The Fairfield County Agricultural Society (FCAS) is searching for a full-time Fair and Concessions Manager.  Known as the “last and best fair” in the state of Ohio, the 67-acre grounds are loved and frequented by residents, businesses, and organizations throughout the year.

The successful candidate will care about balancing history and progressive business practices, thrive on managing multiple priorities, be committed to education, enjoy communicating and partnering with staff, volunteers, and community leaders to maximize results, and be comfortable integrating technology.  If this sounds like you, check out the full job description and send us your resume.

https://www.fairfieldcountyfair.org/employment

To apply, forward your resume by March 16, 2023, to:

Cheryl Ricketts, FCAS HR Committee Chair

cricketts@competitiveedgehr.com

8850 Chateau Drive

Pickerington, OH  43147

The time for Fairfield County’s market beef tagging and weigh-in is upon us. Based on the success of the tagging and weigh-in process that has been utilized in recent years, this year will be conducted in a similar fashion with only a few modifications.

In advance of weigh-in youth will be required to tag their own market beef animals with an 840 EID tag (unless they already have an EID tag). Visual numbered tags will not be provided or required this year. However, as in the recent past, participants will submit a hair follicle DNA sample at the weigh-in which will begin at 8:30 a.m. on March 11, 2023 at the Fairfield Cattle Company 3443 Cincinnati Zanesville Rd.SW, Lancaster, OH.

Families with market beef projects will also be required to reserve weigh-in time, and only those directly involved in transporting and weighing-in calves should plan to attend.  Youth/families planning to weigh/tag-in market steers and market heifers for the 2023 Fair must submit a request for EID tags on-line by completing the survey located at  https://go.osu.edu/beeftag23 by March 6, 2022. Complete only one request survey per family.

When requesting tags on-line participants will be asked for the first date they would like to pick up their tags and the necessary tagger at the OSU Extension office in the Ag Center at 831 College Avenue. Please order tags at least one working day prior to the preferred date to pick them up. OSU Extension staff will then make contact to confirm an appointment for pick up when the tags and taggers are ready and available. Please be reminded the OSU Extension office is typically open M-F from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.  PLEASE NOTE:  The Extension office is the new site for picking up tags and taggers.

Tag applicators may be borrowed from the OSU Extension Office at the time tags are picked up and must be returned the next day unless an alternate time is agreed upon with the Extension staff at the time the taggers are borrowed. Exhibitors needing assistance in tagging should contact their 4-H/FFA advisor or the Jr Beef Superintendents.

For more information on this tagging and weighing process for your 2023 Fairfield County Fair market beef animals, contact Junior Fair Director Doug Shell at lshell171@gmail.com or Jr Beef Superintendents Desirae Logsdon (dlogsdon16@gmail.com) or Matt Henwood (osu4x4@yahoo.com

If you want more details, please  click on the link below to listen into our 88.9FM Saturday Morning Farm Page Interview with Junior fair Director, Doug Shell.

230215_001

As many of you have noticed, security gates were recently installed at the Broad Street Gate entrance of the Fairgrounds.    These gates were installed to keep unwanted traffic inside the Fairgrounds after dark.  Our groundskeeper had been seeing an increase in vandalism at the Fairgrounds during the overnight hours.   The primary reason the gates were installed was to discourage unwelcomed visitors to the Fairgrounds at night and put a stop to some of the needless vandalism that has been occurring.  Please note the Broad Street gates will close at dusk and open at dawn daily, much like many local public parks.   The Fairfield County Senior Fairboard certainly welcomes and encourages individuals to use the historic grounds for walking, running and dog walking during daylight hours.

Due to the inability to find the manpower to assemble and hang the lighting displays for the Festival of Lights Display at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds the event has been cancelled for 2022.  In addition, the supplier of the Christmas Tree Sales at the Fairgrounds has retired  therefore, there will be no Christmas Trees offered for sale on the Fairgrounds in 2022.  Please note these activities are  not conducted by the Fairfield Agriculture Society.  The Fairgrounds are rented  to a vendor who owns the light display and the outside vendor is responsible for the set-up and personnel to run the light display from  Thanksgiving thru Christmas.  In the past few years, this same vendor has also rented the area near the log cabin for Christmas tree sales.  In 2022 the tree supplier that has been utilized for providing trees the past several years has retired from the Christmas Tree growing and marketing business.    We apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience.

