The American county fair Is typically a place where agriculture and public involvement are combined, with events such as junior livestock shows offered alongside carnival rides and fried food. The Eddy County fair is one such place, designed with the education and entertainment of the public in mind, according to the president of the Eddy County Fair Board of Directors, Dylan Pinson.

Fairs have been around for centuries, according to the International Association of Fairs and Expos. The first agricultural county fair in the United States was in 1811, and the idea spread throughout the states and territories throughout the century.

This year, the Eddy County Fair begins its 79th iteration. The fair originally consisted of its characteristic livestock shows but has since grown to include more opportunities for the public to get involved, according to Pinson.

“We’ve always been focused on the kids and their livestock projects, and now we’re working on the public side of that and the entertainment side to bring the public out,” Pinson said. “The kids work extremely hard on their projects, but this is the opportunity for the rural and the urban to come together and learn about the livestock projects, [which] is what the whole purpose of the fair is.”

The fair has remained true to its roots with the junior livestock sale being the largest in the state of New Mexico, Pinson said.

“That really brings competition, and it really brings high quality animals,” Pinson said.

The revenue from the livestock sale has been over $1 million for the past several years, Pinson said. Last year, the revenue from the junior livestock sale at the New Mexico State Fair, the largest fair in the state, was $710,090, according to KRQE News.

Pinson said the quality of livestock is what sets the Eddy County Fair apart from other fairs and is part of the impact on the community.

The livestock sale is rewarding for the kids who raise the animals because they get to see the culmination of their hard work, Pinson said.

“They’ve had those animals and they’re working on every single day raising up, training them and growing them,” Pinson said. “It’s their summer activity. And then for them to come to the fair, then they have an opportunity to exhibit it and then sell it.”

The result of the participants’ hard work in raising the animals is an environment where the community can come together, Pinson said. The livestock sale is also rewarding for the public who can learn about agriculture through the shows, he said.

Livestock is a large part of New Mexico’s agriculture industry. According to a 2022 census by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, that year farms and ranches in the state sold $2.95 billion in agricultural products, with 70% of sales being livestock.

The fair board has been determined to accommodate the public interest in the fair, with expansions on the way like a new livestock building, Pinson said.

“We’re really focused on building something that fits the growth and fits what the community wants,” Pinson said.

Pinson advocated for people attending the fair, citing livestock shows as a way that the public can enjoy the fair while also supporting the youth of Eddy County.

“We have it all, we just want the community to participate with us,” Pinson said.