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166th Canfield Fair opens with snippets from past
By Elise Franco
Canfield
The Canfield Fair is built on tradition, and this year’s 166th installment is no exception.
Tradition was the word of the day at Thursday’s ribbon-cutting and opening ceremonies, where the Jackson-Milton Marching Band played the national anthem, and members of the Cardinal Joint Fire District presented the colors.
Chuck Booth, fair board president, said the first fair was in September 1847 on the Canfield Green in the center of town. Booth said this year’s theme, Celebrate the Harvest, is a nod at the very first fair.
Though the fair has grown, he said, “Not much has changed from then to today. The fair still believes in agriculture, fine arts and livestock.”
Board members welcomed local and state representatives, as well as Youngstown State University President Cynthia Anderson, who helped cut the ribbon.
Anderson said she was amazed at the number of people who spend all year looking forward to the fair’s opening.
She said that kind of support is a testament to those who manage and operate the event.
“Nothing can last for 166 years unless it’s under the leadership of wonderful, dedicated people,” she said. “Millions of people have walked through these gates.”
Anderson said the fair, much like YSU, is built on the ideas of excellence, success and tradition. She said those ideas are what keep the fair important in the lives of Mahoning Valley residents.
“The spirit and heritage of that group of pioneers remains alive and well,” she said. “‘Celebrate the Harvest’ should be celebrating tradition of the people we have here and the wonderful tradition of the Canfield Fair.”