New thrills await as 173rd Canfield Fair opens 6-day run Wednesday

By JUSTIN DENNIS

jdennis@vindy.com

CANFIELD

The “six best days of summer” are just ahead.

Fred Moran, the 84-year-old owner of Window World, is set to jump from a plane Thursday morning to inaugurate the 173rd annual Canfield Fair – just one flash of the 353-acre fair’s tradition of spectacle that’s grown every year.

“We put up a ‘city’ every year and we take it down,” said fair board President David Dickey, referring to the army of setup crews that parked food stands and erected carnival rides last week at the Canfield Fairgrounds.

There are more than 100 free shows and exhibits for fair-goers this year, though most prefer to eat their way through the fair’s more than 600 food stands, Dickey said.

New thrills this year include the “Ring of Fire” looping ride, Dickey said. This year’s fair rides are bigger and can hold more riders, meaning lines are expected to move faster, he added.

The fair’s pig iron derby Wednesday night will see the “raw power” of draft horses and ponies pulling heavy iron, such as tractors, across the grandstand field, Dickey said.

Fair officials on Thursday will cut the ribbon on what will become the fairgrounds’ new $8.1 million Junior Fair facility at the corner of Wetmore and Goshen lanes. A years-long capital fundraising campaign has raised

$3 million. An official groundbreaking ceremony is set for Sept. 25.

The building is expected to be in use by next year’s fair, he added.

“A lot of people weren’t ready to give until we moved dirt, so we’re moving dirt,” Dickey said. “The donations are still coming in.”

On Friday and Saturday nights, the respective demolition derby and traditional tractor pull will take place on the fair’s grandstand field.

On Sunday, Grammy-winning a capella vocalist group Pentatonix is set to headline the grandstand stage at 8 p.m., with special guest Rachel Platten.

Comedian Gabriel Iglesias will provide laughs at 8 p.m. Monday at the grandstand, as part of his “Beyond the Fluffy” world tour.

A long-time fair fixture, a fountain at the corner of Bishop and Poland drives that hasn’t worked for about 20 years, is set to spout once more this year, Dickey said.

The fountain was originally installed in front of the grandstand in 1929, Dickey said.

“One day it broke down and nobody fixed it,” he laughed.

Dickey said this is his last year as president of the fair board and he has been proud to represent “17 of the hardest-working” fair directors who keep the Valley tradition running like a well-oiled machine.

“All the director’s work tirelessly out here and they really love the tradition of the fair,” he said.

Dickey said he also picked this year’s fair theme, which is “Miles of Smiles.”

“You’ll see that theme all the way around,” he said. “It’s the six best days of summer. When they come in the gates, they’re smiling. When they leave, they’re smiling.”