Altamont Fairgrounds

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Altamont Fairgrounds
Altamont Fairgrounds
Location Altamont, New York
Coordinates 42°41′54″N74°01′30″W / 42.6982°N 74.0251°W / 42.6982; -74.0251
OwnerAlbany, Schenectady and Greene County Fair Association

The Altamont Fairgrounds is the home of the annual Albany-Schenectady-Greene County Fair. Open for over 160 years, the fairgrounds are utilized year-round and host a number of events. It is located in the Village of Altamont, New York.

Contents

Facilities and events

Three County Fair

Altamont Fairgrounds hosted its first fair in September 1893, and entry cost 25 cents for adults. Schenectady County joined in 1922, two years before the fair’s first fireworks show. The fair suspended operations from 1942 to ’43 because of World War II, and Greene County joined in 1945. A year later, the fair association officially was renamed the Albany, Schenectady and Greene County Fair Association, making Altamont Fair the first (and only) three-county fair in New York state. [1]

The annual fair brings rides, food, live music and myriad attractions to the region for six days. Entertainment choices include Central K-9's Dock Dogs Show, which brings agile pups to show off their skills in dock-diving, disc-catching and more. [1]

Exhibition Hall

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, the Fine Arts and Flower Building has been in continuous use at the fairgrounds since 1896. [2]

Harvest Wine Festival

In addition to entertainment, the festival features vendors offering samples of fine wine, craft beverages, specialty foods and activities such as pumpkin carving, traversing a hay maze, draft horse wagon rides, and a car show. [3]

Christmas Village

On weekends in December, the fairground provides activities such as roasting s'mores, photos with Santa, horse & wagon rides, a hot cocoa bar, a Christmas market, and ornament and cookie decorating. [4]

Auto racing

When Altamont hosted the first annual Albany County Fair in 1893, the main event was harness horse racing. [5] From the 1920s through 1955 the 1⁄2-mile (0.80 km) dirt oval operated as Altamount Speedway, featuring "big cars" sanctioned by the AAA, and becoming the home track of 1951 Indianapolis 500 champion Lee Wallard. [6]

The racetrack also hosted two NASCAR Grand National (now NASCAR Cup Series) events, with Fonty Flock winning in 1951 and Junior Johnson claiming the 1955 race. [7] [8] [9]

References

  1. 1 2 Kiessling, Katherine; Crounse, Lucy (July 29, 2025). "Everything you need to know about the Altamont Fair". Times Union . Albany NY. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  2. ↑ Krattinger, William E. (c. 2003). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fine Arts and Flower Building, Altamont Fairground / Exhibition Hall". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . Retrieved 2010-03-22. and Accompanying 3 photos, from 2003 and 1920 Archived October 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Tollerton, Jack (September 8, 2025). "Harvest and Wine Festival returning to Altamont". Albany NY: WTEN . Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  4. ↑ "A Very FAIRy Christmas Village". The Altamont Fair. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Fair History". The Altamont Fair. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Recording the history of racing at the Altamont fairgrounds". The Altamont Enterprise . NY. February 14, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Crack drivers in car races". Glens Falls Times. NY. July 28, 1951. p. 6. Retrieved September 20, 2025– via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  8. ↑ "Johnson wins shortened spill-filled auto race". The Altamont Enterprise . NY. August 5, 1955. p. 7. Retrieved September 20, 2025– via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  9. ↑ "Albany-Schenectady Fairgrounds". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
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