Weekend busy one at Van Wert County Fair

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Friday was a busy day at the 165th Van Wert County Fair, with great weather, the thunder of truck and tractor pulls, a variety of livestock shows, and the ever-popular fair food, games, and rides. 

The weekend should have more of the great weather of the past few days, as well as lots of events and activities for those wanting to take in the fair. One thing that won’t be at this year’s fair, unfortunately, is thoroughbred horse racing, since the fair had to cancel that Labor Day staple because of unforeseen circumstances. The Fair Board is working to replace that event with more harness racing in front of the grandstand.

On Saturday, the Grandstand will be busy with Kids Dream Day from 1-4 p.m., while the evening’s headliner event will be the Van Wert Live concert featuring Country stars Chris Lane and Cam, starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Other entertainment events include the following:
Landing at Gate 2
Marching bands will perform at 3:30, 4:15, and 5:30 p.m. in the area

Entertainment Tent
A Cornhole tournament will be held at 9 a.m., while the Lincolnview Class of 1986 will have its class reunion there, starting at 5 p.m.

Music Pavilion
The Children Choosing Christ event will begin at 10 a.m., while the Magic Man TJ Hill will perform during shows at 2, 4, and 8 p.m. St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church will hold a Mass in the pavilion at 6:30 that evening.

Educational Tent
Saturday’s activities include Animal Magic shows at 1, 3, and 5 p.m., and. Blooms shows at 2, 5, 6, and 8 p.m. Sunday will be a repeat of that schedule.

Sunday’s entertainment is as follows:
Grandstand
A Kids Dream Day will be held from 1-7 p.m. in the grandstand area, with a Motocross race at 1 p.m., and the ABAR Rodeo show at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Landing at Gate 2
A car show will be held there at 1 p.m.

Entertainment Tent
Magic Man TJ Hill will perform shows at noon, 2:30, and 4;30 p.m., while Gabrielle Emerick will perform at 5 Sunday evening.

Music Pavilion
Zion Christian Union Church will hold a Protestant service at 10 a.m., with Fortress performing at 1 p.m., the Calvary Praise Band at 3 p.m., and Rhett Walker at 8 that evening.

Other events
At 10 a.m. Saturday, a double elimination singles horseshoe contest will be held at the Horseshoe Courts, with a doubles horseshoe tournament scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday.

Livestock shows over the weekend include the following: 
Saturday

• 8:30 a.m. — Junior Fair Beef Show in the Farm Focus Arena
• 9 a.m. — Junior and Senior Ponies and Draft Horse Shows at Senior Horse Arena
• 10 a.m. — Senior Rabbit Show in the Rabbit Barn
• 11 a.m. — Junior Fair Dairy Feeder Show in the Farm Focus Arena
• Noon — Open Goat Show in the Sheep Arena
• 3:30 p.m. — Horse contesting in the Junior Horse Arena and Cattlemen’s Futurity in the Farm Focus Arena
• 4 p.m. — Open Beef Show in the Farm Focus Arena

Sunday

• 9 a.m. — Van Wert County Open Horse Shows in the Junior Horse Arena and the Junior Fair Rabbit Showmanship event in the Rabbit Barn
• 11:30 a.m. — Rabbit Breeding Show in the Rabbit Barn
• 1 p.m. — Animal Dress-up Contest in the Farm Focus Arena
• 4:45 p.m. — Van Wert County Market Lamb Show in the Sheep Arena
• 5 p.m. — Junior Fair Milk Mustache Contest in the Dairy Barn and the Ryan Trentman Memorial Show in the Farm Focus Arena
• 5:30 p.m. — Open to the World Market Lamb Show in the Sheep Barn.