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.
During the two-day event, the Fair Board offered memorabilia for sale, including playing cards, pots, porcelain signs, Wendell August Forge ornaments, squishy stress relief toys and logo T-shirts. There were also raffles and live auctions.
Wayne County residents from east and west and north and south came to Wooster and the fairgrounds Saturday to celebrate like it was 1849.
Well, sort of. After two years of planning, the Senior Fair Board is hosting a two-day 175th anniversary celebration at the fairgrounds. The weekend began on Saturday with a two-hour parade with 169 participants. Some had multiple pieces, so the parade was actually larger.
Celebrating 175 years of Wayne County Fair
The Wayne County Fair’s 175th anniversary kicked off with a parade, pie baking contest, chuckwagon cook-offs, dancing and old-fashioned fun.
Old and new farm equipment, floats, marching bands and horse-drawn vehicles, to name a few, made for an unforgettable event. People lined the streets an hour before the parade began. When the parade began at 10 a.m., the streets were lined with people in multiple rows along the entire parade route.
Events were held throughout the day at the fairgrounds. Chuckwagon cooking began early Saturday, with free tastings later in the day. It will be back on Sunday.
In a cake-baking competition, 40 entries were judged. Since 11 entries were submitted by teenagers, a special youth category was created. In the adult category, there were over 30 cakes. All of the cakes were fruit cakes with streusel or a crust or a lattice pattern. This kept the three judges busy on Saturday.
The entertainment tent featured music from the Cedar Valley Cloggers, The Twang Cats and the SB Music Band.
An auction of bleacher chairs and other fair memorabilia was held at the event center, and the evening concluded with a square dance show and fireworks.
What is planned for Sunday?
Here is the schedule for Sunday’s festivities at the fairgrounds:
Midday: Northern Ohio Outlaw Mounted Shooting, Horse Arena
Midday: Registration for Pedal Pull, Buss Hall
Midday: Mullet and beard competition, entertainment tent
Midday– 3 p.m.: Petting zoo and animal show at Spring Mist Farm
1pm: American Church Wagon Association serves samples
1pm: Lerch’s Donut Easting Contest, Entertainment Tent
1pm: Buckeye State Pedal Pull Tractor Contest
14 o’clock: Cinnamon Roll Baking Contest, Dining Hall
2-4pm: Jazz concert by the Shawshank Big Band, Event Center
