Going to the 2022 Franklin County Fair? Here's ticket info, parking, what's new and more
The Franklin County Fair is coming off a record-setting 2021 event.
Although the 2020 fair was canceled because of the pandemic, nearly 47,000 people attended last year's fair, according to fair board spokesperson Stephanie Rauschenbach, who said that numbers don't include presale tickets or membership passes.
Now, as the Franklin County Fair prepares for its 2022 event taking place July 18-24 at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, organizers hope they can build on that success.
"People wanted to get out and we set every record from the beginning. Hope to duplicate that again," Gary Fellure said.
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The year off, due to COVID, was hard for everyone involved, but for Fellure, it was extremely difficult to watch the 4-H kids not be able to show off the projects.
"The year we didn’t do anything, but just bringing in projects for the kids, was disheartening because they want to finish," he said. "It felt like an empty feeling. Now they can bring the projects, they can display it at the fair and feel like they can finish what they started."
The plan isn't to reinvent the wheel this year after a record-setting 2021. Last year, knowing that the Ohio State Fair was canceled, fair-goers came to the Franklin County Fair, rode rides, ate fair food and continued to come back each day.
Fellure is hoping that Greater Columbus residents keep the Franklin County Fair dates in their minds.
"We want them to be like, 'Hey, the Franklin County Fair is going to happen this week; let's take the kids over and have a great time,'" he said. "We focus on the family aspect."
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To help you plan out a visit, here's what you need to know:
Where will the fair take place?
The event will take place July 18-24 at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, 4100 Columbia St., Hilliard.
How much do tickets cost?
Tickets to the fair cost $10, and unlimited ride tickets cost $20 each day.
For more information on how to purchase tickets in advance, visit www.fcfair.org.
Where to park?
Parking is free, and the fairgrounds has plenty of spots available in the lots adjacent to gate 2, gate 3 and gate 4.
For a look at the complete fairgrounds parking map, visit: www.fcfair.org/fairgrounds/fairgrounds-map.
What's new at the Franklin County Fair?
The biggest addition to the fair this year is Family Day on Wednesday. The rides open an hour earlier, at 11 a.m., and unlimited ride tickets are just $15. Plus, there will be a variety of one-day only events, such as a character meet-and-greet with Spiderman, Elsa from "Frozen" and Pete the Cat. It will have an escape room experience in the historical village by Eerie Escape Rooms, touch-a-truck activity, and a magic show tailored to children.
This change comes a year after Fellure said the fair board wanted to make sure they catered to families and realized last year's daytime population was big on rides and activities.
"I think family is looking for something to do where Grandma and Grandpa can bring kids," Fellure said. "We noticed it last year, that we had a daytime crowd of kids who wanted to ride and eat fair food and then go back home. We wanted to have more activities to focus just on the family. County fairs have always been a close-knit deal."
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In the evening, adult-oriented fare will include a "taste of the fair," featuring beer from local breweries — Wolf's Ridge Brewery, Grove City Brewery, Crooked Can Brewery, 1487 Brewery and Saucy Brew Works — as well as a beer-tasting contest, and live music.
Free daily attractions
Admission to the fair is $10 but there are a number of free attractions. Here's a sampling:
Livestock barn petting zoo
Ninja experience at 2:30 and 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 2:30, 5 and 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday
Max Power and Nitro at 12:30, 4 and 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m., 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday
A hands-on live fishing experience from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday
Ride a magical train by Sheetz from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday
Magic show from David Anthony: street magic and hypnosis will take place at 3:30 and 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; and 6 and 8 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; and 3 and 6 p.m. Sunday
For a full list at the attractions visit www.fcfair.org/franklin-county-fair/
What's on the schedule each day?
The schedule for the Franklin County fair is a long one, and you can find the complete list of daily activities at www.fcfair.org.
There are some daily activities worth highlighting, though.
• The junior fair will be an ongoing event throughout the week, beginning on Monday with the junior goat show. The junior fair will end on July 24 with the junior fair Cloverbud show and tell.
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• Tuesday is Senior Citizen day, which will give seniors admission to the fair for $9 (limited to 300 sold in advance). The day will include a 9 a.m. pancake breakfast featuring entertainment, goodie bags, bingo, a magic show and cloggers. Lunch will be served at 11:45 a.m., with a tour of the historical Hillard villages at 12:15 p.m.
• Thursday is military appreciation day, giving free admission to all active military personnel and veterans with official identification. On Thursday, there will be a variety of events, including a magic performance at 11:30 a.m. by David Anthony From 4 to 6:30 p.m., there will be musical entertainment by Driving Guitars. All three musicians are founding members of The Danger Brothers.
Cameron Teague Robinson CTeagueRob@gannett.com; Twitter: @cj_teague
At a glance
The Franklin County Fair will take place July 18-24, with gates opening at 9 a.m. each day and closing at 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 7 p.m. July 24. It will be held at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, 4100 Columbia St., Hilliard. Admission to the fair is $10 per person; unlimited ride wristbands cost $20. For more information, visit www.fcfair.org.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County Fair 2022 in Columbus: Tickets, parking, schedule
