It's a wrap, and Ashland County Fair was a 'wonderful thing for the whole community'
ASHLAND − By all accounts, the Ashland County Fair 2022 is a success.
"The sun has been shining, and people have been enjoying themselves," said Marty Wesner, fair board president, on Friday.
While there was a little rain overnight, it had minimal impact; and the cooler weather Friday was more typical of a fall fair day, Wesner said.
Fairgoers have been enjoying the entertainment, he said, noting the Josh Turner concert was close to a sell-out, and other events also attracted a crowd.
Through Thursday, there were an additional 23,137 people at the fair over last year for the same time period, which represents a 65% increase in attendance. The total through Thursday evening is 58,799.
On Friday morning, a busy base of operations was the Coliseum, where the market hog auction was in progress.
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Grooming Dorito for showing includes nurturing, training
Haley Henthorn, a 19-year-old Crestview High School graduate whose birthday fit the parameters for participation, sold her 270-pound white belt, cross-breed Hampshire for $8 a pound to RES Auction Services.
She began nurturing and training the hog, which she named Dorito, when the pig was just 8 weeks old.
"You have to talk to them, warm up to them," said Henthorn, a member of Clover Patch Kids. "That's where it all begins. It comes up to you, loves you, chews on your shoes. I was very attached. I was very emotional (after the sale)."
In some cases, buyers know the person who owns the animal being sold or whom they "want to support … kids who work really hard," she said.
Henthorn, who is studying livestock production and management specializing in swine at the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, plans to use the money for advanced competition or education.
She is employed at Centerra Country Store, as is her stepfather, Ryan Frank, who assists customers in knowing how to customize their feed. Henthorn credits him for her interest in the trade and with helping her succeed.
Frank gave Dorito, whom she describes as stubborn-willed, vanilla ice cream from the Rader's Old-Fashioned Homemade Ice Cream booth as a reward for "his hard work."
'Supporting 4-H is huge. It feels good'
Ben Uselton, owner of BCU Electric in Ashland, was one of the buyers. He purchased a steer and chickens and planned to buy the grand champion lamb.
"Supporting 4-H is huge," he said, in teaching young people responsibility and in rewarding them for their efforts. Showing community support and giving back is also important, Uselton said. "It feels good."
Over in the cattle barn, Ridge Meyer, a 12-year-old sixth-grade Mapleton student from Polk, was hard at work showering his Jersey cow.
His mother, Kelly Meyer, said he has won junior fair champion and open class awards.
Wearing a "Feral Farm Kid" T-shirt, he explained his preference for Jerseys, the different kinds of hay as feed and helping out with milking 500 cows every day at home.
Other young people making Friday a productive day at the fairgrounds were 17-year-old Junior Fair Queen Linde Hahn of Loudonville and Casey Fuller, a junior at Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center.
Hahn distributed award ribbons and helped with programs involving children.
In her interview process for gaining her title, she was asked what she would choose if she could "add a species at the fair."
Her choice − llamas.
Fuller and his classmates were scouring the fairgrounds for the answers to a three-page scavenger hunt contest.
Gardeners part of the show, too, and don't forget the Shock Drop
The displays were not being overlooked. One of the hostesses in the Garden Club wing of a fair building was Liz Strong, a member of Mohican Garden Club, who highlighted the creativity of gardeners using a '50s theme.
A husband of one of the participants made a wooden juke box, Strong said.
One of the projects she and her team made was a wreath featuring, "I like Ike." "Everything has to be fresh," she said.
Christopher Wells, a Crestview sophomore, and a friend were waiting for the rides to open.
His favorite is Zero Gravity, which on a previous day at the fair gave him "a feeling I never thought I'd have at a county fair."
The ride Shock Drop "speaks for itself," Wells said.
The best thing about the fair, he said, is "getting to hang out with old friends and new friends."
Wesner said fairgoers have reacted positively to improvements, which are made yearly, at the fair.
This year's changes included pouring concrete in the pony and horse barn and replacing the roof in the sheep barn.
Donations are being taken for a new pavilion between the sheep barn and grandstand.
He expressed his gratitude to hundreds of volunteers who make the fair possible and to Cathy Rice, office manager, and Barry Litten, who took over for fair manager Steve Englet. Englet retired last year.
"(The fair) is a wonderful thing for the whole community," Wesner said.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland Fair ends on high note with attendance numbers soaring
