Build new, lasting memories at the 170th Canfield Fair

Who could ever forget back in 1996 the sight of 70,000 frenzied folks flapping their wings, shaking their tail feathers, and clapping and clucking their way to a new world’s record for largest chicken dance at the Canfield Fair?

Who among us does not have a lingering feel-good remembrance of stellar grandstand shows featuring some world-class celebrities such as Bob Hope, Dolly Parton, The Beach Boys, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Johnny Cash?

And who could ever survive a Mahoning Valley summer without a bite or two of the diverse taste sensations of authentic fair fries, sausage hoagies, deep-fried Oreos, Hungarian peppers and other singularly Canfield Fair food for the soul?

Yes, such cherished memories, along with scores and scores of others, have contributed to the overwhelming popularity, success and excitement surrounding Ohio’s largest county fair. The 170th annual edition of the Mahoning County Fair – officially known as the Canfield Fair – opens Wednesday for what we expect will be a successful and enriching six-day run.

As seasoned Vindicator fair reporters Kalea Hall and Jordyn Grzelewski recounted in a front-page fair preview package Sunday, the annual Mahoning County agricultural extravaganza is a veritable memory-making machine.

There’s the story from George Roman III, now director of concessions, grandstand and special attractions, from 1950s fairs when he and his buddies would scout the fairgrounds for dozens of glass pop bottles to redeem for 2-cent deposits to amass spending money for the following year’s fair. There’s the charming yarn of blooming young love of Robert Zimmerman who met his future wife, Toni, while working in church food tents in the 1970s. More recently, Candance Campana of Struthers relates her evolving love affair with the fair for its role in showcasing her beloved rescue horse, Sunny Boy, who this year will mark his seventh year as a multi-champion equine.

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

Each and every year, however, what’s old is new again as dedicated fair board members and other planners work diligently to put fresh coats of enjoyment onto the renowned and expansive playground and learning lab. The fair takes in a whopping 353 acres filled with rides, concessions, animal barns, displays, grandstand seating, arenas, parking lots and more.

This year, for example, a wide variety of free entertainment acts will be performing in space on the south end of the fairgrounds. New displays, a different mix of more than 60 rides and new and exotic taste treats also will keep the midways abuzz.

Pig fanciers this year will want to hit the fair Wednesday or Thursday before swine judging is complete. That’s because the fair will remove all hogs from the fairgrounds by Friday because of several recently confirmed cases of swine flu at another Ohio county fair. On the plus side, bird displays that were banished last year due to the spread of aviary flu, will soar anew this week.

In other respects, however, much of the allure of the fair lies in its bedrock traditions. Though it has matured and diversified over the years to include a variety of city-slicker attractions and foods, the heart of the fair still rests deeply in its rich agrarian roots

The Mahoning County Agricultural and Horticultural Society, founded at Canfield in 1846, established its Grand Annual Fair the next year to bring together the people and their products to compare notes and relate experiences. Today, that tradition endures with fresh farm products, livestock, poultry, pumpkins, antique tractors and other tools of the farming trade proudly on display.

The fair remains in part a celebration and appreciation of Mahoning County farmers. At Canfield Fair time — and all the time through the year — they provide nutritious food for our tables and vital fuel for our local economy. So tip your hat to a farmer this week when visiting what we hope will be one of the most successful and memorable fair runs in history.