Ohio County Fairs Are Back for 2022

In partnership with: Ohio Department of Agriculture

County fairs provide food, fun, and agricultural education. They’re a summer tradition for many across Ohio. Along with the fried foods, amusement rides, and live entertainment, fairgoers get the chance to dive into Ohio’s agriculture industry through livestock events and 4-H projects.

“The county fair is a showcase for young people,” says Fred Deel, fair board president for the Gallia County Junior Fair. “They are the most valuable resource we have in agriculture, and the fair is a positive experience where they can grow and develop.”

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For the youth involved, county and independent fairs are an annual highlight. The fairs themselves bring communities together.

“We look at it as an opportunity to show the rural lifestyle,” he says. “At the county fair, people come together and renew friendships. It’s a space for camaraderie and to show the values of living in a rural, agricultural county.”

Pause for Pandemic

In 2020, the food and fun came to a screeching halt. Only junior fairs were allowed to take place as the pandemic continued. It was the first time the Ohio State Fair and other small fairs were canceled since World War II.

A year without a full fair meant a huge loss of revenue for small fair boards and rural communities. In addition, food vendors, retailers, and carnival workers struggled throughout the pandemic. The future of fairs as a whole was in jeopardy because of an entire season without income.

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Support from the State

Governor Mike DeWine saw a chance to help these local communities and fairs, so he signed Senate Bill 109. This bill provided the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) with $4.7 million in grant funding to distribute to 94 county and independent agricultural societies, which manage the county fairs.

Several rural fairs were able to use this grant money to revive their fairs and get ready for the anticipated 2021 fair season.

The Gallia County Junior Fair Board also received a grant as part of House Bill 166 to improve ag facilities. For them, this money was a chance to improve the infrastructure and make the fairgrounds safer for all visitors.

Deel says that the fairgrounds were donated to the agricultural society in the 1950s, and as the area developed, they realized the grounds were in a flood plain. That became a significant issue as developments around the fairgrounds continued expanding.

“Last year, we started getting rain in the middle of the night, and by 2 a.m., the entire fairgrounds were flooded,” Deel says.

With the grant money from the state and other agricultural organizations, Deel says they are building about $450,000 of new infrastructure, including a horse barn that is already completed, livestock facility, show arena, and a multipurpose facility for events.

“Safety is our top priority,” Deel says. “We want to relocate to higher ground so we’re not putting visitors at risk. We’re hoping to get the construction done within three years, and along with being safer, be able to attract different events throughout the year that will help with economic development.”

County Fairs Across Ohio

Thanks in part to the grants, the 2021 fair season was a great success, the 2022 season is highly anticipated and fairs are expected to have record attendance. The state offers 93 county and independent fairs during the summer and fall months, along with the Ohio State Fair.

The Ohio State Fair was first held in 1850 and was established by the Ohio State Board of Agriculture as a way for farmers across the state to communicate and increase productivity. Even as the event grew to include nonagricultural activities, it kept its rural roots with traditions including butter cow sculptures, livestock competitions and auctions, recipe and cooking competitions, and agricultural exhibits.

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