BAZETTA Fair will honor standout people

One of the four men being honored helped construct buildings for the fairground.
BAZETTA -- Opening day at the Trumbull County Fair is only four days away, and John Cotton is still working on the building trades program display in the Educational Building.
Six years ago, Cotton built that building with his class of seniors from the Trumbull Career and Technical Center. Cotton, a teacher for the last eight years, built the fairground's flower barn with another class, just five years ago.
This year, TCTC students spent six weeks re-siding a fairgrounds maintenance building, under Cotton's guidance. They also assembled the 22 benches scattered around the grounds, donated by townships.
"It's an excellent training grounds for students to learn construction," Cotton said.
Honorees: Cotton will be one of those honored at the opening ceremonies Tuesday for the 154th Trumbull County Fair. The others are Lt. Dan D'Annunzio of the Trumbull County Sheriff's Department, 11th District Court of Appeals Judge Donald R. Ford, and the late county planning commission Director Edward Kutevac.
"We are honoring four people who did exceptional things," said Bob Cebula, fair board vice president.
D'Annunzio, who heads up the sheriff's K-9 unit, is being recognized for superior police work. Ford and Kutevac are being recognized for years of work on the fair. They were both members of the fair board in 1970, when it took the dramatic step of getting new fairgrounds and charging for admission, Cebula said.
Opening: Gates will open at 9 a.m., and admission for veterans with proof of service and their spouses will be free. The opening ceremonies will also include speeches by local dignitaries and public officials. A plane from the 910 Airlift Wing at the Youngstown Air Force Reserve base in Vienna will fly over the fairgrounds during the ceremonies, Cebula said.
The colors of the flag will be celebrated later in the day, by bedecked horsemen and women in a Parade of Colors in the Horse Arena Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Beginning on Wednesday, one of last year's most popular attractions will return to the midway. There will be four or five performances daily of the Bengal tigers educational show, sponsored by The Vindicator, starting Wednesday at the fair.