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. It is a suburb surrounded by Canfield Township located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 62 and 224. It is part of the Youn ...

, 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 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 contribut ...

, 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 that has been made up, at one time or another, of three or four sisters. The quartet originally consisted of Dianne (a.k.a. DeeDee; born Dianne Barbara, December 1, 1939), Peggy (born Margaret Ann ...

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 an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band 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 their f ...

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"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...

Brad Paisley Brad Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His first success came in 1997 as the writer of David Kersh's "Another You (David Kersh song), Another You". After this, he signed with ...

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Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) are an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, consisting of vocalists Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Matt Sallee, and Kevin Olusola. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements wit ...

, 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, 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. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

's top division on May 30. Jimmy Florian won the pole for the event and

Bill Rexford William James "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 Cup Series, NASCAR Grand National Series championship at only 23 years old. Rexford cur ...

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