LIMA, Ohio (WLIO)- The 175th Allen County Fair officially opened its gates Friday.
As part of the kickoff celebration, local and state officials were invited to speak, giving proclamations to honor the fair's legacy. Fair royalty, fair board, donors, and long-standing staff were also recognized. Operations Manager Troy Elwer says the nine-day event wouldn't be made possible without the hard work of their nearly 300 volunteers.
"I think what's so special is everybody shares the same passion. We have over 300 volunteers that make this place come to life each year. Volunteers are becoming harder and harder to come by in our daily lives, and that's just the way it is. What makes this place special is volunteers always step up. Whenever there's a need, somebody's there to pick somebody else up. That's what makes our fair operate each and every year, and I think that's what makes us stand alone across the rest of the state."
If you get the chance to visit the fair this year, officials say take some time to check out the special 175th anniversary attractions.
"We have a museum under the grandstand that we're calling the 'Mooseum,' we have the special birthday cake right behind me, we have a huge mini-fair diorama that's down in the Youth Activities building, there's selfie spots throughout the fairgrounds, there's historic pictures throughout the fairgrounds that you might see yourself in, we even have a live painter painting scenes that you might be featured in, that are gonna be auctioned off next Saturday to commemorate all the special things happening this year," said Chad Hughes, fair historian.
The fair is open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. through Saturday, Aug. 23.
