Indian River County Firefighters Fair

Originally organized in 1980 as the Vero Beach Firefighters County Fair, our event has grown from a 6 day program at the Vero Beach Airport, to the present 10 days of family fun.

The first General Manager of the fair was Fire Lieutenant Bill Tripp. Bill served in that position until 1988 when Fire Lieutenant Joe Earman Jr. took the reigns and operated the event until 1995. In 1996 Fire Lieutenant Toby Turner then stepped up and performed the General Manager’s roll for 19 years. Since 2015, Fire Department Lieutenant Wayne Howard serves as the General Manager and operates with an annual budget in excess of $250,000.

In 1985, Indian River County set aside land to be used as a permanent site for the County Fair. This present location of 7955 58th Avenue has 45 acres of fenced area and 30 acres for parking. It serves the county, not only by leasing to the firefighters’ for the fairs operation, but the county uses the grounds and its facilities to host other events as well as leasing them to other organizations or clubs. The site also serves as an emergency staging point for disaster relief efforts.