In 1878, the first successful State Fair in Maryland run by a group of Maryland businessmen on a 4-acre lot in Lutherville occurred. On September 9, 1879, Timonium Fair at York Road & Timonium Road, Timonium, Maryland, United States, opened and is currently owned by Maryland State Fair & Agricultural Society, Inc.

The fair first had tents and wooden structures utilized for every exhibition of home arts, farm and garden products, and livestock shows. Aside from races, plowing, and working oxen competitions, amusements involved sideshows, sack races, and greased pole climbing. Then food concessions are sandwiches handmade by the farmers’ wives. The Fair improved, adding many attractions and exhibitions, including airmail delivery at the 1918 Fair. It continued to prosper until 1943, when a war breakout. The Fair was leased to the U.S. Army as a storage depot and vehicle repair center due to the war. After three years of hiatus, the Fair reopened in 1946.