Junior curator Alyssa Zevallos, 17, of Hanover makes cotton candy during the unveiling of a York Fair history exhibit at the York County Heritage Trust.
The York Fair is over, but it lives on in an exhibit at the York County Heritage Trust.
Read more at York Town Square blog post: Young curators product York Fair exhibit: 'A Fair of Our Own'.
Last York Fair, I experienced my first Bury's Famous Hamburger.
This year, I gobbled my second and third.
But despite my best efforts, I could not get those at either fair stand serving the burgers to reveal the secret of that red sauce.
Not that I don't have it from another source.
Read more at York Town Square blog post: Bury's Burgers secret sauce: 'You won't get that recipe' .
These pre-World War II York Fair days were chockfull of patriotism. But not all was well at the fair.
The previous All's Fair post, York Fair important to black community's past, tells how this annual rite of September was a meaningful and memorable event for York's black community.
But not all parts of the York Fair spoke well of the views of fair organizers or those in power about the black community, as related by the York Town Square blog post: Good old days were at least old.
This photo of the York Fair appeared in the souvenir calendar 'Sighting the Sites,' issued as part of York's 250th anniversary in 1991.
The York Fair was cited in 1991 as a York County location that throughout history has been meaningful in the lives of York's black families.
"The York Fairgrounds is certainly one of the few locations having always had its facilities open to a total community," the calendar states.
For other sites important to the black community, see the post Black history on display throughout York County on York Town Square blog.
York Fair festivities covered York's Centre Square, now Continental Square, in the 1700s. Lewis Miller shows the revelers in this drawing, courtesy of York County Heritage Trust.
Nowadays, people get married with some frquency at the York Fair. That tradition goes back to the fair's earliest years.
Read more at York Town Square blog: York Fair produces affairs to remember.
At one time, Bury's operated 11 York-area restaurants. The last one closed in 1986, but their sauce-covered burger has continued to be offered at Johnny Eagles' stand at the York Fair.
I wrote an account of my first Bury's hamburger enjoyed at the 2007 York Fair in the York Town Square post: Bury's burgers: Nostalgia on a bun.
The burger, soaked in a special tomato sauce, is an icon around York County. It's only available once a year - when the fair comes to town.
But for those who can't wait a year, try this recipe: The quest for Bury's secret hamburger recipe continues.
This aerial map, courtesy of Penn Pilot, shows York in 1938. Notice the horse track at the York Fairgrounds at left.
The Penn Pilot map shows the York Fairgrounds in the Depression era. Wonder how that section of the community looked from the air over time? Visit York Town Square blog post Map aficionados will love bird's-eye view of York County to learn how.
This poster promotes the 1928 York Fair. Notice even in those days that fair officials chose to attract crowds by promoting events involving pretty women.
The signs say the York Fair is America's first. Where does that claim come from?
York Town Square is in the search for evidence to support that. Read more at York Town Square blog post: In search of proof that York Fair is nation's oldest.
