Every August thousands visit the Delaware County Fair held in the quiet town of Walton, New York. The DCF is a 125 year-old Walton tradition drawing local and out of town folk alike. From local food favorites to the international recording artists, the annual DCF is a highly anticipated event in the region and beyond.
I began attending the DCF in 2007 and it started to become a Summer tradition for me. There was something special about the live atmosphere and deep passion people seemed to have for the fair.
After attending the DCF in 2009 I realized that there was no way to access and interact with fair goers, vendors or entertainers after the fair was over. In 2009, I created the official Delaware County Fair-Walton,NY Facebook group.
It didn’t take long for the group to grow in numbers. By August 2010 the group boasted well over 500 members and was becoming very active. Once I saw the group had established a legitimate presence I began to promote more member participation by posing discussion questions, promoting local dialogue and even organizing a photo contest with the assistance of the Delaware County Fair Board(DCFB).
The DCFB had taken notice of and embraced the groups popularity. They soon began contacting me to assist with awareness campaigns of their own. By January 2011 the group was boasting over 750 members and the DCFB had began including links and urging their subscribers to join the Facebook group in their monthly newsletter.
Today, the group is still very active and I anticipate a large boost in membership as August nears. What started off as a simple. personal interest project has become a resource for DCF fans across the nation. I am in regular contact with the DCFB to make sure all of the information displayed is correct and up to date. The group has not been limited to only DCF topics. I encourage members to share all regional happenings year-round.
