Allen County Fair officially opens for nine days of food, fun and 4-H

LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — The 176th Allen County Fair officially opened Friday afternoon, kicking off nine days of food, fun and 4-H activities.

This year's theme, which coincides with America's 250th anniversary, is “Growing the Future of America.” During the opening, the fair inducted about a dozen supporters of the fair and 4-H into its Walk of Fame. It takes more than a year to put together one of the largest fairs in Ohio. Fair officials thanked the employees, volunteers and board members who put in the effort to get this year's fair ready.

“Yes, we pride ourselves on being one of the largest fairs in the state. But again, that just speaks to in order to accomplish a feat like that, you have to have a team behind you to pull something like that off. So, aside from the team, we're so grateful for the overwhelming community support that we see each year, people coming through the gates and making things happen,” says Troy Elwer, Allen Co. Fair Operations Manager.

The stage is ready for the first major grandstand event, with Koe Wetzel scheduled to perform Saturday night. 

For more information about events at the fair, visit the fairgrounds website or social media pages.