From a small district fair that ran for three days in 1971 and drew a few thousand people on the donated grounds on Wall Street in Hebron, a giant has grown. The detailed history of how it happened has been told many times, so let's take a look at what it has become in 33 years. The Hebron Harvest Fair originated as a small indoor fair at a local school and was run by the Recreation Council Of Hebron. The Council asked the newly formed Hebron Lions Club to assume sponsorship and operation of the Fair in 1971. In 1971, the Fair was held on a lot on Wall Street across from RHAM High School. The first Hebron Harvest Fair was well attended and the Fair was registered with the Association Of Connecticut Fairs, for the first two years as a district fair, then as a major fair in Connecticut. In 1972, the Hebron Lions Club purchased 84 acres of land on Route 85 in Hebron, known presently as the Hebron Lions Fairgrounds. That year enough land was cleared to put on the 1972 Hebron Harvest Fair. Since that day most of the land at the Hebron Lions Fairgrounds has been cleared for the expansion of the Fair. Every year the attendance grew and so did the Fair. Additional 16 acres of land were purchased as the fair steadily grew. Various buildings were built to accommodate the growth of the fair such as; Antiques Building, Arts and Crafts Building, Better Living Building, Department Of Environmental Protection Building, and other buildings and animal barns were built as needed.
