The very first Garrett County Fair was held in 1917 in the Naylor Building on Third Street in Oakland, and the lot between that building and Center Street. Later, sheds were constructed near Center Street on the Sweeney lot to house part of the exhibits, and successful fairs were held at this location until the early twenties.
As interest in the Fair increased, it became necessary to have more space, so the Bradley property west of Oakland was purchased. Some of the exhibits were housed in the Bradley house. A shed was erected for the livestock and poultry entries. The last of the fairs held at the Bradley farm location was in 1931. Most of the earlier Garrett County fairs were held in late September, because more farm products were available for showing at that time of the year. However, many people who had experience with these fairs said that attendance and general support were in direct relation to the weather, and the weather here in late September is often less than ideal for going to the fair.
Several years of bad weather during fair week resulted in financial losses and the Fifteenth Annual Garrett County Fair, September 15, 16, 17 and 18, 1932, was the last until 1957.
Meetings were held early in 1954 to again organize a Garrett County Fair.
H.G. Gortner, Allen S. Paugh, Sr. Walter DeBerry, Baity Ridder, and then County Extension Agent, John Carter, were among those instrumental in working out details for the first Garrett County Agriculture Fair, Inc. held August 13-17, 1957, on the property of Charles H. Bowman, near Deep Creek, McHenry, Maryland, where the present Fair is held. Officers elected were H.G. Gortner, President; John J. Brenneman, Vice President; Charles A. Wilt, Secretary; Allen S. Paugh, Sr., Treasurer; and Claude W. Wagner, Sr., Manager. The Board of Directors was composed of sixteen men and four women to serve for four-year terms.
The property had one Quonset hut for the first fair. Other tents and temporary buildings were used to house the exhibits and animals. Many improvements have been made to the fairgrounds through the years. Today Garrett County Fair stands as one of the true remaining agriculturally based fairs in the state.
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Jay Ferguson
Who I Am
My name is Jay Ferguson, and I am a lifelong resident of the Deep Creek Lake area. I am also co-owner of the real estate side of Taylor Made. I have been in the real estate business for 21+ years now and I LOVE what I do! I have to say, my career really took off when I co-founded the real estate side of Taylor Made in 2014. Its been an amazing experience, building a real estate company from the ground up and achieving so much so quickly! In August 2016, we purchased Long & Foster Real Estate Deep Creek, where I had started my career in 2000. In 2018, we on-boarded virtually every agent from Coldwell Banker Deep Creek Realty as they closed up shop and the real estate family grew even more! We now have over 40 sales agents and have expanded to West Virginia and Pennsylvania, as well. Taylor Made is the #1 vacation rental company at Deep Creek with over 475 vacation rental homes, and over one hundred thousand yearly visitors. Its amazing what we have accomplished using the principles of honesty, teamwork and customer service!
Personally, my wife Jessica and I enjoy traveling and especially spending time in the outdoors, hiking and exploring the many diverse areas that Garrett County is naturally blessed with. We have raised two wonderful children here, Kayleah (22) and Noah (13). In the summer, we love spending time on the water with friends & family and enjoying the lake life! We are both active in our church, our community & local school activities, and we fill our schedule with plenty of volunteer efforts. I currently serve on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity. I am proud to say that I was named Deep Creek Time’s Favorite ‘Community Champion’ in 2019. I was also named Garrett County Realtor of the Year in 2018-19, as well.
I really enjoy promoting my hometown. I am very proud of the resort area that has developed over my lifetime and look forward to growing the area even more! Deep Creek Lake has been described as ‘The Lake Tahoe of the east', and I think that speaks volumes about the potential to own property here! Deep Creek Lake isn't really a town or city by itself; it's comprised of three towns: Oakland, Swanton & McHenry, Maryland. I am very passionate about my hometown and am impressed with how many people know about it as we travel around the country. Deep Creek Lake is an amazing place to visit and even better place to live! During the pandemic in 2020, our market exploded and more and more people left their primary residence in the city to live here permanently. With distance learning in schools and tele-commuting becoming the ‘norm’, many more people were drawn to the area to ‘live where they love to play’.
Why You Want Me Working for You: In addition to being an owner, I am consistently one of the top-producing agents in the entire area and the Associate Broker of record for Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations & Sales. I have 21+ years of experience and I am a problem solver. There aren’t many situations that I have not encountered and I have a strategy for almost every scenario that you may encounter. I
have extensively trained in all areas of real estate & emerging technologies, and also have trained as an appraiser, as well as served as a full-time Broker. I have a strong knowledge of the industry, as well as many trusted local contacts & affiliations that allow me to perform at a very high level and deliver results. I have a great deal of respect for my peers in this industry and have strong working relationships that I would love to put to work for you.
Call me to discuss your situation - I know I can be of great service to you & others you care about!
Honesty. Integrity. Results.
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