Gates to 170th Canfield Fair open at 8 Wednesday morning


CANFIELD

Six days of crow-worthy fun officially begins Wednesday when the gates open at 8 a.m. to the 170th annual Canfield Fair.

Fair officials hope the event will top last year’s in every way possible.

“Every year we try to make the fair better than last year,” fair president Andy Frost Jr. said.

Last year’s fair drew a total crowd of 282,386, which continued a slight downward trend the fair has seen over the past few years. This year could reverse that trend, however, since the forecast – so far – predicts beautiful weather.

“A lot of this is determined by the weather,” said Frost. “The heat is going to keep a lot of people back, if it’s hot. If it rains, it keeps them away.”

Last year’s fair took place during a brutal heat wave; the forecast for this week is much better, with the National Weather Service predicting sunny skies and mid-70s temperatures Thursday and Friday.

Also improved this year are some features of the fairgrounds.

“We had a lot of paving done inside the fairgrounds. We’ve totally remodeled ... the campground area,” said Frost. “We’ve widened the roads in the campground area so shuttles can get up and down.”

While most of the fair’s nightly grandstand attractions – including the returning Happy Together Tour – are familiar, one is new: Halestorm, a rock band, will headline the grandstand’s Thursday night entertainment.

It’s a bit of a change for the fair, which traditionally has hosted country artists.

Read more about the fair in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.