Tuscarawas County Fair to celebrate 175th year

The 175th anniversary of the Tuscarawas County Fair will celebrate with a week of special activities Sept. 15-21. The return of the fair concert will rock the grandstand Saturday night with country artists Maddie and Tae.

The 2022 CMT Group/Duo Video of the Year award winners recently released their fourth album titled “Love & Light.” Some of their most popular songs are “Girl in a Country Song,” “Die from a Broken Heart” and “Friends Don’t.”

Bringing back the concert was a board decision.

“This is the 175th fair and the concert had been talked about for the past two years,” said Josh Rennicker, who is serving as the acting Tuscarawas County Agricultural Society president following the death of Reb Billman earlier this year.

Tickets to the event are on sale now online or in person at the Kent State University Performing Arts Center. Contact the PAC for details at 330-308-6400. Track seats are $60, premium reserved with backs are $40 and standard general admission seats without backs are $30.

A link to purchase tickets to all events is available at tusccountyfairgrounds.com.

Board member Wendy Vogel spearheaded the creation of a 175th anniversary coloring book.

“I got the different committees to each sponsor their page,” Vogel said. “We've ordered these to pass out to kids when they come on their school tours, truck or treat, and different events that we have.”

Official 175th anniversary T-shirts will also be for sale celebrating the milestone.

The fair likes to provide a variety of activities.

“We brought in some other entertainment this year, trying to change things up a little bit,” Rennicker said.

On Wed. Sept. 17, Pro Wrestling will entertain at the grandstand as Championship Pro Wrestling of Hagerstown, Maryland will bring a variety of legends, heroes and villains to Tuscarawas County. Scheduled to appear are Gallows & Anderson – The Good Brothers, “Half Pint Punk” Eric Smalls, Ricky & Kerry Morton, Carson Drake, Kongo Kong, and James Ellsworth. Grandstand seating is $12; track seats are $20.

There will be a special meet and greet that will include Dan “The Beast” Severn, Brooklyn Brawler and Dr. Harvey Wippleman. There will also be many other pro wrestlers from the Ohio and Pennsylvania area.

Other activities requiring admission include Motocross Monday night, OSTPA Truck and Tractor Pulls Friday, and the ever-popular Demolition Derby Sunday evening.

Two popular free grandstand activities will be presented again this year. The Band-O-Rama, featuring area high school bands, will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16. Truck & Treat will take over the grandstand from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18. Local trucks and other equipment will be available to see, and treats will be distributed by the owners.

In addition to the many Junior Fair activities held during the week, fair activities will kick off early Sunday Sept. 14 with the King and Queen contest, commemorative items auction, Quilts of Valor presentation, and other awards. The activities begin at 6:30 p.m.

One thing will be missing at the fair – the large trees that have shaded the fairgrounds for many decades.

"They were starting to fall down and cause a lot of property damage. We were worried about safety, somebody getting hurt. We didn't want that,” Rennicker said.

The board had the trees inspected and made the choice to take them down. New trees will be replanted but maybe not in the same exact locations.

“We do have a nursery that has offered to donate and replant the new trees free of charge,” Rennicker said. “They’re already more than 20 feet tall, and the nursery will likely bring them sometime in October or November.”

Improvements made at the fairgrounds include new water and electricity at the campgrounds located on the east side of the fairgrounds. The Tuscarawas County Commissioners helped with funding.

“That was a pretty big task to take on, but we got it taken care of,” Rennicker said.

Other projects included new hog pens in the lower hog barn, and the 4-H members did renovations to the women's restroom near the dairy barn.

“So that's all new in there, everybody should appreciate that,” Rennicker said.

Through another project with the commissioners, a new roof is being put on the commercial building near the fair board offices.

In addition to Rennicker and Vogel, board members include Dave Miller, John Hochstetler, Tyrone Brannon, Wendy Shumaker, Dan Widder, Todd Kendle, Cory Downing, Matthew Hursey, Sue Kimble and Becky Amistadi.

For information, ticket prices, rides and schedules visit tusccountyfairgrounds.com.