“We’re going to have amazing food, we have a lot of new vendors coming out this year,” said fair director Kala Benton. “We have different rides coming out this year as well, so definitely things will be here that haven’t been here in the past. We’ll have roaming activities for the kids as well, and free events and displays happening throughout the entire day.”
New for this year is ATV and truck drag racing, beginning Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
The fan-favorite “Diaper Derby” also returns Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., in which babies 13 months and younger crawl across the finish line to victory. Any baby that takes a step during the race “will be congratulated, but disqualified,” per the rules.
The Greene County First Responders Hog Show will be Monday at 5 p.m., in memory of Sheriff Gene Fischer. Donations raised by the county’s firefighters, police officers, and EMS personnel will go towards the Gene Fischer Memorial Scholarship Fund.
The fair is also an important time of year for kids in local 4-H clubs, who have the opportunity to show off the cows, chickens, sheep, goats, rabbits and other animals they’ve worked hard to raise, as well as other crafts and special interest projects.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
12-year-old Connor Bogan and his mom Sherry rose bright and early at 3 a.m. Friday morning to prepare his market goats and chickens for this year’s show.
“I’m always excited for the fair. I just like all the people coming in, just looking,” Connor said.
Bogan, who’s a member of the Ross Champs 4-H club out of Jamestown, also qualified for the Ohio State Fair with a special interest project — restoring a 1655 Massey Ferguson tractor by combining two of the old tractors into one.
1655 Massey Ferguson tractors were predominantly the 70s, and Connor and his family spent many nights in the barn restoring it with his father’s and grandfather’s tools.
“I haven’t done a special interest project, people coming in and looking at it,” he said. “But I can’t wait to see that and I think it’s gonna make me really happy.”
Fair organizers expect approximately 75,000 people to attend over the course of the week.
Admission is $8 per day, or $30 for the whole week. Kids 9 and under get in free. Gates open at 8 a.m. each day, and evening events like the demo derby, drag racing and tractor pull start around 7 p.m.
Military Day and the fair’s annual food drive return as well. Military and veterans get in for half price on Monday, and families who bring a non-perishable food item on Wednesday will also get in for $4.
Last year, the fair’s food drive raised over two tons of food for Greene County FISH pantries.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
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