The first McDonogh Fair took place on May 4, 1929, as an Alumni Day event where cadets could showcase their livestock. However, from 1930 through 1953, the McDonogh Fair was separated from Alumni Day, allowing the McDonogh community to showcase its animal husbandry program. When the Fair returned to campus in 1954 in conjunction with Alumni Day (it had been held at the Timonium Fairgrounds in years prior), it started to grow and include other attractions that brought folks from across Maryland. Rides, refreshments, antique car shows, and balloon ascensions became the main events of the fair as McDonogh’s livestock population dwindled. The fair continued to be a central element of McDonogh’s culture until the “Alumni Day Fair” ended after the 1978 school year.
McDonogh Fair Cattle Ribbon – 1950
