Thanks to the continued support from Weis supermarkets and the new commitment of a Catonsville-based funeral home, Heritage Fair officials have decided there’s enough initial interest to revive the Heritage Fair for this year.
Dundalk Heritage Fair Association executive director Mark Krysiak announced Wednesday that enough pieces of the fair puzzle had come together, filling some holes that previously had doomed the event just short of its 50th anniversary.
In a letter published on the association’s Facebook page, Krysiak credited longtime donor Weis and new supporter MacNabb Funeral Home and Cremation Society of Maryland, as well as a new groundswell of volunteer interest, as the catalysts for ensuring at least one more year of the venerable celebration.
“We will once again be celebrating the 4th of July in Dundalk with a fair,” he announced in the letter. “The 50th Dundalk Heritage Fair will take place July 4, 5 and 6, 2025.”
In addition to corporate sponsorship, Krysiak credited the “patriotism and community spirit of the people of Dundalk." The committee’s initial decision to cancel the fair “clearly undervalued the tenacity of this wonderful group of people,” he wrote in his letter.
With great progress being made recruiting financial sponsors and volunteers, Krysiak said the “third leg” of the fair stool would be fair-goers: “Now we need to bring in the crowds.”
The fair, first staged in 1976 as the community’s celebration of the nation’s bicentennial, was never intended to be an annual event. It was organized as a one-time affair for that special summer. But it was so popular and well-received that organizers threw another one and another until it was part of Greater Dundalk’s landscape; a part of its very identity.
Over the years, big-name entertainment shared stages with local night club circuit bands, recreation council dancers and high school steel drummers. While country music band Shenandoah performed on the main stage, Uncle Dave could take the microphone in the karaoke garden. Boy Scouts pitched tents, crafters sold their hand-made wares, non-profits sold pizza and snowballs to fund their programs and squealing pigs raced around a course to the delight of similarly squealing children.
But much like their affect on the human body, so too did time and other elements take their toll on the fair. For way too many years now, the three-day holiday weekend seems to be a sure bet for bad weather. Not just Florida-like afternoon showers but torrential downpours resulting in park damages and power outages. Who can forget the derecho of 2012? The powerful, hugely destructive, fast-moving storm swept through Dundalk June 29 and 30, resulting in severe damage to trees and equipment at Heritage Park, as well as taking out all power. While the derecho is an extreme example of bad weather, the fair has suffered more than its fair share of weather-related closures.
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| Joan Jett and the Blackhearts performed at the 2012 Heritage Fair. Photo by Marge Neal |
In his letter of April 4, in which he announced the cancellation of this year’s and all future fairs, Krysiak cited the cumulative effects of weather and COVID-19, decreased attendance and fewer financial supporters as the collective reasons for the death of the event.
Public outcry and promises to help inspired Krysiak to hold what he called a town hall meeting. The meeting was used to provide a comprehensive and transparent explanation of the expenses of throwing such a party, as well as brainstorming ways to bring in new sponsors and volunteers.
After the meeting, Krysiak announced that if $20,000 could be raised in the next week, the committee would bring the fair back to life. The total budget for the fair is about $280,000, he said.
The “tremendous outpouring of support” shown through social media posts, online fundraisers and meeting attendance were enough to bring the fair back to life.
The committee is back, hard at work, and invites everyone to “join us for the best 4th of July celebration ever!”
To get involved:
For more information, contact Heritage Fair executive director Mark Krysiak at mkrysiak@dundalkheritagefair.com or 410-440-4907.
Volunteers are asked to send their contact information to mgielner@dundalkheritagefair.com.
Donations are being accepted via Venmo and PayPal and a GoFundMe account has been set up.
Physical checks can be sent to Dundalk Heritage Fair, P.O. Box 4022, Dundalk, MD 21222.
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