BATH TOWNSHIP, Allen County, Ohio (WLIO) — The Johnny Appleseed Metro Park District is honoring another Allen County staple as it celebrates a milestone anniversary.
The park district and the fair both serve Allen County residents in meaningful ways, and with aligned missions, their partnership continues to grow.
On Arbor Day, the park district annually plants a tree to recognize a person or organization. This year, they selected the Allen County Fair, which is marking its 175th anniversary. An Autumn Blaze Maple tree was planted at the Allen County Farm Park, next to the Agricultural Hall of Fame. The park district and the fair both serve Allen County residents in meaningful ways, and with aligned missions, their partnership continues to grow.
“We saw it as an opportunity to recognize an organization and a staple in Allen County. We saw the fairgrounds and the Allen County Fair as a great opportunity to do that with their 175th and just know they care for the community, they care for people, and they care for families just like the park district does. I feel like it was just meant to be," said Tyler Black, executive director of the Johnny Appleseed Metro Park District.
“We are also very grateful for the partnership that we have been able to build with Johnny Appleseed. Our mission do align, in the respect that we are wanting to give back to the community as much as possible. And also create an experience for the folks in our community. In my opinion, Johnny Appleseed has some of the best park districts in the state of Ohio and we kind of try to align our mission with that same thing, focusing that in terms of looking at fairs in the state of Ohio," said Troy Elwer, operations and promotions manager at the Allen County Fairgrounds.
Elwer added that they will be making an announcement in May about a major project to commemorate the 175th anniversary.
