County fair opens four-day run
By Connie Cartmell, ccartmell@mariettatimes.comArticle Photos
Fact Box
Fair weekend
highlights
Saturday
8 a.m.: Fair gates open.
10 a.m.: Washington County Fair parade, downtown Marietta.
11 a.m.: Great Lakes Timber Show, Civitan Park.
Noon: Midway opens.
1 p.m.: 16th annual Little Prince and Princess Contest, Civitan Park.
2 p.m.: Hillbilly Olympics, Civitan Park.
2 p.m.: Farm Stock Truck and Tractor Pull, grandstands.
7 p.m.: Truck and tractor pull - Hot Classes, grandstands.
11 p.m.: Midway closes.
Sunday
Noon: Harness Horse Racing/Pari-Mutuel Betting, grandstands.
1 p.m.: Midway opens.
2 p.m.: Hillbilly Olympics, Civitan Park.
7:30 p.m.: Buckeye Rodeo, grandstands.
11 p.m.: Midway closes.
For fair participants - from livestock exhibitors to flower ladies to carnival ride operators - only the night before Christmas holds more anticipation than the night before opening day of the Washington County Fair.
"It's my first year here, and it's real exciting," said Erin Hague, 8, of Churchtown. "I like the (french) fries."
In their pen, nonchalantly munching on their own snack, her two market lambs, Snickers and Reese's Cup, didn't seem to share her excitement Friday.
Hague's parents, Eric and Erica Hague, hope to gently help their youngster through the expected pangs of letting go when her pair of lambs are auctioned Tuesday.
Let's just say they won't be going home.
"She's a first-timer at this. We don't know how she'll take it, but she did take a pig to Waterford and did fine," Eric Hague said. "It's part of what most all kids with animal projects go through at first. She'll do fine."
Abuzz with activity
Although the fair officially starts Saturday, by late afternoon Friday, there wasn't a square inch of space on the fairgrounds that wasn't active and bustling. Farm trucks pulling trailers of livestock jammed the fair entrance. Every barn and building was surrounded by new arrivals. Concession owners gave final spit and polish to food and game booths.
"It's not as crazy as it could be," said Newport Township resident Jeremy Barth, a Newport Township resident and fair board member eight years.
Barth, behind the wheel of a golf cart, zipped from one end of the fairgrounds to the other, solving problems, delivering requested items and putting out fires.
"The weather's going to be good - we hope - and there's nothing real exciting happening yet, but it's only Friday," he said.
Empty carnival rides, bright and shiny from polishing, spun and bounced in countless trial runs, over and over again as operators completed last-minute checks and maintenance.
On the lamb
Josie Cox, 17, and her brother, Joel, 15, of Lower Salem, struggled to beat the clock Friday to get their four market lambs weighed in before the 5 p.m. deadline.
The 7-month-old lambs are required to weigh between 100 and 135 pounds in order to qualify for the showmanship competition Saturday and the market lamb sale Tuesday.
Josie Cox was calm and confident. It isn't her first time around the barns.
"We weighed them already and they are fine," she said. "We even have a spare (lamb) we left at home. We know we won't need it."
Their mother, Darla Cox, hurried to help get the pickup truck unloaded and deliver necessary paperwork to officials inside the multipurpose building where larger livestock is housed during the fair.
Arranging flowers
On the opposite side of the busy fairgrounds, Ruth Stewart, a member of the Muskingum Garden Club, put finishing touches on an arrangement of a handful of spider mums and magnolia leaves, artistically placed on a free-flowing circular metal sculpture.
Meanwhile, inside the Flower and Merchants Hall, other garden club members worked to place close to 300 exhibits of plants and flowers inside the hall.
"This flower show is one of the best around," Stewart said. "People come from all over to see it."
Exhibits arrived Friday for judging at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Flowers, after all, are fleeting.
"I love it," Stewart said of the flower show. "I don't get out to much else at the fair. Surprisingly, I have won a blue ribbon from time to time."
Longtime flower arranger and Little Hocking Garden Club member Suzy Taggart said she enjoys almost everything at the Washington County Fair, from flowers to funnel cakes. She seldom misses the entertainment and likes to visit the animal exhibits too.
"There is a lot to do here at the flower show," Taggart said. "We work until dark Friday then get up early Saturday morning and spend most of the day here in the building."
Fair rookies
Brothers Bruce and Steve Farra of Parkersburg watched all the activities with interest. It is their first time with a display at the fair, and for Steve Farra, there were already surprises Friday.
