Fairs: Season begins in June and wraps up in late September

5/16/2006
BY JANE SCHMUCKER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Brandon Butler of Bowling Green enjoys some lemonade and an ear of corn at the 2005 Wood County Fair.
Brandon Butler of Bowling Green enjoys some lemonade and an ear of corn at the 2005 Wood County Fair.

August is the fairest month of all in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

The region boasts a dozen fairs 11 county fairs plus a free fair and the Ohio and Michigan state fairs in August.

It s a solid month of cotton candy, country music, crashing cars, champion livestock, and cherry pies.

Starting out the month are the Wood and Monroe county fairs and the Ohio State Fair. Close on their heels are Erie and Henry county fairs as the month works up to a crescendo on Aug. 19

That Saturday is one of the biggest fair days of the year with five around the region. It s the opening day of the Defiance County Fair, the second day of the Allen County Fair, and the last day of the Lenawee and Huron county fairs and the Pemberville Free Fair.

At midday on the 19th, Pemberville will put on its grand parade, thought to be the biggest event of the year in the eastern Wood County village. Families arrange their lawn chairs along the street the night before.

That night, country stars Chris Cagle and Trace Adkins will perform at the Allen County Fair in Lima, and in Hicksville, the Defiance County Fair will host the Broken Horn Rodeo.

The month comes to a close with the Sandusky, Hancock, and Van Wert county fairs.

But county fairs continue strong into September with the Fulton County Fair, one of the biggest events of any type in northwest Ohio, opening Sept. 1. The fair claims to draw more than 250,000 people over its seven-day run.

Fair season starts June 20 with the opening of the Putnam County Fair and ends Sept. 30 with the closing of the Hillsdale County Fair.

Contact Jane Schmucker at: jschmucker@theblade.com or 419-724-6077.

NORTHWEST OHIO

Allen County Fair, Aug. 18-26, at 2750 Harding Hwy., Lima. Admission: $6 for ages 9 and over, free for ages 8 and under. Chris Cagle and Trace Adkins at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 19; tickets, $30 and $25, on sale now. Big & Rich at 8 p.m. Aug. 26; tickets, $35 and $30, go on sale May 11. Phone: 419-228-7141. Web site: allencountyfair.org.

Defiance County Fair, Aug. 19-26, at 523 South Main St., Hicksville. Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for ages 9 to 18, free for children under 9. Broken Horn Rodeo at 7 p.m. Aug. 19; Tickets, $10 and $8, on sale in July. Phone: 419-542-7575. Web site: def-fair.com.

Erie County Fair, Aug. 8-13, at 3110 Columbus Ave., Sandusky. Admission: $6, free for children who stand 36 inches and under. All-terrain vehicle obstacle course run at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 8; free. Phone: 419-625-1000. Web site: none.

Fulton County Fair, Sept. 1-7, at State Rt. 108 north of Wauseon in Dover Township. Admission: $5, free for ages 15 and under. Dierks Bentley at 7:30 p.m. Labor Day; tickets $22, $20, and $18, go on sale July 5. Phone: 419-335-6006. Web site:www.fultoncountyfair.com.

Hancock County Fair, Aug. 30-Sept. 4, at 1017 East Sandusky St., Findlay. Admission: $7, free for uniformed military members and children under 16 accompanied by an adult. Blake Shelton at 8 p.m. Sept. 2; tickets, $25, $20, and $15, go on sale May 13. Phone: 419-423-9273. Web site: hancockfairgrounds.org.

Hardin County Fair, Sept. 5-10, at 14134 Fairground Road, south of Kenton. Admission: $6, free for children 8 and under. A Bar Rodeo at 8 p.m. Sept. 9; ticket price not yet set. Phone: 419-675-2396. Web site: hardincountyfair.org.

Henry County Fair, Aug. 11-17, on South Perry Street, Napoleon. Admission: $6, free for ages 12 and under. Rhett Akins at 8:30 p.m. Aug. 11; free. Fox Brothers at 8:30 p.m. Aug. 16; free. Phone: 419-592-9096. Web site: henrycountyfair.org.

Huron County Fair, Aug. 14-19, at 940 Fair Road, Norwalk. Admission: $6, includes all mechanical rides; free admission until 3 p.m. Aug. 16. Josh Gracin at7:30 p.m. Aug. 17; tickets, $17, $14, and $12, on sale May 20. Phone: 419-668-0516. Web site: huroncountyfair.com.

Lucas County Fair, July 25-30, at 1406 Key St., Maumee. Admission: $6, includes mechanical rides; free admission all day July 25. Cheap Trick at 9 p.m. July 28; tickets, $20 and $10, on sale now. Phone: 419-893-2127. Web site: lucascountyfair.com.

Ottawa County Fair, July 17-23, at 7870 West State Rt. 163, three miles east of Oak Harbor. Admission: $5, free for children 8 and under. Craig Morgan at 8:30 p.m. July 19; tickets, $15 and $10, on sale now. Phone: 419-898-1971. Web site: ottawacountyfair.org.

