Volunteers for the Warren County A&L Fair work year-round to maintain and operate what is considered the largest free fair in the state of Tennessee.
The fair begins Friday night. Warren County A&L Fair President Regan Kelsey said the event is managed by a dedicated group of people committed to improving the community.
“For me personally, Warren County’s been good to me and my family, and this is just a way for me to give back,” Kelsey said. “It’s rewarding to see all that and it’s happening because of the work that the volunteers, the fair board put in.”
Kelsey said the fair board and volunteers handle nearly all aspects of the event, including physical labor and facility maintenance. Kelsey said the volunteer crew performs its own plumbing, wiring, roofing, and construction projects on the fairground buildings. Kelsey said the physical work for the current season began in March to ensure the grounds were ready for the September event.
“You can come to our fair, see every exhibit, see every show, every event, and the only thing that you have to pay for is food and rides,” Kelsey said. “So it’s very family-friendly as far as that goes, and for a lot of people that’s not from here, they don’t realize that this is what we think is the last free fair in the state and certainly the largest by far, one of the largest fairs in the state.”
The fair features 13 permanent food booths, almost all of which are operated by local churches, schools, or civic organizations. Kelsey said the proceeds from these booths go directly back into those community programs to sustain them throughout the year.
“The whole purpose of the fair is to promote agriculture and livestock in Warren County,” Kelsey said. “We provide a vehicle for the exhibitors to showcase their goods, the stuff that they’ve made, the stuff that they’ve grown, and without the farmers and the local people that bring stuff, there’s no point in having a fair.”
Kelsey said the fairgrounds include unique historical features such as the Fairfield Village, which contains original pre-Civil War structures. Kelsey said the event also utilizes a 5,000-seat grandstand that has been in continuous use since 1954.
“Coming here is kind of like a little bit of a step back in time because the facilities and the layout, it’s just like an old-time county fair that I think a lot of people would remember from their childhood,” Kelsey said. “To see a spectacle and event this large in a community of its size is kind of special in and of itself.”
Kelsey said the fair expects to see approximately 200,000 people attend during its nine-day run.
“Something we really hang our hat on is the fact that we’re free, but it’s not necessarily a novelty because we’re one of the biggest, most successful fairs in the state,” Kelsey said. “So, you know, we’re doing something right. We’re doing something nobody else in the state is. So and we’re pretty proud of that.”
The Warren County A&L Fair runs from through September 19.
