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 U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

'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 (United States)#Ohio, village in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,407 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Burton is the location of Century Vil ...

every

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

weekend as a "grand finale" to the summer. It has been around for 201 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 Geauga County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 5,242 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.Burton and Chardon, with at least one fair held in

Painesville Painesville is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Grand River, it is a northeast suburb of Cleveland. Its population was 20,312 at the 2020 census. Painesville is included in the Greater Clevelan ...

, Ohio prior to the separation of Lake County from

Geauga County Geauga County ( ) is a county located in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,397. The county seat and largest city is Chardon. The county is named for an Onondaga or Seneca language ...

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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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 ci ...

performed a human cannonball 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 three stations that have been built and signed on ...

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 ...

. In ''

Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co. ''Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.'', 433 U.S. 562 (1977), was an important Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Court case concerning Personality rights#United States, rights of publicity. The Court held that the First Ame ...

'', 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, ...

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 type of motorsport, usually presented at county fairs and national events. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their v ...

, Tractor and Truck Pull, 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