By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The Wood County Fair countdown clock is ticking away. There are still 178 days – give or take some hours and minutes – before the fair kicks off on July 28, but as the days get closer, the plans are starting to fall into place.
At the January Fair Board meeting, entertainment committee chair Dave Nietz reported they are close to securing a headliner concert for the 2024 county fair. An announcement will be forthcoming in the next couple of months.
“We can’t say publicly who it is yet,” he said because of a radius clause, which is similar to a non-complete clause used in the live music industry. Publicity has to wait until after the performer’s concert or if they sell out, Nietz explained.
Other entertainment will also be announced soon once contracts are finalized. Totals budgeted for the fair entertainment include $40,000 for grounds entertainment, $32,500 for grandstand attractions, $11,000 for concerts in The Grove, $1,200 for an announcer, and $6,800 for the stage.
A micro-wrestling event, hosted by the Fair Board and the Wood County Fair Foundation, is not a part of the fair but will be held on April 13 in the Pratt Pavilion. Funds raised will be used to pay the principal on the building’s mortgage. More information will be released as details are finalized.
Commercial exhibitor fees increase
Commercial exhibitor spaces under the grandstand and in the commercial tent will cost a little more this year.
The board approved a rate increase for this year. Spaces under the grandstand will be $300 each, up from $200 each in previous years. Commercial spaces in the commercial tent will be increased to $250 this year, compared to $150 per space in previous years.
Paul Perry, second vice president, said they have been losing money on the commercial spaces for several years. For example, the fair board pays $152.50 for the tent and pipe and drape per booth.
“If we can get to where we can make a little money off of it, that would be beneficial,” he said.
The commercial tent, which was in the area south of the grandstand last year, will be moved to the area near the Champion Barn, which should provide a better travel path for those commercial exhibitors, he added.
Exhibitors who paid at the close of last year’s fair will not be charged for the increase this year. A new clause has been added into the contracts, Perry said, that the booths and the concessions must staff their areas as required. Those who fail to have staff in their spaces during the mandated hours will forfeit their spaces for the next year.
Wood County Fair offers multi-levels of sponsorships
The Fair Board is ramping up its fundraising efforts this year as the members seek sponsors for various events, activities and items needed during the fair.
“One of the big things we are working on is the daily sponsors,” said Perry. Companies can sponsor the day for $5,000 and receive a lot of promotion for their sponsorship. Available days are on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Other sponsorship opportunities range from $20,000 and up for the main concert sponsor to department award sponsors for $49 and under, each with their own promotional benefits. The levels of support are:
Grandstand Entertainment
Platinum – $20,000 and over
Gold – $10,000-$20,000
Silver – $5,000-$10,000
Bronze – $1,000-$5,000
Fair Events
Day Sponsor – $5,000
Event Class Sponsor – $100-$500
Department Sponsor
Platinum – $1,000+
Gold – $500-$999
Silver – $250-$499
Bronze – $50-$249
Award – $49 and under
Activity Sponsor
$100-$500
Golf Cart Sponsor
Director’s Golf Cart – $300
Grounds Entertainment Sponsor
Free Tent, Grove Stage, etc. – $500-$3,000
Banner Advertising
(Not part of sponsorship packages or Grounds Rental advertiser)
Poe Road fence during fair week – $200
Gate F area fence during fair week – $100
Haskins or Brim Road during fair week – $50
Poe Road fence per week off-fair season – $50
Additional details and the sponsorship application form are available at the Wood County Fair website.
Harness races matching grant submitted
The board agreed to a matching grant from the Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association for $567.40 to pay for some electrical work and fixing the racehorse barns.
Tyler Burris, a member of the harness races committee, was upset that she wasn’t asked for input since she is involved in the horse industry. “There’s more than that that needs to be done,” she said.
Fair Manager Laura Westgate explained the office has handled the OHHA request in previous years, and they only had 24 hours to pull the information together. “We weren’t trying to go behind your back; we were only trying to help,” she said.
Monies from the OHHA pay for the harness expenses, as well for some additional work, such as manure removal for all of the livestock barns, Burris and Treasurer Kathy Thomas said, when Dave Nietz asked what OHHA funds cover.
Additionally, Fair Bard President John Nissen reported they are still considering moving the harness races to start on the Saturday before the official opening of the fair in 2025. The second race day could then be held on Sunday the first day of the fair. The proposal would free up the grandstand entertainment schedule, and also provide better traffic flow around the outside of the track.
He asked Burris to talk with other fair board members to work together to determine what options are possible after this year’s fair.
‘Four Fest’ on Ten-Five
A “Four Fest” is being planned at the Wood County Fairgrounds in October. Rachel London of Thayer Family Dealers asked the board to allow a 4×4 festival to be held on Oct. 5, the same time of a specialty camping weekend at the fairgrounds.
The event is patterned after Toledo’s Jeep Fest, except on a smaller scale, at least for now. They hope to make it an annual family-focused event, offering food trucks, kids’ activities and the opportunity for 4×4 vehicle owners to test the power of their vehicles in a tractor pull sled competition.
“We are in the early stages,” London said. The planning group is also working with the Northwestern Ohio Tractor Pullers Association for the pulling competition, and people involved with the Jeep Fest are providing advice for starting such an event.
In other business, the board:
- Established a free tent committee to plan activities for the free tent with an approved budget of up to $8,000. The committee will work to acquire sponsorships for all of the activities.
- Approved spending of up to $6,000 for renovations to the first-floor office space in the administration building; up to $19,000 for upgrading the furnace, thermostats and duct work in the administration building; and $2,000 for four windows in the Champion Barn.
- Agreed to spend up to $6,000 to send three individuals to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for training on a fair entry system.
- Congratulated Jim Blackford for winning the District 1 Outstanding Fair Supporter award at the Ohio Fair Managers Association Convention.
- Moved their November and December meeting dates to the third Thursday to avoid conflicts with Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Scheduled the annual Wood County Agricultural Society election on Sunday, Aug. 4 from 1-6 p.m. in the Junior Fair Building.
- Accepted the resignation of Director Jim Grames.
- Heard from Director Conni Grames that they plan to host the Catch-A-Pig Contest during the fair in the sheep show arena on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 10 am., with participants vying for one of 50 sponsored pigs.
- Learned Justin Barndt and family are sponsoring a pig showmanship clinic and sale on March 24 in the Champion Barn at the fairgrounds. The clinic starts at 9:30 a.m., the preview of pigs is at 11 a.m. and the sale starts at 1 p.m..
