VW County Fair opens; special days set

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Ribbons were cut, calves, pigs and sheep were, um, scrambled and baked goods, vegetables and potted plants were judged on the first day of the 159th edition of the Van Wert County Fair on Wednesday.

Kids had fun during trying to corral a calf during the Calf Scramble held Wednesday evening in front of the grandstand, while the school exhibit also opened on the fairgrounds on Wednesday.

Today is a special day at the fair for kids, veterans and senior citizens. Senior citizens 60 and older and veterans and their spouses get in free today at the fair, while everyone else has to pay just $3.

There will be free doughnuts provided for veterans and seniors in the music pavilion, while the Van Wert County Veterans Service Office will be open in the pavilion from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

A Veterans Day Parade will be held at 10:45 a.m., while a special veterans program will get underway at 11 a.m. in the Music Pavilion.

Kids Dream Day will also be held in front of the grandstand from 2:30-5 p.m. today.

A variety of FFA projects will be judged today, while the Junior Fair Sheep Show will be held in the Sheep Arena and Horse Contesting will be held in the Junior Fair Horse Arena, both starting at 7 this evening.

Fair entertainment will include the Kenny Wayne/Dave Joseph Band at 7 p.m. today in the music pavilion, while the Tribute Quartet will perform at 5 p.m., also in the music pavilion, while the midway opens at 3 p.m.

On Friday, several Senior Fair events will be held, including the Senior Fair Horse Show at 9 a.m. Friday in the Senior Horse Arena and the Senior Fair Stock Horse Show in the same place at noon Friday.

Junior Fair events include the Junior Fair Dairy Show in the Farm Focus Arena at 9 a.m., the Junior Fair Pleasure Horse Show in the Junior Fair Horse Arena at noon and the Junior Fair Rabbit Show at 4 p.m. in the Rabbit Barn. Junior Fair 4-H presentations will also be held at 4 Friday afternoon in the music pavilion.

Entertainment on Friday will include Mark Bishop at 6 p.m. and Karen Peck & New River at 7 Friday evening, both in the music pavilion, as well as the COPTA Truck & Tractor Pull-Mini Rods event in front of the grandstand at 7 p.m. Friday.