State officials join Holmes County Fair’s 100th gala
A number of government officials, both local and statewide, gathered together to help Holmes County celebrate its fair’s 100th anniversary.
Celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the Holmes County Fair wasn’t just for Holmes Countians.
During the gala celebration that took place in the expo center at Harvest Ridge on Monday, Aug. 7, quite a few dignitaries from both Holmes County and the state level visited and were part of the evening’s program that featured a historical look at the fair via a video.
Following the presentation, several key members of the state government presented proclamations honoring the fair and praised the effort of the county and its fair board for its dedication to building the fairgrounds at Harvest Ridge, something most people outside of Holmes County believed wasn’t a possibility.
Holmes County Senior Fair Board President Kerry Taylor welcomed each dignitary attending the event and accepted their proclamations.
Ohio Seventh District Congressman Max Miller was one of several state representatives to come to the fair to help celebrate the moment.
“The Holmes County Fair is one of the few remaining fairs without open exhibition livestock shows,” Miller said. “Instead, the focus is put on 4-H and FFA youth. Through education of modern agriculture and its history, you’re able to inform and inspire Ohioans about the importance of agriculture to this great state.”
Ohio state auditor Keith Faber also took the time to come to Holmes County to celebrate and honor the century mark accomplishment.
“As state auditor we get to certify things, and I’m here to certify that not only is this the 100th year of this fair, but I’m also here to certify that it is one of the very best county fairs in all of Ohio,” Faber said.
Before becoming state auditor, he served in the State Senate, and Faber was among those who helped generate grant funds that helped build Harvest Ridge.
He said legislators who were connected with Holmes County including Bob Gibbs, Larry Obhoff and Dave Hall made a major impression on him as to how important this new fairground facility was going to be.
“They made it very clear to me just how important this project, this county fairgrounds, is to your community,” Faber said.
Darrell Kick, representative from the 98th House District, has spent plenty of time in his home county. He said he was honored to attend this event and celebrate with Holmes Countians.
He said while some people only know the joy of this new facility, many others understand the challenges the fair has gone through over the decades.
Kick said he was working for Gibbs when the fair board was hard at work figuring out how to build a new facility, and he said just watching the way Holmes County attacked the issue and worked through every detour and pitfall to secure the funding was inspiring.
“We got to watch the collaboration that was Holmes County come together to make it happen,” Kick said. “Whether it was federal issues, state issues or funding issues, we saw it all come together, and now we’ve got a facility here in Holmes County that when I’m out and about in other counties, they are talking about how do we get funding for a building and other structures like Holmes County has. They’re all pretty envious of this facility.”
In addition to those three, there were many other people who represented both local and state government who showed up to celebrate the day.
Among them was Gibbs, who was instrumental in the Harvest Ridge push during his time in office.
“Harvest Ridge is a testament to the work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit of the people of Holmes County,” Gibbs said.