The Anne Arundel County Fair rolls back into Crownsville for its 74th year starting Wednesday, September 16, bringing five days of carnival rides, livestock competitions, a roaming animatronic-style T-rex, and a rodeo to the fairgrounds off General's Highway. The event runs through Sunday, September 20, with gates opening at 5 p.m. on opening day and the fair closing for the season at 8 p.m. that Sunday.
According to Eye On Annapolis, this year's lineup includes Prehistoric Dinosaur Adventures, the Firefighter Training Show, antique tractor displays, an antique sawmill demonstration, pig races, chainsaw carving, livestock shows, concerts, and the usual carnival midway. Fair board member John H. M. Faber described the event as one built around agriculture activities, produce, crops, livestock, horse pulls, tractor pulls, antique tractors, an antique sawmill, craft displays, art, live entertainment, pony rides, carnival rides, games, and food, per the outlet's report. The fair says it focuses on agriculture, youth programs, local talent, and community traditions, and organizers can be reached at 410-923-3400 or through the fair's website.
Dinosaurs, Rodeo and a Roaming T-Rex
Opening night kicks off with a 5:30 p.m. ceremony on Wednesday, followed by Bullride Mania Rodeo at 6:30 p.m. and a dinosaur show at 7 p.m., per the fair schedule cited by the same outlet. Prehistoric Dinosaur Adventures features interactive stations, fossil displays, and a dino science show, with Buster the T-rex roaming the fairgrounds for photo opportunities and surprise appearances throughout the week. The Firefighter Training Show gives kids a realistic firefighter experience complete with costumes, a simulated fire scene, a smoking building, a custom fire truck, and real firefighter equipment.
Anne Arundel native and county recording artist Luke Borchelt is set to headline the fair's entertainment on Sunday, September 20, performing both an acoustic and full-band set alongside Oracle the Band, according to Visit Annapolis. Borchelt has previously played regional stages including Merriweather Post Pavilion and Ocean City's Country Calling festival, as Real Pasadena MD has reported.
Admission Prices and Free Days
Wednesday admission runs $10 for ages ten and older, with children nine and under admitted free all week and Wednesday proceeds benefiting the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Thursday evening admission is also $10 for ages ten and older, while Thursday daytime is free for seniors 62 and older, individuals with disabilities, and children, with a $5 rate for ages ten to 61 during the day, the fair schedule shows.
Friday daytime admission is $5 for ages ten and older, rising to $15 for the Friday evening session. Saturday and Sunday admission are both set at $15 for ages ten and older. Unlimited ride wristbands will be available Wednesday and Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for $15, though admission itself covers only fair entrance, shows, and parking and does not include carnival rides or games.
Livestock Auctions Support Youth Programs
The 4-H and FFA Livestock Auction is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, September 19, at the livestock show ring, where market steers, hogs, lambs, goats, and turkeys will be sold to support local youth agriculture programs. A separate 4-H Cake Auction takes place at 1 p.m. Sunday at the picnic stage, with proceeds benefiting the county's 4-H program.
The fairgrounds sit at Route 178, General's Highway, in Crownsville, a site the fair has called home since 1984, when the Maryland Department of Natural Resources purchased the 73-acre property and leased it to fair organizers, according to The Equiery. Before settling in Crownsville, the fair got its start in September 1952 at the former Labrot Race Track near Sandy Point, drawing more than 20,000 attendees in its debut year after approval from the Maryland State Fair Board, per Delegate Tony McConkey's blog. It moved to Sandy Point State Park the following year before eventually relocating to the geographic center of the county three decades later.
A Landmark Statue and a Farming Legacy
Visitors passing through the main Crownsville gate are greeted by “Uncle Harve,” a 20-foot Paul Bunyan-style lumberjack statue donated by the Baldwin family in April 1991 after it spent 15 years atop a local service center roof, according to the Frances Marketing Group. The fair itself is run entirely by volunteers as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, reporting $780,061 in total revenue and $1.47 million in total assets for fiscal year 2024, per Cause IQ. The organization converted from a stockholders' corporation into a nonprofit membership group back in 1963.
The fair's agricultural roots remain visible in county-wide numbers: Anne Arundel County is home to 454 farms covering 36,003 acres, or 17.2% of the county's total land area, with 95% of those operations classified as family farms, according to the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture cited by Anne Arundel County Government. Total agricultural acreage in the county actually increased slightly, by 33 acres, between 2017 and 2022, the same county report notes.
Separately, a $600,000 Maryland state bond initiative was submitted during the 2026 legislative session to repair stormwater retention ponds on the watershed surrounding the fairgrounds, which drains toward the Annapolis City Reservoir and the Chesapeake Bay, according to the Maryland General Assembly. The project would manage sediment and runoff across roughly 120 acres that affect local drinking water supplies. Beyond fair week, the Crownsville grounds stay busy year-round, hosting gatherings in 2026 like the DMV Halal Food Festival and GhanaFest DMV, according to Annapolis Moms.
