County fairs invest in the future

By Brianna Smith

Across Ohio, county fairs are making major investments to ensure their facilities not only serve youth exhibitors and fairgoers but also benefit the community year-round. Driven by local vision, community support, and strategic public-private partnerships, counties such as Lorain, Henry, and Gallia are undertaking multi-million-dollar capital improvement projects, ranging from new livestock barns to event centers with modern amenities.

The Lorain County Senior Fair Board identified a need for a new barn to house livestock projects during the fair, as well as a need to find alternative ways to generate revenue.

“It has become evident that a fair cannot survive on seven days alone,” said Patrick Twinning, Lorain County senior fair board member and part of the building committee. “You can’t have a fair one week a year and cover the rest of the year. We’ve had Fair Hall, but it only holds a maximum of 250 people and is not air-conditioned, so it is good for winter events but not for summer events. We needed something more.”

After visiting other county fairs, the Lorain County Senior Fair Board kicked off its fundraising campaign in 2019. The project gained traction thanks to a $4 million donation from Ross Environmental, which earned naming rights for the new expo center and adjacent horse arena. Additional support came from county commissioners, the Ohio capital budget, and a widespread community fundraising effort.

“The community stood by the project so much,” said Judy Key, Lorain County Fair facilities manager. “They not only gave monetary donations, but also a lot of in-kind donations. We hired a fundraising firm, and they were shocked by the number of people in our community who were willing to donate to support the new building. It has been really neat to see.”

The Lorain County Fair began construction last fall, and the new Ross Expo Center and Maureen M. Cromley Horse Arena will be ready for use at the 2025 fair. The building is 67,000 square feet and features 600 galvanized livestock pens, a warming kitchen, multiple restrooms, two 15 x 22 ft. video walls, two ticket offices, a large conference room, and an air handling system to maintain a comfortable temperature in the barn. The new horse arena is under roof and will have 240 box stalls available. 

The Ross Expo Center’s amenities are already a draw for conventions and more.

“When they built the building, we thought about how versatile we could make it,” Key said.  “We already have interest from car shows, Civil War shows, a fishing show, model train shows, and even a national cat show. We hope to bring a lot more events to the community and make this a very positive space.”

With this upgraded infrastructure, the Lorain County Fairgrounds is positioned to thrive for decades. As Twinning put it: “I plan on being here another 40 or 50 years. I want to make sure this place still is, too.”

Similarly, in Henry County, a group of young livestock families recognized a need for a new facility.

“It was a grassroots initiative,” said Sarah Shepard, the event center manager at the Henry County Fairgrounds. “We were all raising kids in 4-H and saw the need for something better. We thought, what if we could rally the community to build a facility that supports agriculture, the fairgrounds, and the broader county year-round?”

The conversation sparked the formation of the Henry County Ag Improvement Association, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing agriculture and fairgrounds facilities. Their first mission was to replace outdated livestock barns with a state-of-the-art, multi-use facility. The group raised nearly $2 million in private donations and pledges. Additional funding came from the 2022 state capital budget, the Strategic Community Investment Fund, and support from county commissioners.

Construction began in August 2024. The result is a 43,750-square-foot building with 30-foot ceilings, over 100 ceiling-mounted electrical drops, and a ventilation system designed for year-round usability.

The front section of the building features a lobby, registration windows, a conference room, a concession area, and restrooms, making it ideal for both livestock shows and trade events. The entire concrete floor was poured with sealants to facilitate easy cleanup and odor control, enabling a seamless transition from livestock to weddings, banquets, or corporate events.

“You have to drive 45 minutes to Toledo to find a facility this size,” Shepard said. “Now, we can bring in corporate meetings, trade shows, and weddings right here in Henry County. It’s an exciting step forward.”

This year’s fair marks the first use of the new building, which will house all large livestock, such as beef and dairy cattle, goats, sheep, and hogs, in a centralized area adjacent to the horse and small animal barns.

“I love that all our livestock are now in one central campus,” Shepard said. “It makes it easier for families with multiple projects, and it means the community can see every exhibit more easily. I think the horse and poultry barns will get more exposure than ever before.”

“I’m excited for the public to see the difference,” said Shepard. “We paid special attention to every detail, from the bleachers to the power access, to make sure it works for our families and our community.”

While Henry and Lorain counties focused on creating modern, multi-use spaces to support year-round programming, Gallia County’s improvements were born from a different need: safety.

In 2020, at around two in the morning, a flash flood covered the entire grounds of the Gallia County Fair. That same day, exhibitors were scheduled to bring their livestock to the grounds.

“Had that flash flood happened just 24 hours later, when kids and animals would have been there, it is hard to tell what the disaster may have been,” said Fred Deel, Gallia County Senior Fair Board member and retired extension educator. “We have been trying to get something done for more than 25 years, but this flood  really brought the community’s attention to the fact that something had to be done.”

The Gallia County fairgrounds were donated by Bob Evans and his father, Stanley Evans, in 1956. The area was prone to spring flooding, but once the rural area became more developed, the flash floods became more frequent. After years of devastating flash floods, leaders recognized the need for a permanent solution, which meant relocating the fairgrounds entirely.

The infrastructure relocation project kicked off with a $300,000 grant. The plan was to relocate the buildings to the other side of the fairgrounds, where it is higher and out of the floodplain.

“We were able to get the water and sewer lines laid, then we started talking with the county commissioners. We were able to receive a $1.2 million grant from them for the building. Our goal was to have one large livestock building to house all our livestock and have the show ring in it, and then a year-round facility that would be heated and air conditioned to put our still projects in and the commercial aspect of the fair,” Deel said.

Multiple political leaders, including Representative Stevens, helped the fairgrounds secure grant funding, which they used to launch their local fundraising efforts. The board raised about $300,000 locally to fund the project.

The new livestock building, measuring 160 ft by 450 ft, is nearing completion. The Gallia County Senior Fair Board is now working to finalize the design for their second building.

“If everything happens on our timetable, we will have all youth aspects of our fair back at the new site next year, in 2026,” Deel said. “We will still need to raise money to get the midway and stage moved, but when we have these two buildings complete, we will have all our youth stuff in the new location.”

The fair relocation and new buildings are eagerly anticipated.

“These projects don’t happen overnight,” Deel said. “You know, it takes lots of money and lots of time and effort to get it done. We have a lot of great volunteers, a lot of tremendous board members, and our extension staff are very positive about it. We are investing in our future and our kids.”

From new livestock barns to multipurpose event centers, these fairgrounds are being reimagined not only as places to showcase animals once a year but also as hubs of education, opportunity, and community pride.

This year, the Gallia County Fair takes place from July 28 to August 2, the Henry County Fair from August 7 to 14, and the Lorain County Fair from August 17 to 24.