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Family, fun, food: Mother Nature saves her best for the last day of fair
CANFIELD
One didn’t have to look farther than the giant rock, a gathering place at the fairgrounds, to understand the Canfield Fair’s 2017 theme of “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.”
There, filling the benches across from the grandstand, were generations of families continuing a tradition or starting a new one.
Monday marked the last day of the 171st Canfield Fair. After a few chilly days and some rain over the weekend, Monday dawned warm and sunny with a breeze – perfect fair weather. Tens of thousands of people flocked to the fairgrounds to enjoy one last day of food, fun and family.
Sitting on a bench near the rock Monday were Tiffany Boyer and Brandon Flak of Youngstown, who brought their 2-week-old daughter, Amber Flak, to the fair for the first time. It also marked Boyer’s first time at the Canfield Fair.
“It’s big. It’s a lot of fun,” Boyer said of her impression of the fair.
Boyer and Flak said they think they will be coming back next year.
Sitting right beside them were Ron and Joyce Cusato, who live near Cranberry, Pa. Unlike their bench mates, the Cusatos were far from first-time fairgoers.
The married couple first visited the Canfield Fair when Ron was 19 and Joyce was 18. They are now 81 and 80, respectively. They recalled coming to the fair for the first time in 1955 on a date. They married two years later, and over the last 62 years, they have rarely missed a fair. They come every Labor Day.
“It’s just a tradition,” said Ron.
Also enjoying the day was Tracey Glover. Three generations of her family were represented at the fairgrounds. She was there with her daughter, Chesley Odom of Texas; grandchildren, Harper, 3, Hudson, 2, and Hendrix, 4 months; and niece Dawaisha Thompson of Youngstown.
Glover said the family, which has been coming to the fair for 25 years, enjoys eating good food and looking at the animals at the fair.
She said getting to share the experience with her grandchildren was “amazing. They love it. They’re so excited to come.”
“My daughter remembers where the food stands are after so many years, even though she doesn’t live here. We come to the same ones,” Glover said.
Multiple generations of Dylan Walters’ family also were at the fair Monday. Walters walked through the fairgrounds with his 2-year-old son, Aiden, sitting on his shoulders.
Walters was joined, too, by his 3-year-old daughter, Jane, and his mother.
He said he’s been coming to the fair since he was a kid and can remember his mom spoiling him and his dad showing him the farm equipment.
Now, he gets to pass on those traditions to his kids.
“The pony rides are a big thing for a little girl,” he said of what his children like to do at the fair.
“And him – he just likes the food,” he added, gesturing at his son, who had the remnants of a Strauss chocolate malt smeared across his face.
“It’s a family event. It makes memories,” Walters said.