156th VW County Fair begins today

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

It’s fair time again, and this year’s edition -– the 156th for the Van Wert County Fair — promises to include a number of events and activities for area residents (click here for a copy of the fair book).

The fair officially kicks off today with the official grand opening held at 5 p.m. in front of the grandstand. The grand opening includes a ribboncutting. Rides provided by Kissell Bros. will also begin at that time, while a flag-raising ceremony will be held at 6:45 this evening in front of the grandstand.

At 5:30 p.m., the 2012 Junior Fair King and Queen will be chosen and crowned. This year’s queen candidates include Sabrina Barnhart, Morgan Klinger, Amanda Lobsiger, Katie Vorst and Grace Mitchener, while king candidates are Kurt Hoersten and Adam Schumm. The coronation ceremony will be held in the Gospel Pavilion, located just north of the Administration Building.

Immediately following the Junior Fair King and Queen coronation will be the 4-H special awards ceremony, also to be held at the Gospel Pavilion.

Then, at 7 p.m., a number of area bands will perform in front of the grandstand for the popular High School Band Show.

In addition to tonight’s band show, there will also be a number of other special events held in front of the grandstand. The increasingly popular cheerleader competition will be held, starting at 10 a.m. Saturday and will feature a number of separate categories.

That evening, the Bulls and Barrels Rodeo will be presented by Hat Creek Arena. The event will begin at 7 p.m. in front of the grandstand.

On Sunday evening, again at 7, the fair will feature the Auto Demolition Derby, featuring lots of noise, mayhem and grinding crashes.

On Monday (Labor Day), the MICHINDOH Truck & Tractor Pull will be held in front of the grandstand, again beginning at 7 p.m. The three-state regional pull will feature a plethora of competitive classes for lovers of truck and tractor pulls.

The fair will again feature harness and thoroughbred horse racing in front of the grandstand, beginning on Thursday evening at 7 and culminating with the thoroughbred/quarter horse race card on Labor Day that includes the Van Wert County Fair 1 1/8 Derby.

As usual, there will also be plenty of “fair food” and games for young and old on the midway of the fair. There will also be two special days at the fair. Thursday, August 30, will be Kids Day, where children 9 and under are admitted free, while those older get in for a $3 admission charge. On Friday, August 31, it’s Veterans and Senior Citizens Day. On that day, military veterans and area residents age 60 and above are admitted to the fair free, and both groups have special programs in the Entertainment Tent that day. Free doughnuts will be served to veterans and seniors from 8:30-10:30 a.m., while free bean soup and cornbread are served to veterans from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday.

Furthermore, while all the above events and activities go to make a successful fair, the heart of this fair is its Junior and Senior shows and exhibitions.

There will be a number of livestock shows on both the Senior and Junior Fair sides, with the Junior Fair culminating in the annual Livestock Auction held on Tuesday, September 4 — the day after the fair officially closes. That’s the payoff for Junior Fair livestock exhibitors who have worked hard all year raising sheep, goats, rabbits, turkeys and other poultry, steers, dairy feeders and swine.