As the 2026 Botetourt County Fair approaches on July 31 and August 1, here is a look back at the program from 1939. It was printed in Fincastle by C. Hedrick.
After the Great Depression, agriculture was the largest economic driver in the county and the state. In 1939 farming was labor intensive, relying on mules, oxen and horse-drawn plows. At the fair there were horse races and livestock competitions. There were grandstands where it was located in 1939.
This program is on display downstairs in the Botetourt Museum of History & Culture’s exhibit “Home Grown-Botetourt’s Agricultural History.” There are artifacts from the past showing how agriculture shaped Botetourt’s history. There are also stories, pictures and real life talks with today’s local century farmers. Botetourt’s family farmers are dealing with the challenges of labor shortages, extreme weather, changing markets and pressure from developers. Farming has never been easy. “No farm, No food” is the logo of the American Farmland Trust (wwwfarmland.org).
~ Botetourt Museum of History & Culture
