Stark County Fair will entertain with country music, comedian, Frisbee-catching dogs

CANTON – Country music, a comedian, peanut butter milkshakes, amusement park rides, livestock auctions, demolition derbies and more return with the Stark County Fair later this summer.

The fair, scheduled for Aug. 30 through Sept. 5, is a tradition dating to another era, said Jill Sterling, a fair board member who heads entertainment.

"I believe this is our 173rd Stark County Fair, and I went through some of the old history ... and it just kind of (started as) a basic little festival where farmers got together to compare their produce or their products or have a baking contest and pies and so forth," she said.

"It was more of like a Sunday afternoon on 'Little House on the Prairie'," Sterling added. "It wasn't a huge event like it developed into."

Those quaint days are a distant memory — this year's fair will be full throttle.

Scaling back the fair during the earlier phases of COVID was difficult, Sterling said.

"Unfortunately, (some) food vendors took that time to retire," she said. "Some of the famous vendors you had that you patronized for years gave it up, which was kind of heartbreaking ... because we're all family here."

All of the familiar sights and sounds return this summer, Sterling assured.

"We have so much going on," she said.

Garth Brooks once played the Stark County Fair ... now it's Chris Lane's turn

Country music artist Chris Lane takes the grandstand stage at 8 p.m. Aug. 31.

"We signed Chris Lane kind of early," Sterling said. "I think he's going to be a great (show), and I think he's going to be one of those (musicians) that people say, 'I saw him at the Stark County Fair' when he's playing stadium tours."

"We had Garth Brooks before he was Garth, Garth Brooks," she said of the country music icon's 1990 concert just before he became a country music and pop culture phenomenon.

Lane's popular songs include, "I Don't Know About You," which has attracted nearly 100 million views on YouTube. "Fill Them Boots" and "Ain't Even Met You Yet" have attracted more than 1 million views each.

The Kernersville, North Carolina native, has appeared in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as well as on "The Bachelor," "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Lane also was featured in People's 2019 Sexiest Man Alive issue. The artist launched a headlining tour earlier this year after touring previously with Florida Georgia Line, Kane Brown and Brad Paisley.

Tickets are selling fast for online comic sensation Trey Kennedy

Comedian Trey Kennedy performs at 8 p.m. Sept. 1.

Kennedy has grown in popularity on social media, attracting nearly 5 million followers on Facebook and 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube.

The comedian is known for online skits that find humor in relatable subjects such as fast-food restaurants, small town life, political divides and middle school students.

"I am so excited about Trey Kennedy," Sterling said. "He is selling like hotcakes, and people are interested in going to see him. I would say, don't delay in getting tickets."

"Everyone's had it kind of rough," she said. "We need some laughter. We've kind of run out of viable options for other musical acts, and I wanted to make sure it was something different, and the comedian fell into place."

Kennedy's brand of comedy will be family-friendly, Sterling assured.

Tickets are $15 to $40 for Lane and Kennedy's individual shows. For more information, go to https://starkcountyfair.com/. Tickets don't include the $8 fair admission.

Tractor pulls, disc-catching dogs and peanut butter milkshakes

Two classes of drivers will compete at 7 p.m. on Sept. 2 and 3 in National Tractor Pullers Association events.

Demolition derbies are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 4 and 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 5.

For ticket prices and more details on all events, visit the fair's website.

Kids also can enjoy educational puppet shows, and dogs will catch Frisbees and perform other tricks at the south end of the fairgrounds.

More: Lerch's Donuts: Legendary goodies served up at Stark County Fair

More: Summertime fun: Country music, Journey, LGBTQ+ pride, Belden Village cooking competition

And of course there's food, including milkshakes made by Junior Fair members.

Milkshakes will be served at a different location, across from the Junior Fair Eats stand north of the grandstand near the track.

"Their peanut butter milkshakes and their line ... will stretch a barn or two on certain days," Sterling said.

Buy a cow, stock your freezer with meat and save money

With rising meat prices, fairgoers will have an opportunity to purchase livestock at auction during the fair, Sterling said. Arrangements also will be made for processing.

More details will be posted about the auction on the fair's website and at www.facebook.com/StarkCountyFair.

Amusement park rides feature daily specials for all-day riding with the purchase of a wristband.

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Chris Lane and comic Trey Kennedy headline 2022 Stark County Fair