History Of The
Mifflin County Youth Fair
The Mifflin County Youth Fair was established in 1954 at the Gardenview LES Center as a 4-H Roundup. The 1955 exhibition was held at the Kishacoquillas public amusement park in Derby township, Mifflin County, and was sponsored by the Mifflin County Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees), the Mifflin County Senior Extension Club and various other organizations. The Jaycees sponsored the fair from 1955 - 1963 at the Kish Park.
A softball tournament between the community clubs was a big part of the fair along with all the other 4-H exhibits and projects including conservation, shooting sports, and tractor driving. The Mifflin County Youth Fair at this point was looking for a permanent home.
In 1964, the A. Reed Hayes family (a very involved 4-H family) donated an eleven-acre plot of ground in Reedsville. This became the home of the Mifflin County Youth Fair. At this time, a Youth Park Committee was formed and the first building was built to be used for the 1964 Youth Fair. Mifflin County Jaycees continued to sponsor the fair in cooperation with the Youth Park Committee. The first all season building was built in 1965.
In 1966 the first livestock sale was held at the Youth Park with receipts totaling $5,530.37. Prior to this sale 4-H swine were sold at the local sale barn. Clarification of duties was made in about 1966 when a new committee was set up to manage the park facility and real estate.
Presently the Youth Fair Committee sponsors the Youth Fair. The main purpose of the Youth Park is to Host the Mifflin County Youth Fair, but it is used for many activities throughout the year.
F.F.A. started exhibiting at the fair in 1958, alongside 4-H. A plaque in the main exhibition building acknowledges the donation of the site by the A. Reed Hayes Family, it states...
"May this facility always be used in service to the Youth of Mifflin County. Let us all strive to assure that the programs offered through the facility be for the benefit and growth of our youth."
Darvin Yoder, a 30+ year fair volunteer, can remember going to Kish Park as a little kid and seeing the animals washed and sparkly clean. He had never seen anything like this in his life, until he took vocational agriculture when he reached his freshman year in school and joined the FFA. That year, 1966, was the first year the Youth Park was used to hold the fair. They had a big celebration and Paul Harvey was the speaker to kick off the inaugural year.
In the 30+ years that Darvin sat on the fair board we made many changes. The fair was a subcommittee of the Youth Park board in those days, but our committee went on our own sometime in the 1990s. In 1996 the park built our current show barn. In the early 2000s we formed an Open Show committee and went on a two year probation program with the Pennsylvania Association of County Fairs. That resulted in the youth fair being a certified county fair allowing us to have access for Fair Funding. This move allowed the general public to exhibit many different projects and items. From sewing and home-produced items to garden produce to woodworking and antiques. The whole county was welcome to participate. A benefit auction was created to help fund the open show. The open show added many other events including the fair queen contest, an antique tractor show, lots of country fun games, and contests. In 2020, we had our county Fair Queen, Grace Van Sciver, attended the State Pageant in Hershey. That year she was awarded the title of State Fair Queen. Over the next year, she was able to travel to fairs all over the commonwealth and not just represent our fair but PA fairs as a whole.
Today, the Mifflin County Youth Fair consists of a board of around 30 volunteers that make the fair a success each year, from livestock, to shooting sports, community clubs, 4-H, FFA, and the Open Show, we all work together to make each fair special year after year.