Warren County Fair gets underway Monday in Lebanon
Motocross race, truck pull, rodeo among highlights of this year’s edition.
Warren County 4-H members will be showing off their animal and craft projects at the Warren County Fair this week when it kicks off on Monday in Lebanon.
The annual fair, located on Ohio 48 in Lebanon, will have a lot of new entertainment events, including a motocross race and a truck pull, as well as bringing back the rodeo for the first time in several years, according to Melanie Heitzman, office manager and fair secretary at the Warren County Agricultural Society.
There will also be over 25 food concessions, and over 50 different types of vendors selling everything from “crafts to all kinds of beef jerky,” said Heitzman. Rides, supplied by Chicketti Family Amusement, pageants, and livestock shows are all returning to the fair, as well as the beer garden and craft beer nights.
Heitzman said the fair is “the most affordable entertainment a family can do.” Tickets are $12 Monday through Wednesday and $15 Thursday through Saturday, with a weeklong pass available for $35.
“The really cool thing about that is that the rides that we have are included in that price” said Heitzman, “when [guests] pay at the gate, they don’t have to pay to do rides.”
Returning to the fair for a second year is Fight Hunger,
Stock the Trailer, a charity competition for junior fairs across the state. For the second year, junior fair board members will be collecting nonperishable food items throughout the fair and storing them in a livestock trailer. At the end of the fair, the food will be donated to a local food pantry.
The Junior Fair Board is also promoting the Animal & Me program, which is in its sixth year at the fair.
The program allows for disabled community members to meet with members from Warren County 4-H to learn about and train with livestock, to eventually present that livestock at a show.
“They get their time to shine in the ring” said Heitzman. “It’s a very successful program, and the kids just love it.”
Kara Colvin, Warren County 4-H educator, says the program helps participants and mentors learn “compassion” and “appreciation.” Participants, who range in age from 5 to 56, meet with their mentors several times over the course of the fair, and get to build relationships with them. According to Colvin, some participants have been coming back to work with the same mentors every year since the program started.
“It builds that sense of wanting to give back the things they’ve gotten to other people in the community, and helping include people who may not always get included,” said Colvin.
The Animal & Me show will be held on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
The fairgrounds are at 665 N. Broadway St. in Lebanon, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday.