Allen County Fair celebrates opening day of 174th season

LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The Allen County Fair officially opened to the public on Friday afternoon. 

The 4-H projects are moved in, and the fairgrounds are ready for 9 days of food, entertainment, and showmanship. At the opening ceremony, Nutrien and several individuals were inducted into the fairgrounds' Walk of Honor to thank them for decades of service and financial support.

There's plenty of free entertainment to choose from this year, including a show featuring birds of prey, remote control aircraft demonstrations by the Lima Area Radio Kontrol Society, and magic shows. Fair officials are especially excited about a new exhibit that educates people on the heroics of first responders. 

"On the north end of the property, we're bringing in a group called Tunnel to Towers. It's a 9/11 memorial museum, and that's completely free to the public to enjoy. That one took two years to bring in; we had to book two years in advance because it's in such high demand," explained fair manager Troy Elwer. 

The Junior Fair is also looking forward to showing off their months of hard work to the public.

"The quality of kids we have right here in Lima/Allen County is, bar none, in my opinion, one of the best in the state of Ohio. Our numbers are up this year in mostly all of the departments, which is a great thing because that's what our mission is here at the fairgrounds. It's promoting youth and promoting agriculture," Elwer added. 

The band Brothers Osborne performs Saturday night at 8 p.m. Tickets are still available on the fair's website or at the administration building.