Kensington Library to host virtual program on NH fairs Portsmouth Herald KENSINGTON — The Kensington Public Library is hosting Steve Taylor for a presentation on “New Hampshire’s Long Love-Hate Relationship with Agricultural Fairs.” The virtual event will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12. It is made possible by a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council. The first agricultural fair in North America was held in what is now Londonderry in 1722, and it would become a wildly popular event lasting for generations until it came to be so dominated by gambling, flim-flam, and other "scandalous dimensions" that the legislature revoked its charter in 1850. But fairs have always had strong supporters and eventually the state came around to appropriating modest sums to help them succeed. Temperance groups and others would continue to attack the fairs on moral grounds and their close connection to horse racing was a chronic flashpoint. Taylor will discuss the ups and downs of the fairs down through years and how public affection for rural traditions helps them survive in contemporary times.