COLUMBIANA COUNTY Fair forgoes big-name acts

Last year's headliner cost $15,000.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- There won't be any big-name entertainment at the Columbiana County Fair this year, but fair board member Don Humphrey hopes that won't discourage fair-goers.
"Our long-term goal is to build a new grandstand," Humphrey said. "Until we have more seating, we can't afford big-name entertainers."
Humphrey said with current grandstand seating of about 1,000, a good box office return is about $3,000. Last year's headliner, country artist David Lee Murphy, cost the fair board $15,000.
Bull riding and truck and tractor pulls will fill the void, with a semi-truck and tractor pull as Friday's grandstand main event. Car demolition derbies Wednesday and Sunday long ago proved to be crowd pleasers, he said.
Team penning also has proved to be a popular event, he said. Teams of three riders on horseback compete for cash prizes to see who can round up and pen steers in the fastest time.
The fair is Monday through Aug. 3. Monday is entry day for participants, and there is no admission charge to the fair.
A prelude to the fair will be a garden tractor pull at 1 p.m. Sunday on the track in front of the grandstand.
Upgrades
Humphrey said the fair board made some improvements this year, including a new, 70-foot-high flagpole, that was to be installed Tuesday, weather permitting.
The fair board bought bleachers from Crestview Schools. The school district bought new bleachers for the football stadium, he said.
Work crews have spent much of the summer assembling the bleachers in the infield and moving the old bleachers from the infield to the horse arena for the team penning events.