Paulding County Fair, July 9-15, at 503 Fairground Drive, Paulding. Admission: $6, includes mechanical rides; Free admission for children 5 and under. Daryle Singletary and Pete Schlegel at 8 p.m. July 11; tickets, $8, on sale at the gate. Broken Horn Rodeo 7:30 p.m. July 9; tickets, $8, on sale at the gate. Phone: 419-399-2961 two weeks before the fair. Web site: none.

Putnam County Fair, June 20-25, at 1490 East Second St., Ottawa. Admission: $5, free for children 12 and under. Combine demolition derby at 6 p.m. June 24; tickets, $5, on sale day of the show. Phone: 419-523-4628. Web site: putnamcountyfair.com.

Sandusky County Fair, Aug. 22-27, at 901 Rawson Ave., Fremont. Admission: $7 for anyone standing 36 inches or higher, which includes admission to all mechanical rides. Foreigner at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 25; tickets, $22.50 and $20, on sale May 6. George Jones at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26; tickets, $25 and $22.50, on sale May 6. Phone: 419-332-5604. Web site: www.sanduskycountyfair.com.

Seneca County Fair, July 24-31, at 100 Hopewell Ave., Tiffin. Admission: $5, free for children under 9 every day, and free admission for harness racing July 23 and for the large livestock sale day July 31. Motocross racing at 6 p.m. July 29; tickets, $10 and $6, go on sale that day. Phone: 419-447-7888. Web site: senecacountyfair.org.

Van Wert County Fair, Aug. 30-Sept. 6, at 1055 South Washington St., Van Wert. Admission: $5, free for children 12 and under. Jo Dee Messina and Darryl Worley at 7 p.m. Sept. 3; tickets, $30 and $25, on sale now. Phone: 419-238-9270. Web site: vanwertcountyfair.com.

Williams County Fair, Sept. 9-16, at 619 East Main St., Montpelier. Admission: $5, free for children 11 and under. Cook & Belle, 8 p.m. Sept. 16; tickets $7. Phone: 419-485-3755. Web site: wcofair.com.

Wood County Fair, Aug. 1-7 at 13800 West Poe Rd., Bowling Green. Admission: $5, free for children 9 and under. Phil Vassar and Miranda Lambert at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 5; tickets, $25 and $20, on sale now. Phone: 419-352-0441. Web site: woodcountyfair.org.

Wyandot County Fair, Sept. 12-17, at 10171 State Rt. 53 North, Upper Sandusky. Admission: $5 for ages 8 and above, free for ages 7 and younger. Bill Anderson at 3 p.m. Sept. 17; free. Phone: 419-294-4320. Web site: none.

Pemberville Free Fair, Aug. 16-19, downtown Pemberville and Memorial Park. Grand parade at 1 p.m. Aug. 19. Phone: 419-287-4060. Web site: pembervillefair.org

SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN

Hillsdale County Fair, Sept. 24-30, at 115 South Broad St., Hillsdale. Admission: $4, $1 for children ages 10-14, free for those under 10. Randy Travis at 7 p.m. Sept. 30; tickets, $29, $27, and $25, on sale now. Phone: 517-437-3622. Web site:hillsdalecountyfair.org.

Lenawee County Fair, Aug. 13-19, at 602 North Dean St., Adrian. Admission: $5, free for ages 9 and under. Blue Collar comedian Bill Engvall at 8 p.m. Aug. 14; tickets, $28, on sale now. Trick Pony and Danielle Peck at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17; tickets, $18 and $14, on sale now. Beach Boys at 8 p.m. Aug. 19; tickets, $28 and $23, on sale now. Phone: 517-263-3007. Web site: lenfair.com.

Monroe County Fair, July 30-Aug. 5, at 3775 South Custer Road, Monroe. Admission: $5 for adults, $2 for children 6-12, free for children 5 and under; July 30 admission is $2.50 for adults and free for children 12 and under. Kenny Rogers and The Oak Ridge Boys at 7 p.m. July 31; tickets, $40, $30, and $20, on sale now. Phone: 734-241-5775. Web site: monroecountyfair.com.

Ohio State Fair, Aug. 2-13 at 717 East 17th Ave., Columbus. Admission: $8 for ages 13-59, $7 for children 5-12 and seniors 60 and over, free for children under 5; through Aug. 13, $6 tickets available at Kroger, AAA, and Ticketmaster. Parking: $5. Jo Dee Messina at 7 p.m. Aug. 3; tickets, $14, on sale now. REO Speedwagon at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6; tickets, $15, on sale now. Kenny Rogers and The Oak Ridge Boys at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8; tickets, $25, on sale now. Rascal Flatts and Gary Allan at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13; tickets, $55, $45, and $25, on sale now. Phone: 1-888-OHO-EXPO. Web site: ohioexpocenter.com.

Michigan State Fair, Aug. 23-Sept. 4, at 1120 West State Fair Ave., Detroit. Admission: $9 for ages 12 and up, $4 for children 2-11, free for children under 2. Parking: $5. Phone: 313-369-8250. Web site:michigan.gov/mistatefair.