With the numbers of 4-H exhibitors increasing each year, it seems as if the Harford County Farm Fair will soon outgrow its space of the past 24 summers at the Equestrian Center on Tollgate Road in Bel Air.
But with local politicians and fair organizers at odds over where to relocate the farm fair and money for any move not available, any change is unlikely to happen in the near future.
Harford County Council President Billy Boniface referenced an agriculture center project that County Executive David Craig has talked about putting up on a property in Dublin, off of Route 1 near Route 136.
"But it's like anything else," Boniface said. "It takes money."
Even if the county had the funds to build the agriculture center on that land, purchased with Program Open Space grant money from the state, Boniface acknowledged that the decision to move would still be up to the farm fair's board of directors.
"The farm fair is an independent group, so whether or not they decide to move there or not would be their decision," he said, adding that any decision would be "years down the road."
Northern Harford State Sen. Barry Glassman, too, echoed Boniface's thoughts, when he briefly discussed the possibility of an agriculture center, especially in terms of garnering funds.
"I don't see much support to do anything until the economy starts to turn around," he said.
Glassman did mention the off-site parking issue, but overall said he thought the fair "went well." He did, however, say they should look into a long term master plan for the farm fair.
"Long term, I still think that someday we need to get a more modern complex with more parking and so forth," he said.
Despite the high temperatures and a dearth of on-site parking, co-chair and organizer of the Farm Fair, Skip Pieper, said he thought this year's farm fair had great attendance.
Pieper did acknowledge that parking was a problem, but that bussing visitors in worked well and people didn't seem to mind.
In terms of moving the farm fair, however, Pieper said he personally was against the idea.
"I, myself, believe that the fair needs to be located in the center of the county," he said, adding that it couldn't get any more centrally located than where it is.
He added that he would love to see a bigger fairground, but didn't think there were any viable options. Although he emphasized that the county continues to support the farm fair, Pieper did point out that any land purchased with Open Space money could not be used for the fairgrounds.
"It limits in that the county does not have the money to buy ground unless they have Open Space money," he said.
Although Program Open Space lands are not specifically marketed for commercialized purposes, the Department of Natural Resources press office did say events such as fairs and other activities could potentially use Program Open Space property on a "case by case" basis, assuming that it's used to bring the community together.
Overall, Pieper said they "couldn't be more pleased" with the farm fair this year and the county's support. But as the county builds soccer field after soccer field on Open Space land, he added, it was a little discouraging to the 4-H community.
Co-chair and organizer Aimee O'Neill, too, has the 4-H community in mind when considering a location change for the fair, no matter how far off it may be.
"I feel that that's really tied to the future of the 4-H and what 4-H clubs decide," she said. "Our farm fair is build around the 4-H. The purpose of the farm fair is the annual 4-H show."
Any discussion about moving the fairgrounds, she reiterated, should be centered around what is best for the agriculture community and the 4-H members.
That said, Cynthia Warner, Harford County 4-H Director, said at the fair Saturday that the 4-H exhibitors were starting to outgrow the facility, which in essence, is a good thing for 4-H.
As for moving, she said it's a matter of finding a facility that the fair wouldn't outgrow, but even then, the Equestrian Center is still a "great venue" for the event.
"We're so lucky to have this, being a county-owned facility," she said, "that we're able to use it for the farm fair."