St. Mary’s Commissioners Approve New 100-Year Fairgrounds Lease

LEONARDTOWN, Md. — St. Mary’s County commissioners on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, approved a new long-term lease for the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds, granting the nonprofit Fair Association a 25-year agreement with three optional renewals that could extend the partnership up to 100 years.

The existing lease, signed in 2002, is set to expire in 2027. County Attorney Buffy Giddens told commissioners the new agreement modernizes that contract, consolidates old documents, and addresses property changes made over the past two decades — including carving out land used for a county cell tower built in 2015.

Under the amended terms, future rent payments from the Verizon tower — projected to resume in the mid-2030s after a 12-year abatement period — will now go directly to the Fair Association.

Commissioners questioned the length of the proposed arrangement, but Giddens said the contract includes safeguards: either party may terminate the lease with six months’ notice, and a separate clause allows termination if a material breach is not resolved within 30 days.

Fair Association President J. Farrell and President Emeritus John Richards said long-term stability is critical to sustaining the volunteer-built fairgrounds, which host the annual county fair and a wide range of community events, from 4-H programs to the Oyster Festival and Scout projects.

Commissioners commended the nonprofit for managing the grounds without county funding and for maintaining facilities heavily used by local groups throughout the year.

The board unanimously approved the lease.

Watch the full St. Mary’s County Commissioner meeting here: