43
Down with the old, up with the new at fair in Lisbon
Photo
Walking her steer as she will compete for the last time in 4-H is Taylor Cope of Leetonia and "tucker" - Columbiana Fair est 1845 The Columbiana Fair is again on till Aug 5 -
Photo
Myer Miller age 5 of Columbiana puts her pedal to the medal as she is in the Kid's Pedal Tractor Pull - she pulled the weights for 11 feet - Columbiana Fair est 1845 The Columbiana Fair is again on till Aug 5.
Photo
Different Fair as Kerry Florie of Boardman - shows off her bling purses at the fair - "Fashions on the go" Columbiana Fair est 1845 The Columbiana Fair is again on till Aug 5.
By CHELSEA WEIKART
LISBON
One memory was torn down at the Columbiana County Fair, but another one was built to replace it.
This year the new Rabbit/Chicken/Turkey complex was finished just in time for the fair, which runs through Sunday at the county fairgrounds at 225 Lee Ave., off of North Market Street near downtown Lisbon.
Easrlier this week, the building was closed while rabbit judging took place for 4-H Club youth.
Of hundreds of 4-H members judged, Aliece Potts, 14, of Columbiana won with her rabbit “Lorenzo” the title of “Showman of Showmen.”
“It’s my first year winning anything, the best way to sum that up was ‘speechless,’” she said. Along with competing, Aliece was showing her friend Beth Genova, 14, of New Waterford the ropes to 4-H competition.
The new building that hosted all of these new memories for 4-H and Future Farmers of America members is bittersweet for some participants. Diane Risinger has been a committee member at the fair for 30 years. She and her husband, Jim, have fond memories of growing up at the fair and rearing their children there.
“The day they took the old building down was a sad day; there are a lot of good memories in that old building, but I’m sure there will be a lot in this new one too,” said Risinger.
The committee that built the building is still collecting donations for doors for three of its sides. With only one set of doors, Risinger said, someone has to keep watch all night to make sure the animals are safe.
The arts and crafts building is filled with items already judged among the county’s best, including vegetables, flowers, hay and straw, quilts, photography, wreaths and fudge.
Next door to the arts and crafts building, past the live fish catching pond and face- painting stand for children is the Columbiana County Historical Association building. There, children were allowed to try an old loom in the process of making a rug.
Mike Boss of Akron, an association member, tells people of the decades-old items that cover the floor, walls, and parts of the ceiling. He talks about everything from an old ice plow to Pretty Boy Floyd’s death mask. (Floyd, a Depression-era bank robber, was killed by law enforcement officers in Columbiana County in 1934.)
“It’s interesting how you can start researching one thing, and it leads you to another,” he said, after talking about the ice industry before we had refrigerators.
Scattered throughout the fair are people such as Aliece, the Risingers and Boss who are passionate about their corner of the fair and all it means to them.
Some of the most popular fair events are this weekend. The truck and tractor pull is 6 p.m. Saturday; the demolition derby is 6:30 p.m Sunday. General admission tickets are $8 today, Saturday and Sunday. The fair will continue until 11 p.m. Sunday.