Fairfield County Fair Junior Leaders completed the weight of their Food Donations on 10/17/2022 on the official Fairfield County Fair scales.   We collected 6,276 lbs of canned food and bottled water.  We had tremendous support from the community for this project including the Fairfield County Commissioners, the Fairfield County Antique Tractor Club, and the Fairfield County Cattlemen’s Association, just to name a few. Plus, numerous 4-H Clubs and FFA Chapters donated in the Fairfield County Fair Challenge. The Fairfield County Senior Fairboard voted to give back the $500 participation fee in $100 increments to those clubs donating the most food, hoping to assist with end of the year recognitions. Items were donated to 7 different pantries across Fairfield County including: Foundation Dinners, Lancaster Vineyard Church Food Pantry, St. Vincent DePaul, Saint Mark Emerald Food Pantry, Maywood Community Outreach, Lancaster Fairfield Community Action, and the Salvation Army.

Congratulations to Our Top 5 Winning Groups:

Champions 4-H Club

Junior Leaders assembling the canned food for 7 local food pantries

Rough Riders 4-H Club

Clearcreek Showman 4-H Club

Lithopolis Livestock 4-H Club

AC Extreme 4-Hers 4-H Club

Thank you to all these groups and fairgoers who donated to the canned food drive.

“Scarecrows on the Fairgrounds” 

Helga…the Poultry Barn Scarecrow!!

In cooperation with the Fairfield County Senior Fairboard, Visit Fairfield County and the Fairfield County Master Gardeners scarecrows were created to welcome visitors to the Fairfield County Fairgrounds in 2022.  4-H clubs were challenged to create scarecrows representing their club or highlight some of their 4-H projects.  Sixteen total scarecrows were displayed from local FFA Chapters and 4-H clubs.  The Qualtrics survey created for voting captured nearly 80 emails plus gave us the knowledge that our County fair visitors/respondents voting were from 5 Ohio Counties with one respondent as far away as Plymouth County, Iowa.

The people’s choice winner of the 2022 “First-Ever” Fairfield County Fair Scarecrow Contest was“ Helga..The Poultry Barn Scarecrow”

Be sure to listen in to the 88.9 FM Saturday Morning Farm Page Interview with the newly crowned 2022 Fairfield County Fair Queen, Alison Sponseller!!

Alison Sponseller, 2022 Fairfield County Fair Queen

Alison Sponseller, 2022 Fairfield County fair Queen

221020_001

Did you know there are many areas of Open class contests in the Art Hall open to all Fairfield County residents at the Fairfield County Fair?  For example, you could enter the Farm Products division in the Vegetables, Roots and Etc division.  Entries in that area could include plate of 3 of 10 named varieties of potatoes or 3 of your heaviest potatoes grown in your garden.  Do you grow peppers? We have classes for 8 different varieties of peppers too!!  We even have lots of classes for pumpkins, squash and so much more including contests for the heaviest Bird Egg, heaviest sweet potato, heaviest beet, carrot, cucumber, onion, tomato, turnip, and watermelon plus your 3 heaviest peppers.  And don’t forget these is even entire division  for Bees-Honey-Beeswax, plus a contest “Baking with Honey”  on Thursday, October 14.     Entries need to be delivered on Saturday, October 8 or Sunday, October 9.  For all the details check out the Fairfield County Fair page at   https://www.fairfieldcountyfair.org or stop by the Fair Office at 157 Fair Avenue to pick up a current Fairfield County Fair book.  Entries close on September 22.

How about an entry in the Fine Arts Department?  Are you aware you can enter your favorite amateur photos?  You can choose from portraits, landscape, flowers, human interest, insect, religious, Fair or Fairground, domesticated or wild animals and many more .  There are even divisions for those who are 17 years old and younger and those 18 yrs old and above.  Do you like to paint?  The Fine Arts department has entry categories in the Acrylic, Watercolor, Mixed Media and so much more for artists of all ages.  The Fine Arts Department will accept entries from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 8, 2022.  Entries close on September 22, 2022 and must be made online, in person or by mail.

Are you a baker or a candy maker?  Consider entering any one of the Food For the Home Categories which includes candies, quick breads, yeast breads, cakes, cookies and pies.  There is even a youth division!!  Be sure to check out all of the categories at  https://www.fairfieldcountyfair.org or stop by the Fair office and pick up your copy of the 2022 Fair Book.

All of these contests take place in the Art Hall.  You must purchase a $25.00 Exhibitor Ticket to enter or you can purchase a Fairfield County Ag Society Membership  which is open to all residents of Fairfield County over the age of 19 and entitles you the opportunity to vote on November 5, 2022 at the annual election of FCAS Directors.  For details or more information please call the Fairfield County Fair office at 740-653-3041 from 8:30 am until 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday.

Fairfield County Junior Fair Skillathon Superintendent, Sarah Martin is looking for a few good volunteers!!!  It takes 75 volunteers per day to assist with the Skillathon events.  If you would like to donate your time and give back to tomorrow’s leaders, email  Sarah at semartin216@hotmail.com.  For more details take a listen into this 88.9FM Saturday Morning Farm Page interview with Sarah and 4-H Educator Leslie Cooksey!!  Your assistance would be greatly appreciated!!

  220901_002