Maryland State Fair

In the 1950s, growth in population and development in increasingly suburban Baltimore County flourished, and certain business interests wanted to purchase the fairgrounds site for industrial development. The majority stockholder of the Corporation for the M.S.F. & A.S. of B.C., which was now the Maryland Jockey Club (which also owned and operated the famous Pimlico Race Course in northwest Baltimore, and home to the Preakness Stakes—one of thoroughbred horse racing's "Triple Crown"—had agreed to sell. In the ensuing controversy, however, a group of agriculturists, business leaders, horsemen, and bankers formed the "Save the Maryland State Fair Committee." The Committee raised over $600,000 to purchase the fairgrounds, ensuring that The Maryland State Fair at Timonium would continue to be Maryland's premiere event at the end of each summer.

Another crisis was averted in the 1970s. The organized Maryland racing industry took steps to have the fair's thoroughbred racing competition dates transferred to other Maryland tracks in order to re-trench a declining audience, purses, and media attention. Fair directors recognized that such a move would threaten the survival of the fair. The "Committee of Friends of the Maryland State Fair" was established to strengthen the cooperation between Maryland agriculture and horse breeding interests—a relationship that had been a tradition in the state since the mid-18th century. The committee was successful in convincing the public and the state legislature in the Maryland General Assembly of the value in keeping thoroughbred racing a part of the fair. The committee also prepared expansion plans for the fair, which resulted in a $5 million grant from the State of Maryland for building, modernization, and year-round use of the fairgrounds.

One of the most famous horses to race at Timonium was the Maryland-bred colt Bee Bee Bee who competed and won in the fall of 1971. Then in May 1972 at Pimlico Race Course, Bee Bee Bee won the second leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, the Preakness Stakes.

Currently the racetrack hosts events during the fair, including the "Alma North Stakes" for fillies and mares and the Taking Risks Stakes. [http://www.marylandstatefair.com/index.cfm?page=info&id=18] Provided by Wikipedia