Wallkill, NY – For two days this month, the Orange County Fairgrounds was scheduled to become an adult bookstore.

During an event called the “Adult Expo,” shoppers would pay $10 each to peruse booths of porn videos, “novelties,” lingerie, magazines and other items. But yesterday, fairgrounds manager Michael Gurda said the event, originally scheduled for Sept. 24-25, had been canceled. He would not say why. “The person who is renting the arena is canceling the show,” Gurda said. “I’m not exactly sure of the details.” Robert Barlow, owner of Tri-State Fairs, the show’s promoter, did not respond to repeated phone calls. But a secretary at the Oldwick, N.J., company said yesterday that the firm received a phone call from someone at the Orange County Fairgrounds saying the show would have to be canceled. She declined to say who had called or why her company was pressured to back out of the event.

The show, which has been promoted on several billboards throughout the county, including two on Route 17, would have been TriState’s first adult-oriented event, she said. In the past, the company has held similar shows selling computer products. The expo’s Web site, and the Orange County billboards that promoted the event, showed a semi-clothed couple playfully cuddled on a bed. In addition, a vendor contract on the site stipulated that the show’s participants refrain from displaying child porn, bestiality or the “killing or dismemberment of humans or animals.” Shortly before 4 p.m. yesterday, the Web site changed: “Show canceled.” Although it was unclear why TriState backed out of the Adult Expo, the prospect of a porn show at the privately owned fairgrounds had clearly mortified community leaders. On Wednesday, Ed Grant, the pastor of Family of Faith Lutheran Church in Scotchtown, threatened to organize a group to picket the event. He also suggested a boycott of the fairgrounds. Town of Wallkill Councilman Eric Valentin, who alerted his fellow board members to the expo Wednesday evening and contacted the town’s code enforcement officer, said authorities were “pretty much in shock.” “It’s not how we envision Wallkill,” said Valentin, who referred to the expo as a “portable red-light district.” Still, Valentin said Thursday that he did not know why the show was canceled. “I was just amazed by how many people did not know about it,” he said. “Am I happy it’s not happening? I’m happy. I have to be honest.”