By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Looking ahead to 2027, the Wood County Fair Board intends to hold the fair Aug. 1-8, if those dates are approved by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
At the Sept. 24 meeting, the board agreed to submit the proposed dates for approval and also discussed looking beyond 2027 to try to move the county fair away from the Ohio State Fair dates.
For decades, the Wood County Fair has overlapped the state fair dates, creating conflicts especially for fair participants, as well as residents. Junior fair members, who show livestock or have miscellaneous 4-H projects that qualify for the state fair, have to decide if they want to participate in the county fair or state fair, or some combination of the two.
“Why don’t we put in for different dates, not for 2027, but to put this on the radar,” said Fair Director Bob Strow. “We fight the state fair issue year in and year out. The sooner we can work to try to get off of that (schedule), the better we’re going to be. The state fair is not going to change.”
The Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Brian Baldridge approves and finalizes the official dates for the state’s annual fair season, which covers the 94 county and independent fairs as well as the Ohio State Fair.
Within the rules for fairs to select their dates, is that county fairs cannot be held during the fair dates for adjoining county fairs. For example, Wood County cannot hold its fair the same time as Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, Hancock, Putnam and Henry.
“There is some conversation about that already taking place at ODA,” Fair Board President Paul Perry told the board. “Director Baldridge recognizes that and understands that, but it’s going to be at least a two-year process to make that happen.”
Perry cautioned that changing dates could create other issues. “We’ve got to be careful when we start talking about changing dates; there’s a whole lot of pieces, like the ride company and some of our food vendors” who might not be able to come to Wood County because they are already working at other fairs or events.
“There has been talk, if something were to happen with Lucas County, we could take their dates (the week before Wood County’s dates), but that would be at the same time as Logan County, which is our ride company’s home county that they wouldn’t give up,” he said.
The company pays a significant amount to be at the Wood County Fair plus a percentage of sales. “We’ve got to be careful. We would be hard-pressed to find a good ride company like what we currently have and a company that truly puts safety and the people first.”
Perry said it was “a hot topic” at a meeting about a month ago in Columbus at the Department of Agriculture. “Wood County was specifically talking about it because of the amount of kids that we have from Wood County that go to the state fair and the overlap that we have,” he added. “A few years ago (former Fair Board President) Kyle Culp led a charge about moving dates, and pretty much it got shot down on everything that he was trying to do.”
Premiums for livestock sale increased over 2025
Fair Board Secretary Conni Grames reported the total premium amount for the livestock showcase and sale and the online add-on sale was $397,358, up $41,306 from 2025. This is the money buyers donate to exhibitors without purchasing an animal, Grames explained
The online add-on sale, which included 22 additional entries this year, brought in $262,597, an increase of $25,146 compared to 2025.
Overall sales, which include the feeder sale, totaled $474,655, up $38,198 from the previous year.
The total amount of checks that went to junior fair exhibitors totaled $487,569 and a check for $12,000 ($6,428 more than 2025) will be presented to the Children’s Hospital Foundation from funds raised for cancer research.
At the time of the meeting, Grames said approximately $20,000 still needs to be collected for the livestock sale. Nineteen junior fair livestock buyers still owe between $25 and $10,000.
Premium check pickup continues
There were many livestock premium checks that had not been picked up as of Sept. 24, Grames said, adding that it might be difficult for some people to get to the office during business hours.
The timeline to pick up checks in the fair office was extended through Oct. 7. Any checks not picked up at the fair office by then will be available that night (Oct. 7) at the 4-H Spirit Night. Grames said she would send an email to all check recipients with the updated information, and any checks not picked up at 4-H Spirit Night will be mailed.
Perry reminded the board that they are “the stewards of the Wood County Fair and the Wood County community. “We’re here to protect its traditions, guide its future and create an environment where people will be involved,” he said, adding to his previous month’s message that reinforced the commitment to the youth of the county who are involved at the fair.
He also encouraged members to empower others to help make the fair better through volunteering, serving, building, teaching, mentoring and contributing. “We need to open doors and give them meaningful opportunities to step forward,” Perry said.
In other business, the board:
- Approved a motion that any fair director who plans to stay at the Ohio Fair Managers Convention in January must pay the first $100 toward their room to help defray overall costs to the agricultural society.
- Voted to add three proposed changes to the agricultural society’s constitutional bylaws (Article 5-Section 1, Article six, Sections 1 and 3) to the annual meeting agenda. Agricultural society members will vote on removing the reference to “districts” in the bylaws’ language in three locations to align with the change made to the bylaws that eliminated fair board directors’ requirement to reside in districts. Public notification of the proposed changes will be available closer to the annual meeting.
- Approved a change to the employee handbook that sets the probationary period for new employees at 180 days with the possibility of extending it for two 90-day periods, and additional wording changes.
- Elected Brian Hannan and Ryan Lang to fill the two empty board seats.
- Set the dates for selling Wood County Agricultural Society membership starting Dec. 1, 2026 through Aug. 1, 2027.
- Planned to proceed with a project to put a water line in the grassy area between the administration building and home and garden building. The work, to cost no more than $1,000, will allow the concessions to have access to water at their sites.
- Elected Jolynn Nissen to serve as board treasurer after she stepped up to be a candidate six months after former treasurer Kalen Bloom resigned from the board for health reasons.
