OTTAWA, OH (WLIO) - The Putnam County Fair, the first of the season for our area, is only two days away.
To kick off fair week, 4-H students, local businesses, first responders, and other community fair members joined in the annual parade. Each year, around 100 groups from all over the county march or ride down Main Street to celebrate the start of the county fair. Families always have a good time getting candy and seeing floats, and it's a good way for the fair to give back to the community that supports them.
"It's nice to bring a crowd from across the county, but also here in Ottawa, there's a lot of people that live here that don't know the fair exists, even though it's right in their hometown. So it's just a nice way to advertise the fair and what they might find when they come to the fair," said Kendra Von Lehmden, the parade grand marshal, a 4-H advisor, and a board member for the Ohio Fair Managers Association.
"All of our 4-H clubs will have some sort of float, or they'll be riding through the parade. We have our Junior Fair Board; they'll also be in the parade, our Senior Fair Board will be in the parade. There's just everybody that's part of the fair has a little piece of the parade as well," added Dale Schulte, the president of the Putnam County Agricultural Society.
The parade is also an exciting time for fair royalty to celebrate their accomplishments and get recognized by the community.
"I'm really grateful for this opportunity to be fair royalty. It's something that I applied for, and I think it's a really good opportunity to be a mentor for younger individuals and answer a lot of questions that parents and families have about Special Interests and the fair in general," said Emma Hoffman, one of the Fair Royalty representatives for Special Interests.
"One of the best parts about being out here is all the little girls. They look up to us; they see the crown and the sashes, and they want to be that person," added Jr. Fair Special Interest Royalty Elizabeth Ruhe.
The Putnam County Fair opening ceremony will be held at noon on Monday. Admission on Monday is free for veterans. You can find the full Putnam County Fair schedule here.
