This past week a Fall tradition was enjoyed by a large cross section of our community, both young and old alike! For over a century, The Southeast Georgia Jaycee Fair has stood as a keystone for our community traditions and agricultural celebration in Swainsboro, Georgia.
Originally established as an annual event in Emanuel County over a century ago (1917) by the local merchants association, the fair began as a grassroots effort to showcase local agriculture, domestic arts, and provide community fellowship and entertainment according to the Jaycee Website.
Through the decades, the fair operated in close partnership with Emanuel County 4-H, a student focused organization that remains vital to the fair’s identity. By getting involved in our fair’s youth livestock shows (in conjunction with the FFA Chapters at ECI and Swainsboro High), educational exhibits, shows and competitive contests, students come to grasp the meaning of the last line of the Jaycee Creed, that “service to humanity is the best work of life.”
The original fairgrounds were “under the tower” on South US 1, and the 4-H clubhouse remains as the only original building on that site. Though it was moved from beside the Forestry Service’s fire watch tower after that part of the fairgrounds sold to be developed as our original Walmart Shopping Center, it is now found behind the shopping center these days.
In 1978, it was mutually decided that the Swainsboro Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce) would take over exclusive management of the fair using funds generated to support a host of community projects and efforts..
Founded locally in 1939, the Jaycees brought energy and civic pride to the tradition. By 1979, the organization purchased dedicated land and constructed a permanent facility on Fairground Road, establishing the fixed home where the week-long October event is still enjoyed by the extended community. The “Cow Palace” was constructed using a federal grant that Mr. Earl Varner and students from 4-H and FFA wrote as best memory serves.
Numerous notable individuals and civic leaders have shaped the fair's trajectory through the years. As the Swainsboro Jaycees grew and took on projects like the airport in the war years of the 1940s (where one of the members, Mr. Jimmy Morgan, was the first to fly from the runway according to local lore) support of the Hospital and EMT Services or the rebuilding of the old Swainsboro High School Auditorium on Church Street in the 1990s, the Fair became the financial lynchpin in holding together these and a host of other community efforts. The Swainsboro Jaycee Chapter has historically been driven by a diverse group of locals made up of farmers, teachers, tradespeople and business owners. Many notable figures cut their teeth in local leadership through the Jaycees and grew to serve in prominent roles as Mayors, Representatives, Senators, Commissioners, Council Members, as well as Heads of Agencies and Judges.
Today, the fair draws thousands of visitors from across the region each autumn. It blends our historic agricultural roots and other events such as community pageants and exhibitions/displays with modern family entertainment, carnival rides, and the famous Jaycee Food Booth. Operated entirely by volunteers, The Southeast Georgia Jaycee Fair remains a testament to local leadership training and the preservation of our traditions and community pride in Emanuel County.
