission fees are used to fulfill the mission of the Fair to promote Harford County's agricultural heritage, produce the annual Fair event and to improve the fairgrounds. Since the first Harford County Farm Fair was held in 1988, the annual Fair has been held at the Harford County Equestrian Center, which is publicly owned by the Harford County Government and is part of the Heavenly Waters Park Complex. The Equestrian Center is administered by the County Department of Parks and Recreation and a volunteer Equestrian Center Recreation Council.
Over the years, the Fair has generated almost one million dollars worth of capital improvements to the Harford County Equestrian Center. These improvements were made possible in part of a $300,000 Program Open Space grant from the State of Maryland for the new main pavilion on the grounds. The Fair Board raised an in-kind match of $300,000 from public-spirited local businesses. Other improvements to the grounds include the paving of the roads on the grounds, constructing of several pole barns, construction of the tractor-pull track and seating, announcer's tower, as well as additional electrical distribution and lighting. Again, corporate contributions played a major role in making these improvements.
