History of the Kendall County Fair

Boerne1
08/27/2022 07:00 AM

The first Kendall County Fair took place in Boerne, Texas in 1905.

Communication was limited so it was imperative that a central meeting be held at least annually so the people of the area would have a chance to exchange ideas, recipes and news of events. Thus was born the idea of a county fair, and the people of the county gathered together in the “Opera House” located in downtown Boerne to hold the first Kendall County Fair on September 4, 1905.

On March 14, 1913, the citizens of Kendall County gathered for a called mass meeting for the purpose of organizing a Kendall County Fair Association. On July 1, 1913, the corporation charter was granted, and the newly formed Kendall County Fair Association was presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by The Ferdinand Ludwig Von Herff Family.

Fifty-five acres of land was deeded to the association from the Herff Family extensive holdings east of town for the association to conduct a yearly fair and erect buildings to house the event. In order to ensure the continuation of the fair for those generations that followed, the deed also forbade the sale of the property.

H.O. Adler was the first president elected and Martha Fabra (Mrs. E.P. Heye) was appointed first lady manager. Bonnie Lee Kemp (Mrs. Carl H. Molberg) was the first Kendall County Fair queen selected in 1949.

The Kendall County Fair Association governing board now consists of 21 active voting director members. The association is honored to have senior directors who have served nine or plus years as a director. As of 2020, 15 of the senior directors served a reign as president during their term as a director. The association has more than 2,500 lifetime members.

Beautiful Herff Park, located at 1307 River Road, is the home of the Kendall County Fair. The 55-acre park is studded with live oak trees, which make an ideal setting for the annual Labor Day weekend fair.

The Kendall County Fair Association's "Oma’s Christmas Fair" takes place at the fairgrounds annually during the first weekend in December. This year, 2022 Oma’s Christmas Fair will celebrate 38 years.

The facilities are utilized by both commercial and community organization as well as private parties to host their events both large and small.

The Kendall County Fair has been held annually (except during the war years when it was supplanted by one or more livestock shows each year and in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.) The purpose of the annual fair is to display the best agriculture products and livestock from Kendall County and the surrounding Hill Country area. Its purpose is educational, and its main objective is to encourage and develop farming and ranching in line with modern development as an educational and social institution.

The Kendall County Fair offers its patrons a real opportunity to participate in the benefits offered. The association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with officers and directors serving without remuneration. Any and all profits from the various activities held are used to further the interest of the association and for improving properties and the grounds.