Upgrades on display as Muskingum County Fair kicks off
ZANESVILLE — There will be several noticeable changes as the 176th annual Muskingum County Blue Ribbon Fair gets underway today and runs through Saturday.
The most notable upgrade will be new grandstand seating and lights on top and below the grandstands. Fair Board Secretary Doug Guinsler noted they received a $200,000 Capital Funding Grant from the state, thanks to the help of state representative Adam Holmes and state senator Tim Schaffer, to allow them to upgrade the grandstand. It was installed by G&M Construction in Zanesville, and it will seat just over 1,800 spectators.
The fair board also received a grant from the Visitors Convention Bureau to replace an old electrical transformer with a new unit, that cost around $45,000.
Other upgrades include new fencing around the Memorial Garden, a new hog scale in the hog barn, new water and sewer lines for the clean face facility and new hydrants near the animal barns.
"Those grandstands were originally built in 1958, and the seating and lighting below were still from when it was built. It was big to get that grant so we could update the grandstands," Guinsler said. "There was a lot of work to be done, and it's great to be able to get some needed repairs completed before the fair. We still have money from the Capital grant that we plan to use in the coming years."
Another change is online ticket sales. The Muskingum County Fair will use Hometown Ticketing for those purchases, and they are available through the website, muskingumcofair.com. General Admission tickets are $8 per person while children 5 and under get in free. All online tickets can be scanned from a phone at the gate.
Tickets for the Niko Moon show are also available on the fair's website with a limit of eight tickets per transaction. There is a $5 fee for those tickets.
However, ride tickets must be purchased on site. Each ticket is $1 apiece, with 12 for $10 or an unlimited ride wristband for $20. Wristbands are $15 if purchased by 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and most rides need four to five tickets to ride.
E-ticketing is an aspect the fair board hopes to use for more than just the fair. Guinsler noted more than 30 fairs in the state have gone to online ticket sales.
"The big thing is it allows us to keep track of how many people are entering the fair, and we can stay in contact with buyers for feedback and future events," Guinsler said. "The other 50 weeks here are just as important as these two. We have plans to get more use out of our facility, and this is a way to help us in that endeavor."
There will also be several new events on the West End of the grounds, highlighted by the Pirates of the Colombian Caribbean and Wheels of Agriculture Game Show. Both happen multiple times per day from Monday to Saturday.
Grandstand events include:
Harness racing is at 6 p.m. Monday
Sarge & Sons Demo Derby is at 8 p.m. Wednesday
Rough truck is at 7 p.m. Thursday
Antique and garden tractor pull is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday
Great Lakes Championship rodeo bull riding and girls barrel racing at 8 p.m. Friday
Horse pull is at 11 a.m. Saturday
Truck, tractor and semi pull at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Full event calendar is located online at muskingumcofair.com/fair/event-information/.
bhannahs@gannett.com
Twitter: @brandonhannahs
Daily Highlights of the Fair
Sunday: Llama Show, Noon; Harness Racing, 1 p.m.; Grand Opening of Fair, 4:15 p.m.; Karaoke with Double R, 6 p.m.; Truck & Tractor Pull, 7:30 p.m.
Monday: Rooster Crowing Contest, 10 a.m.; Pirates of the Colombian Caribbean, 3 and 6 p.m.; Dance Express Studio Performance, 5:30 p.m.; Harness Racing, 6 p.m.; Pleasant Valley Boys, 8 p.m.
Tuesday: Junior Fair Dairy Judging & Showmanship Pee Wee Showmanship, 9 a.m.; Derby Bucks Auction, 1 p.m.; Magician John Louis, 10 a.m., 1, 3 & 6 p.m.; Junior Fair Steer Judging, 5 p.m.; Niko Moon, 8 p.m.
Wednesday: Junior Fair Market Hog Judging, 8 a.m.; Junior Fair Horse Judging, 9 a.m.; Character’s Express Appearances, 2 to 4 p.m.; Junior Fair Beef Showmanship, 4:30 p.m.; Junior Fair Goat Showmanship, 5 p.m.; Demo Derby, 8 p.m.
Thursday: Junior Fair Beef Breeding, 9 a.m.; Program by The Works, 1 & 3 p.m.; Pee Wee Sheep Showing, 2 p.m.; Junior Fair Market Sheep, Steer & Goat Sale, 5:30 p.m.; Rough Truck, 7 p.m.
Friday: Showman of Showmen Contest, 8 a.m.; Garden & Antique Tractor Pull, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Open Class Beef Show, 9 a.m.; The Columbus Zoo Exotic Animal, 11 a.m.; Junior Fair Market Hog Sale, 1 p.m.; MM Dance Studio Performance, 5:30 p.m.; Pedal Tractor Pull, 6 p.m.; Bull Riding, 8 p.m.
Saturday: Junior Fair Market Rabbit, & Poultry Sale, 9 a.m.; Horse Pull, 11 a.m.; Antique Tractor Parade, 4 p.m.; Truck,Tractor & Semi Pull, 5:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Upgrades on display as Muskingum County Fair kicks off
