County Fair ends; Jr. Fair livestock today

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The 163rd Van Wert County Fair is history, with Monday’s Labor Day the final day of activities for this year’s fair. For Junior Fair livestock exhibitors, though, today is pay day for all the hard work and responsibility they have put in during the year to raise a turkey, chicken, rabbit, goat, lamb, cow, dairy calf, or hog.

The Junior Fair Livestock Auction brings local business people and organization representatives to the Farm Focus Arena to bid on animals shown during the fair. Bidders pay out their money for grand and reserve champions, as well as all the other animals brought to the fair by young exhibitors.

A few eating places remain open today to provide sandwiches and other food items, as well as drinks, for those bidding throughout the morning and early afternoon on a procession of Junior Fair animals, but the rides, the games, and most of the non-livestock exhibits have left the fairgrounds.

The auction begins with the traditional gallon of milk auction, which provides money to dairy exhibitors whose animals are not up for sale, and proceeds through the various livestock categories. Local auctioneers volunteer their time to sell the animals, while businesses and non-profit and for-profit organizations budget money each year to bid on the livestock.

The Van Wert independent will provide a story in Wednesday’s edition on the auction’s results.

Labor Day’s activities included thoroughbred horse racing, Senior and Junior Fair swine shows, the Senior Fair Dairy Show, and the Showman of Showmen competition finals.