Museum Exhibit, Fair Owner Remember a Century of Anderson County Fairs

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

The Anderson County Fair’s “King of Mirth” show, is one of the most amazing exhibits, highlighting the count fairs held each year from 1901 to 2008. If disassembled, every piece of the model would fit inside the accompanying train cars, just like the real fair, The fair returned in 2012 with the James H. Drew Exhibition taking the helm.

The exhbiit was:
• Hand built of balsam wood and canvas by the late Leonard King over a period of about 25 years.
• Came to the museum at the restoration cost of $25,000.
• It is a miniature meaning that it is built to scale and everything works.  For example, if we remove the tent pegs, the tent will fall.
• Mr. King was a great engineer, but not a terrific speller.  However, that is the charm of this project, and we would never change or "fix" any aspect of this exhibit.
• All the pieces can be packed up and would fit into the model trains in case it needs to go on the road.
• This is his memory of the fair over a number of years and is not meant to be an exact representation of a particular year.
• Anderson County Museum won a state wide award from South Carolina Federation of Museum for its preservation.

The Anderson County Museum is open Tuesday: 10 a.m.–7 p.m., and Wednesday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Roper Research Room is open Tuesdays: 1-7 p.m. or by appointment.

Admission is free, free parking, and accessible facilities. Donations are accepted. Suggested donation: $2.00 per person.

Jimmy Drew, who has spent a lifetime working the fair (including bring rides to Anderson in the 1960s), remembers the old days represented in the exhibit and discusses this year’s fair in this interview with the Anderson Observer.