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From barns to food stands, family fun is everywhere at 150th anniversary event
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008
RANDOLPH TWP.: This is a recipe for a county fair:
Take scores of cows, dozens of horses, throw in some chickens, rabbits, dogs and pigs and finish it with some hair-raising carnival rides and, of course, corn dogs.
Then listen to a teenager named Jared Long describe his experience raising chicks for the first time, and you have the Portage County Randolph Fair, which opened Tuesday and runs through Sunday.
''It's amazing,'' said Jared, whose two light-brown, single-comb leghorn chickens produced two offspring, which he had on display at the fair.
''This is my first year,'' said the young man who wants to be a paramedic. ''I loved it.''
This year is the fair's 150th anniversary and it has everything you want to find at an old-school county fair.
Throughout the week, there are demolition derby events, line dancing, country and western singers and more.
Kimmy Reynolds, 15, of Randolph Township, brought her dog out to compete. Cookie, a black shepherd and collie mix, will take part in the junior dog competition.
''She is cute,'' Kimmy said. ''She never does anything bad.''
Rebecca Taylor, 17, of Atwater Township, said she was thrilled to be at the fair all week.
She proudly showed off her two pigs that will be shown in competition and auctioned today.
''It's like a big responsibility,'' she said of raising the nearly 300-pounders.
Walking through the displays and barns at the fair, said Shirley Ryan, 42, of Marlboro Township, reminded her of the way the Portage fair was when she was a girl.
''It doesn't change much'' at the fair, said the mother of seven children, while walking through a barn with daughter Jillian, 11, and sons Adam, 7, and Lucas, 18 months.
The week of the county fair coincided with a getaway that John Lewis, 35, and his daughter, Jewell, 8, were having at the nearby Friendship Acres campground.
Lewis and his daughter have plans to go to the fair all week.
Jewell said she likes the animals.
''Goats, hogs, some cows, horses, chickens, ducks,'' she said.
Lewis said the two would take in lots of rides during the week.
''She wouldn't let me get away without doing that,'' he said.
One fairgoer who likes amusement rides in general — though he had a problem with one of them — was Joe Biltz, 8, of Brimfield Township.
After riding the Pharaoh's Fury, Joe gave this short and direct testimony of the ride.
''It goes too high and I got scared,'' he said.
For more on the fair, go to http://www.randolphfair.com or call 330-325-7476.
Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.
RANDOLPH TWP.: This is a recipe for a county fair:
Get the full article here.
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