The Canfield Fairgrounds refers to a 353-acre plot of land in
Canfield, Ohio
Canfield is a city in central Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,699 as of the 2020 census. A suburb about southwest of Youngstown, the city lies at the intersection of U.S. Routes 62 and 224 and is part of the Young ...
, that hosts the week-long Canfield Fair every summer. Additionally, the grounds host several events throughout the year, such as dog shows, fireworks, 5k runs, hayrides, and other community events
History
The inaugural
Mahoning County
Mahoning County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 228,614. Its county seat and largest city is Youngstown. The county is named for a Lenape word meaning "at the licks" or "there is a lick", refer ...
Fair (better known as the Canfield Fair) originated in 1846 at the Canfield Fairgrounds after the Mahoning County Agricultural Society determined that there was a need to increase agricultural awareness in the area. Elisha Whittlesey felt it was imperative to bring the issue to the Congregational Church regarding “Competitive Exhibitions as a Means of Awakening More Active Interest in All Industrial Pursuits”, therefore leading to what we know as the Canfield Fair today. It is the second largest fair in Ohio, following the
Ohio State Fair
The Ohio State Fair is one of the largest state fairs in the United States, held in Columbus, Ohio during late July through early August. As estimated in a 2011 economic impact study conducted by Saperstein & Associates; the State Fair contributes ...
, with an average attendance of 350,000 people in recent years at an average of 60,000 attendees a day. The Canfield Fair is the largest county fair in the state of Ohio.
In addition to an assortment of food, games and rides, the fair also hosts events and musical acts in its famous Grandstands venue. Concerts, monster trucks, demolition derbies and horse racing are some of the events held in the past.
Beginning with
The Lennon Sisters
The Lennon Sisters are an American vocal group made up of four sisters. The quartet originally consisted of Dianne (aka DeeDee; born Dianne Barbara, December 1, 1939), Peggy (born Margaret Anne, April 8, 1941), Kathy (born Kathleen Mary, Augu ...
kicking off the entertainment in 1956, top music acts have made their way to the Canfield Fair each and every year since 1968.
The following is a list of famous musicians and performers that have performed at the Canfield Fair:
Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...
,
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
,
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousi ...
,
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
,
The Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...
,
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
,
Brad Paisley
Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...
,
The Goo Goo Dolls
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
,
The Band Perry
The Band Perry are an American band composed of siblings Kimberly Perry (lead vocals, guitar), Reid Perry (bass guitar, background vocals), and Neil Perry (mandolin, bouzouki, background vocals). They signed to Republic Nashville in August 2009 ...
,
Pentatonix
Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements ...
, and much more.
There were no fairs in 1917–18, 1942–45 nor 2020, although in the latter year a junior fair went on.
NASCAR History
Additionally in 1950,
Canfield Speedway
Canfield Speedway is a half mile dirt oval racetrack that hosted (major) sanctioned auto racing from 1950 to 1964, but other associations ran until the late 1970s. There was also a 1/4 mile dirt racing surface that shared the front stretch with ...
, a half mile dirt oval hosted the fifth race of the 1950 season for
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
's top division on May 30. Jimmy Florian won the pole for the event and
Bill Rexford
William J. "Bill" Rexford (March 14, 1927 – April 18, 1994) was a stock car driver in the early 1950s. He is best remembered for winning the 1950 NASCAR Grand National Series championship at only 23 years old. Rexford currently holds the distin ...
won and went on to take the Championship. It is notable as Rexford's only victory that season, making him one of a few drivers to win the championship with only 1 victory.
References
Sources
*https://web.archive.org/web/20080831224648/http://www.ci.canfield.oh.us/HistoryofCanfield.html http://www.canfieldfair.com/
{{coord, 41, 0, 36, N, 80, 45, 13, W, type:landmark, display=title
Agricultural shows in the United States
Fairgrounds in Ohio
Buildings and structures in Mahoning County, Ohio
Motorsport venues in Ohio
Tourist attractions in Mahoning County, Ohio
Festivals established in 1846