PART 2: There Was Never Anything Quite Like the Great Danbury State Fair

It was the longest running state fair in U.S. history (112 years) when it finally closed in the 1980s – to make way for a shopping mall. The Great Danbury State Fair was legendary. Jack Stetson is the grandson of the its longtime owner, John W. Leahy. He was also the last person to “turn out the lights” at the fair. In part two of this two-part series, we’ll focus on the fair’s rapid growth in the 1900s and then the backroom dealings that led to the property being purchased by a mall developer. Also sharing his insights is noted Danbury historian Bill Devlin.