174th Wayne County Fair is Sept. 9-14
Wayne County Fair secretary Matt Martin said the junior fair is a vital part of why they do what they do. The lessons learned throughout the year in barns and homes are a culmination of a year’s worth of work.
The rest of the world may say fall begins Sept. 23 this year, but Wayne County residents know better.
Fall will begin Sept. 9, of course — the start of the Wayne County Fair.
Celebrating 174 years overall and the 100th year of the Coliseum, the fair will run Sept. 9-14 and offer something for groups of all ages.
“Fairs are a fabric of a community,” said Matt Martin, who serves as the manager, secretary and treasurer of the fair. “We remain a large agricultural influenced county, and it is evident to whoever walks through the gates.
“We are also busy planning next year’s 175th anniversary with some special celebrations leading up to the fair as well as during the fair.”
Mike Buchholz, president of the Wayne County Agricultural Society, said the week of the fair is worth the effort.
“The most exciting part of the fair for me is watching it all come together after a year-plus of planning and lots of hard work by the fair board manager, committees, office staff, junior fair board, kids in 4-H, OSU Extension and the many volunteers so we can have the fair,” he said.
Tom Stocksdale is in his 35th year as a fair board director and said there are numerous areas of which he is proud of being a part.
“To know you are a part of some of the changes that have been successful is very satisfying,” he said. “We are one of Ohio’s largest agricultural fairs and continue to have the largest junior fair in the state.
“It is also comforting to know our fair gate price to get in has remained low and actually remains the lowest in the entire state.”
The week will begin Saturday at 8 a.m. with an Open Contest Horse Show in the riding arena and conclude Thursday with the Smash IT Demolition Derby at 7 p.m in the grandstand. In between there will be more than 60 activities, contests and shows scattered throughout the grounds.
Grandstand events will include the OSTPA Truck/Tractor/Semi Pull on Saturday evening, a Tracy Lawrence concert at 8 p.m. on Sunday, and the tractor pull at noon and Casting Crowns at 8 p.m. on Monday.
Tuesday’s grandstand events have harness racing at noon and Lou Gramm performing at 8 p.m. Three events are scheduled for Wednesday: harness racing at noon, mutton busting at 6 p.m. and the Buckeye Rodeo at 7 p.m. Northern Ohio Outlaws Cowboy Mounted Shooters will perform from noon to 2 p.m. on Thursday.
As well as working year round on scheduling these events, the upkeep of the buildings is a 365-day process. Martin said weekly attendance averages around 110,000 people with Saturday and Sunday bringing in 20,000-30,000 people each day.
“Fresh paint on the goat barn roof, painting the infield judges’ stand and the round grange building helps protect them as well as makes everything look nice and clean,” Martin said. “We have also gone through the grandstand seats and have made several repairs. We have put up metal siding on the ends of two horse barns and plan to do the sides this fall.”
Work on the inside show ring and seating portion of the Coliseum is on the calendar for later this year.
“We have scheduled the Coliseum to be cleaned and repainted over the winter months,” Martin said.
Steer, poultry, goats and other animals are at the heart of the week’s activities and are fundamental to the community and children who participate.
“The junior fair is a vital part of why we do what we do,” Martin said. “The lessons learned throughout the year in barns and homes are a culmination of a year’s worth of hard work.”
Martin said the carnival side — entertainment, food, rides and games — helps balance the costs associated with the junior fair.
“Whatever (money) is left is reinvested into the operations of the grounds, whether it is new projects or the upkeep of over 50 buildings and 42 acres,” he said.
Admission is $4 with children under 6 free. Veterans Day (free admission with ID) is Tuesday, and Senior Citizen Day (free admission) is Wednesday for those 65 and older.
Celebrating the Coliseum’s 100th anniversary is at the top of the list for what is new in 2023, but Martin said there are other things as well.
“We are going to make available to purchase some mementos to mark the occasion,” he said about the Coliseum. “We have added Disney Princess for three days of the fair as well as bringing the Whiz Bang Show back to the local entertainment tent on Monday.”
The Whiz Bang Science Show will feature Dr. Dave, whose 30-minute free show focuses on the physics behind the stunts performed by circus entertainers.
Also new, the fiddle contest has expanded to include banjos and Smash IT as the new Demolition Derby promoter.
The Antiques Dept. Competition also has changed for the first time in 30 years, dealing with specific time periods, items 50 years and older, and entrants being limited to 10 items total for the competition. Further rules can be viewed by looking at the Premium Fair Book.