"It's been years and years since I've been over for this fair," Steve Farra said. "I heard somewhere it was getting really small, but I'm surprised. It's pretty doggone big. There is stuff going on all over the place. If the fair is anything like this afternoon, it will be huge."
The brothers are custom welders, owners of Farra's Welding & Custom Steel of Parkersburg. They fashion any type of ironwork, lawn and garden ornaments and art, but specialize in colorful steel targets for shooting.
"We did the Belpre Homecoming and they begged us to come up here for the fair," Bruce Farra said. "I'm glad we did. It's good exposure. We've been working on this display nights and weekends for more than two weeks."
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armybrat
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09-06-09 11:04 PM
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NasCarNut, Finallap and TheBridge, I agree with all three of you. I had no issues walking from the parking area to the fair grounds, even with my bad back and hips. The ground is level and it is not that far to go. There are benches set all over the fairgrounds. Using the welfare card for fair food purposes is totally ridiculous and the cars used in the demolition derby are privately owned. Everyone knows the fair is Labor Day weekend. Do like I do, save money in advance to go to the fair, instead of whining about the cost.
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TheBridge
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09-06-09 8:42 PM
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Washington County must be a welfare state with all the whining about the cost to get in. Hands are out for the freebies! Who do they think will pay for the fair? C'mon Ramon05, give the cars to someone who can use them? You've got to be kidding!! Those cars are owned by someone who paid for them and can choose to do what they want with them. If you want a car, work for it! Food stamps at the Fair??!! Good G-D, what have we become?!!!! You talk about the fair as it is a G-d given right, not a privilege!
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Finallap
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09-06-09 8:17 PM
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NasCarNut you are so right
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NasCarNut
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09-06-09 6:29 PM
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why must everything be "free" in this town!!...instead of buying beer, pop, cigarettes, drugs,etc parents need to buy their kids a ticket to the fair for cryin' out loud...
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MommaLoveX4
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09-06-09 5:52 PM
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I feel that there should be a day or at least a certain time frame that kids could get in free or 1/2 price. Maybe then the fair board would see a little more of a turn out!
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Goodoleme
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09-06-09 4:47 PM
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I have contacted the fair board every year for the past several years. There response is pretty much the same every year. sorry but you are just out of luck, there is nothing we will do about it..
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wildflower
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09-06-09 3:04 PM
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The other 2 days are Monday and Tuesday, I guess Times wants you to buy paper on Monday to see the rest of the events. I know in the past seniors were allowed in free on Tuesday. Yea for us nothing left of the fair but the rides. I am sure not getting on them, but of course this is also the day special need children get to go and have some fun also. This is ideal for them. Maybe they could have some kind of transportation for us old handicapped people to get inside to the grandstands. I can walk a little but not from any of the parking places to the grandstands just to far. Hey maybe they could rent out those electric carts. Have a way to make reservations, Have them ready for us at the gate where we have to park.
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Goodoleme
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09-06-09 2:45 PM
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Severly handicapped people are not welcome at the fair. They need to provide handicapped parking inside the fairgrounds,not a mile away. There is no way a severly handicapped person can walk to the granstands,from the entrance to the fairgrounds
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Finallap
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09-06-09 10:37 AM
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Tessie,you are not confused. The Times is
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Tessie
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09-06-09 10:02 AM
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I'm confused. The headlines tell us the fair will have a four day run. The fact box gives the schedule only for Saturday and Sunday, which leaves two days. When do the other two days of the fair occur? Or is this "four day run" an attempt to make the event sound bigger and better than it is?
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ramon05
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09-05-09 10:53 PM
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My family injoys going down there for a special dinner, i just wish they could except food cards at the stands. The only really problem i have with the fair is the demoltion derby. Those are good cars that could be donated to people on goverment assistenance who could use them in daily life. Maybe if enough people raised there concerns something would get done
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Finallap
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09-05-09 10:03 PM
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I love WTAP TV's online poll about the fair. The question is."What do you like the Most about the fair. One of the choices was fireworks. And 15.3% said fireworks. When did the fair start having fireworks? LOL
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Indian
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09-05-09 9:28 PM
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100% is a real comedian. Hates schools though. Refuses admit funding is bad in our state. Are you in the competition 100%
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armybrat
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09-05-09 5:40 PM
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I will be at the fair for one day. I love the 4-H exhibits and know how hard the children have worked to bring this altogether. I hope all goes well for the exhibitors and fairgoers.
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bwc511
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09-05-09 8:12 AM
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That sounds like a lot of fun, but expensive. Too bad, I'll be at Wal-Mart all weekend supporting the Chinese economy.
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