Horse racing, band show end county fair

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The 157th edition of the Van Wert County Fair is officially over, although what could be the most important part of the fair for Junior Fair exhibitors begins at 9 this morning: the annual Junior Fair Livestock Auction. The auction is when area businesses and organizations purchase the animals Junior Fair exhibitors showed during the past week.

The auction is divided into eight livestock categories: swine (traditionally, the largest in number), beef, dairy feeders, goats, sheep, rabbits, poultry and turkeys. The grand champion and reserve champion in each livestock category are sold first, followed by the rest of the animals in that livestock category.

Prices are based on the actual value of the animal’s meat, with a premium added by the purchaser to compensate Junior Fair exhibitors for the time and effort they spent raising their animals.

The auction begins with the symbolic auction of a gallon of milk. The money raised during the milk sale goes to Junior Fair dairy exhibitors, who do not sell their animals during the fair.

The last two years, prices have been excellent, with local businesses and groups very generous in the premiums they paid for Junior Fair animals. Whether that will continue this year will only be decided at the end of today’s auction, which is held in the Farm Focus Arena.

The fair ended on Monday, Labor Day, with a number of activities and events, including Senior and Junior Fair livestock shows, free entertainment in both the Entertainment Tent and Gospel Pavilion and the tuneful High School Band Show held in front of the grandstand on Monday evening.

During the show, area marching bands got the chance to strut their stuff in front of an appreciative crowd, while audience members had a chance to see the halftime shows of the bands that were first performed this past Friday and Saturday during the opening week of the high school football season.

A tattoo contest was also held Monday in the Entertainment Tent, while thoroughbred horse racing was the draw on Monday afternoon in front of the grandstand, where the Van Wert County Fair 1 1/8 Mile Derby was held, along with a number of other thoroughbred and quarter horse races.

Racegoers could also bet on the outcomes of the races through the pari-mutuel system.