Opening day at the Wayne County Fair started with rain, clouds and a bit of uncertainty for fair goers. By noon the gloomy weather had moved east and the fairgrounds began to fill with people. The Wayne County fair opened Sept. 8 with a day packed full of events, including the crowning of the 2012 Jr. Fair Board King and Queen and the popular tractor and truck pull.
Saturday is usually one of our biggest days because of the OSTPA tractor pull, said Tom Stocksdale, one of the directors of the Wayne County Fair Board.
We did have a slow start this morning with the rain, but when the weather cleared out, we started to fill up pretty quick. The tractors are still arriving, so right now we have around 40 tractors ready to put on a good show, he said.
Music entertainment planned includes live concerts by Kenny Rogers, Sawyer Brown and Joe Nichols. Stocksdale said the Kenny Rogers show is a complete sellout.
The Kenny Rogers show on Sunday night will be the biggest crowd weve had in 15 years. Every seat, bleacher and chair is sold. The last show we had that was this big was when Johnny Cash was here, Stocksdale said.
Stocksdale said that Miss America 2009, Katie Stam Seymour, is scheduled to stop by on Monday. She will be giving a radio interview with the Ohio AgNet and will be selling ice cream with the Dairy Promoters among other activities.
She is a daughter of an Indiana farmer and showed cattle when she was in 4-H, Stocksdale said.
There were activities going on all day, including live entertainment in the Pavilion. Ten dancing members of the Grass Roots Connection Cloggers entertained the crowd with their expertise and fancy footwork. The barns and exhibit buildings were filled to the brim with visitors.
Connie Vance, from Orrville, came with her daughter, Danyiel Johnson, and her two grandchildren, Finley and Keegan Johnson. They were walking through the horse barn when they found a miniature horse named Buddy who appeared anxious to be petted.
I come to the Wayne County Fair every year. Its the best fair in Ohio, Vance said.
Ron and Loretta Harding, from Sugarcreek, were sitting patiently for artist Rob Hren to finish a caricature of the two of them.
I had a caricature done a few years ago and always wanted to get one with my husband and decided to get it done today, Loretta Harding said.
In addition to the many favorites, including food, amusement rides, games, and grandstand shows such as the demolition derby, several new shows have been added. A diesel pickup and tractor pull and a Mounted Shooters Northern Ohio Outlaws show, where the participants are dressed in period cowboy costumes and compete by shooting balloons with black powder while riding horses, are new this year.
The Wayne County Fair runs through Sept. 13. There is something new every day. Visit http://waynecountyfairohio.com for a complete schedule.
