The Great Geauga County Fair entrance sign in May 2015

The Great Geauga County Fair grandstands in May 2015

The Great Geauga County Fair is

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

's oldest continuous county fair and home to one of the oldest existing agricultural societies in America. It is held annually in

Burton, Ohio Burton is a village in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,452 at the 2010 census. Burton is the location of Century Village, run by the Geauga Historical Society. The museum village is composed of 19th-century buildings mov ...

every

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend as a "grand finale" to the summer. It has been around for almost 190 years, and each year nearly a quarter of a million people of all ages come to enjoy the more than 12,000 exhibits, animals, rides, food, music, entertainment and special attractions which are featured, as billed in the Fair's motto "''Something for Everyone Since 1823''".

History

The Geauga County Agricultural and Manufacturing Society was formed in February 1823 to "promote Agriculture & Domestic Manufactures" and held the first annual fair on the square in

Chardon, Ohio Chardon is a city in and the county seat of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,242 at the 2020 census.Burton and Chardon, with at least one fair held in

Painesville Painesville is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Ohio, Lake County, Ohio, United States, located along the Grand River (Ohio), Grand River northeast of Cleveland. Its population was 19,563 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 cens ...

, Ohio prior to the separation of Lake County from

Geauga County Geauga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,397. The county seat is Chardon. The county is named for an Onondaga or Seneca language word meaning 'raccoon', originally the name of the ...

in 1840. It has been held exclusively in Burton since the permanent establishment of the official county fairgrounds in the mid-1800s. Many of the buildings on the grounds used today date back to the nineteenth century, such as: *Domestic Arts Hall (built 1856, rebuilt 1889), a

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

property since 1979 *Flower Hall (built 1890), a

property since 1979 *Small Grandstand replica (original circa 1892, rebuilt 1997) *Section of the C & E Interurban railway station, now the Fair Administration building

Hugo Zacchini Hugo Zacchini (20 October 1898 – 20 October 1975), one of the Zacchini Brothers, was the first human cannonball to use a compressed-air cannon. His father Ildebrando Zacchini invented the compressed-air cannon used to propel humans in cir ...

performed a

human cannonball The human cannonball act is a performance in which a person who acts as the "cannonball" is ejected from a specially designed cannon. The human cannonball lands on a horizontal net or inflated bag placed at the landing point, as predicted by phys ...

act at the fair in 1972.

WEWS-TV WEWS-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC. It has been owned by the E. W. Scripps Company since its inception in 1946, making it one of two stations that have been built and signed on by Sc ...

recorded and aired the entire act against his wishes and without compensating him, as was required by

Ohio law The law of Ohio consists of several levels, including constitutional, statutory, and regulatory, local and common law. The ''Ohio Revised Code'' forms the general statutory law. Sources The Constitution of Ohio is the foremost source of state l ...

. In '' Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.'', the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment did not shield the broadcaster from liability from

common law copyright Common law copyright is the legal doctrine that grants copyright protection based on common law of various jurisdictions, rather than through protection of statutory law. In part, it is based on the contention that copyright is a natural right an ...

claims. The fair went on hiatus in 1917-18, 1942-44 and 2020.

Events

There are over 300 vendors and concessionaries providing delicious fair food and amazing products and services. Enjoy live music, shows and demonstrations daily. In 2017, there will be magic shows, pig races and The Flying Pages Aerial Thrill Show - over 65 events. Main Grandstand Events include:

Demolition derby Demolition derby is a non-racing motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehic ...

Tractor and Truck Pull A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...

, Broken Horn Rodeo, Horse Pulling, Harness Racing and the Band-O-Rama where local bands and cheerleaders perform. View the Daily Schedule a

Demolition derby is a motor sport that is held at most fairs around the world. The races include up to five drivers that dodge their vehicles into one another and the last vehicle that is left is declared the winner. Truck and Tractor Pull consists of street licensed 4x4 trucks weighing up to 8,000 pounds pulling item that are up to 10,000 or more pound

Attendees must purchase tickets to see the Demolition Derby, Truck Pull and Rodeo - available online a

Foundation Board

The Foundation Board includes: * Paul E. Harris, Chairman * Doug Logan, Vice Chair * Dianne Kellogg, Secretary/Treasurer * Robert L. Phillips * Keith E. Chapman * Beverly D. McClelland * James F. Patterson * John Rowland * Robin L. Stanley * Sam Plants * Vicki Koller

Fair officers and officials

Each year there is an election held for new fair officers. There is also a board of twenty-one elected fair directors. Each fair director is elected from different townships with each holding a term for up to three years. The elected fair officials for the year of 2014 are as follows; * President - Sam Plants * Vice President - David Parker * Secretary - Paul Harris * Treasurer - Cheri Measures

References

*www.cleveland.about.com *Board of Agriculture of the State of Ohio *Ohio's Fairs: Counties Contests for the Biggest and Best

External links

Great Geauga County FairBurton VillageGeauga County Government's websiteGeauga County Tourism
{{coord, 41.477171, -81.140461, display=title, format=dms Fairs in the United States Fairgrounds in Ohio Tourist attractions in Geauga County, Ohio