Welcome to the Ohio County Country Fair! Held in conjunction with Oglebayfest during the first weekend in October every year, the Ohio County Country Fair has become a cherished tradition here in the upper Ohio Valley. For the first time, this year, I had a small part in helping to set up the facilities for the fair. Since I was at the site for most of the week, I took lots of pictures. Here is a glimpse of the fair in pictures starting with the set-up and ending with the baked goods auction!
The Set-Up
My job included marking and staking out the locations for the tents. The two largest tents were the livestock tent, which measured 40 feet by 100 feet, and the main exhibit tent, which measured 40 feet by 140 feet.
On the Monday of fair week, the folks from Wheeling Tent and Canvas arrived to erect the tents. Using our stakes as guides, they started by marking out the locations of the 3-foot long steel tent stakes which they drove into the ground using a jackhammer mounted on a Bobcat.
The Fair Board also rented tables and chairs from the same company, so their last job before leaving the fairgrounds was to unload those into the tents. It doesn’t sound like much of a job until you realize that they were unloading 118 tables and 207 chairs!
The Parade
The parade marked the beginning of the Ohio County Country Fair even though the formal opening was after the parade.
The Opening Ceremony
Shortly after the parade, the Opening Ceremonies provided the official launch of the 2018 Ohio County Country Fair.
This year, the Fair Board honored three long-time board members for their dedicated service to the fair.
Activities for Children
The Ohio County Country Fair provided an opportunity for the young people who were involved with the 4-H program to present their projects to be exhibited and judged.
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Other Things to See and Do At the Fair
The large display tent also sheltered displays from a number of fair supporters in addition to a beekeeper, garden produce, home canned foods, and an array of baked goods which were auctioned off to raise money for the Ohio County Country Fair Scholarships.
(Photos by Earl Nicodemus)
Earl Nicodemus is retired after 40 years of teaching Instructional Technology at West Liberty University. He helped to form the West Liberty Historical Society, and he and his family have taken care of the historic West Liberty Cemetery since 1985. He is particularly interested in folk stories about local historical figures and often gives presentations to community groups.
Earl Nicodemus is retired after 40 years as a professor of Instructional Technology at West Liberty University. He helped to form the West Liberty Historical Society, and he and his family maintained the historic West Liberty Cemetery from 1985 to 2016. In 2016, Earl was named as a West Virginia History Hero. His other interests include gardening and fishing.