Parade for the 175th anniversary of the Wayne County Fair attracts large crowds to Wooster
Wayne County came together Saturday to celebrate the fair’s 175th anniversary, kicking off the celebration with a parade.
Continuing the rich tradition of the 175th Wayne County Fair, the Ohio State University Extension Family and Consumer Sciences program will once again present a series of demonstrations and lectures in the Grange Rotunda from September 9-12.
Monday’s program is geared toward youth and their families and coincides with Children’s Day. The first Children’s Day at the fair was held in 1915 and continues this year with all kinds of interesting presentations in the Grange Rotunda. Our speakers bring bugs, creatures, animal artifacts, a snake and snacks and even a robot.
For the rest of the week, visitors can learn about tea, pottery, wool spinning, quilting, gardening, historic barns, antique tools and consumer protection.
Here is the lineup:
Monday, September 9
- 10:30 am – Insect adventure with the United Titanium Bug Zoo from the Wooster Campus of Ohio State University. Zoo staff will bring some of Ohio’s native insects from the zoo and it will be a hands-on learning experience!
- 11:30 am – Special Creatures: Serena Solis of the Wilderness Center of Wilmot will bring the center’s ambassador animals – Zea, a red corn snake, and Gus, a Carolina box turtle – for visitors to meet.
- 12:30 p.m. – Prepare a healthy plate with Rita: Rita Abboud, registered dietitian at Wooster Community Hospital, will lead an interactive session with children to learn how to put together a healthy plate. This is a great way for parents to get ideas for healthy meals and snacks for back to school. Participants can win healthy snacks!
- 2:00 p.m. – “Skins and Skulls” Mammals of Ohio Wildlife Program: John Lorson, program manager for the Soil and Water Conservation District, will lead a program on Ohio’s wild mammals, complete with skulls, pelts, and even some surprising animal artifacts. Pre-pioneer Ohio was full of creatures of all kinds, and while some species were lost over time, some were successfully reintroduced and some have even made it back to the Buckeye State on their own. Come see, touch, and learn about your wild neighbors in Ohio! (Suitable for all ages.)
- 3:00 p.m. – The Triway High School Robotics Team talk about what it takes to build a robot, how robots are used, and what they have learned from their experiences with robotics.
- 4:00 p.m. – Easy-care and attractive houseplants: OSU Master Horticulturist Mark Wiest will talk about five houseplants that are easy to grow and care for, and viewers can take home seedlings.
Tuesday, September 10
- 10:30 a.m. – Fighting the annoying weeds: Paul Snyder, operations manager and master gardener coordinator at Secrest Arboretum, talks about common lawn and landscape weeds, their life cycles and how to control them.
- 11:30 a.m. – Understanding consumer protection and utility energy assistance programs: Tonja Stewart Shaw, senior outreach and education specialist for the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, will provide an overview of consumer protections and energy assistance programs, focusing on how they help consumers manage their utility costs and secure their access to essential services. She will discuss different types of consumer protections available, including protection from utility shutoffs, payment plan options, and the right to fair treatment from utilities. She will also cover energy assistance programs to assist low-income households, including eligibility criteria, application processes, and the range of benefits available.
- 12:30 p.m. – How to keep your muscles fit and healthy: Wellness Center Director Dianna Stair, a registered nurse and licensed massage therapist, will provide an overview of the muscles of the body and the importance of moving them. She will demonstrate techniques to help relieve muscle tension using a simple tennis ball and pool noodle.
- 2pm – Camellia Sinensis: 6 Teas, One Plant by Sonia Mullens, owner of New World Spice and Tea Traders in Wooster. It’s not the different plants that give us tea varieties, but the process. Sonia will explain how we get white, green, yellow, oolong, black and dark tea from a single plant – Camellia Sinensis.
- 3:00 p.m. – Pottery demonstration: Adam McVicker, ceramics coordinator at the Wayne Center for the Arts, will be at his pottery wheel shaping clay.
Wednesday, September 11
- 10:30 am – Bonsai Basics: Dr. Ken and Cynthia Blanchard provide a brief overview of the history of bonsai, the materials commonly used, the techniques used to create it, and the care and maintenance of bonsai. They show how a nursery tree can be modified to create a bonsai.
- 11:30 am – When rain hits the ground: Demonstration of a rain simulator: The Wayne Soil & Water Conservation District will host a demonstration of its new Rain Simulator – a device designed to shed light on the complex relationships between soil health, land cover, stormwater runoff and groundwater recharge. The simulator, a joint project with Medina SWCD, will be seen for the first time in Wayne County and will include actual soil samples from croplands, pastures and even residential lawns, allowing attendees to observe firsthand how land use affects our water resources. Staff welcomes questions about this interactive presentation.
- 12:30 pm – Historic Barns: Wayne County is home to many family farms that have been owned by the same family for generations. Learn about the various barn styles in our area, as well as the Historic Family Farm program, which honors farms that have been continuously owned by the same family for generations. The speaker is Barbara Lang of Wayne County, who serves as a member of the Northeast Ohio Farmers Advisory Council for the Ohio Department of Farmland Preservation. She is also a board member of Friends of Ohio Barns and the American Dairy Association Mideast.
- 2:00 p.m. – Tree City Quilt Guild: View beautiful quilts and learn about different quilting techniques from the Tree City Quilt Guild.
- 3:00 p.m. – Wool and flax spinning: Sue and Rick Rindchen demonstrate the spinning of wool and flax and talk about the importance of these fibers in agriculture and manufacturing.
Thursday, September 12
- 10:30 a.m. – Hydrangea care: Paul Snyder of the Secrest Arboretum will again be speaking about hydrangeas. Panicle hydrangeas are everywhere, and with so many to choose from, it’s hard to know which ones to plant. Paul will talk about the plants that do best, tested in the Secrest Arboretum Hydrangea Trial, and provide instructions on growing and caring for hydrangeas.
- 11:30 a.m. – A new focus for your lawn: Master Gardener Gary Horrisberger discusses the latest research on how to customize a management plan for your lawn, including strategies for reducing stormwater runoff and directing it for a healthier lawn.
- 12:20 pm – Tool time with the Ag Museum: Paul Locher, director and curator of the Buckeye Agricultural Museum and Education Center and historical columnist for Farm and Dairy magazine, will speak about the museum’s ongoing development. He will also give an audience-participation presentation on some of the tools used on the area’s pioneer farms. Come have fun guessing the purpose of these unusual and historic tools from Paul’s personal collection.
- 2:00 p.m. – Using AI to overcome obstacles in family history research: Deborah Kitko, genealogy librarian at the Wayne County Public Library for over 35 years, will talk about artificial intelligence and other tools family historians can use to overcome obstacles in their research. In February of this year, FamilySearch launched a new experimental website that uses AI to search any name in U.S. land records and U.S. probate court records. Deborah is president of the Wayne County Genealogical Society and a trustee of the Wayne County Historical Society and the Ohio Genealogical Society.
- 3:00 p.m. – Killbuck Watershed Land Trust: What does it do? Tate Emerson, executive director of the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust, will share information and answer questions about this nonprofit and local farmland conservation trust.
Speaking of history, the Grange Rotunda was built in 1912 and has 16 sides, one for each township grange. We hope to see you at the show.
Laurie Sidle is a Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H Program Assistant at Ohio State University Extension and can be reached at 330-264-8722 or [email protected].
