- Isabella Lang positions her goat during the livestock sale at the 2019 Washington County Fair. The first day of the 2024 Washington County Fair is Saturday. (File Photo)
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- Andy Smith participates in a cake eating contest during the 2023 Washington County Fair. The 2024 fair starts Saturday. (File Photo)
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- Isabell Russell, left, and Charlotte Russell, right, enjoy one of the rides at the 2017 Washington County Fair. The first day of the 2024 fair is Saturday and rides are included with the general admission ticket. (File Photo)
Andy Smith participates in a cake eating contest during the 2023 Washington County Fair. The 2024 fair starts Saturday. (File Photo)
MARIETTA — The Washington County Fair starts this weekend and offers the opportunity for people to have fun in a variety of ways.
“It starts on Saturday,” Washington County Fair Board President Ron Offenberger said, adding it runs until Tuesday at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Marietta.
The fair will feature tractor pulls of all kinds, a demolition derby, KOI drag racing and a livestock sale, according to Offenberger.
The livestock is starting at a different time because the number of animals in the sale has increased. The fair board wants to help business people not have to stay late, Offenberger said. so the sale will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday instead of its usual late evening time.
The sale will include goats, sheep, cows, pigs. rabbits and more, he said.
Isabell Russell, left, and Charlotte Russell, right, enjoy one of the rides at the 2017 Washington County Fair. The first day of the 2024 fair is Saturday and rides are included with the general admission ticket. (File Photo)
He said close to 10,000 people would attend over the four days of the fair.
“We have the rodeo on Sunday,” Offenberger said
The rodeo is the SEBRA Bulls and Barrels Rodeo, according to the fair book.
The fair hosts several contests, according to its website, including a scarecrow contest that will be judged at 8 p.m. Friday and whose entries will be on display from 6 p.m. Friday until 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to the fair website.
There is also a pie baking contest. The entries will be judged 5 p.m. Monday and the pies will be auctioned 6 p.m. Monday, the website said.
Isabella Lang positions her goat during the livestock sale at the 2019 Washington County Fair. The first day of the 2024 Washington County Fair is Saturday. (File Photo)
The fair also holds the Little Prince and Princess contest. Judging for the contest will be in the junior fair building 6 p.m. Friday and the winners will ride in the Washington County Fair Parade on Saturday.
The parade will start at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ohio and Second streets in Marietta and will turn left on Greene Street, turn right on Front Street and will proceed to the Washington County Fairgrounds, the website said.
The parade marshall will be Dean McCoy, a former Washington County Fair Board member and a retired vocational agriculture teacher of 30 years, according to the fair book.
There are many reasons for people to come to the Washington County Fair, according to Offenberger.
“(There are) a lot of kids activities, a lot of shows … a lot of inflatables and the usual rides that they have” at the fair, Offenberger said.
He said people should come to the fair too because of the cost.
It is $10 for daily admission with rides and the grandstand included with children aged 4 and under free; $30 for a season ticket for open class exhibitors out-of-county residents with the grandstand included; $5 for a junior fair wristband for junior fair exhibitors with rides and the grandstand included; $30 for Washington County resident who are 18 or older for them to vote in the annual election, with the grandstand included; and parking is free, according to the fair book.
According to Offenbergerr the weather is also supposed to be nice for the fair.
“(It) looks like the weather is going to be good,” he said, adding is supposed to be dry.
There will be a petting zoo for children and Thomas the Train will give people rides around the fairgrounds, according to Offenberger.
“Come out,” he said.
More information about the fair and the fair book can be found at https://www.washcountyfair.com/.
Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com
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Washington County Fair Schedule:
SATURDAY
* 8 a.m. – Farm Stock Classes Tractor Pull
* 9 a.m. – Garden Tractor Pull
* 10 a.m. – Parade; Poultry Show
* 11 a.m. – Opening Ceremony
* 12 p.m. – Midway Opens; Junior Fair Horse Show; Holstein Club Show
* 12-2 p.m. – Levi and Hannah Westfall musical performance; Happy.Messy.Play
* 12-4 p.m. – BUGMobile; Livestock Pictures
* To Be Determined Dog Show Sportcase
* 1-4 p.m. – Grain Bin Safety Demo
* 1 p.m. – Mr. Puppet
* 1-3 p.m. – Line Dancing
* 1-4 p.m. – Kids Activities with Farm Bureau and Ohio Soybean Council
* 1:30 p.m. – Cake Eating
* 2 p.m. – The Magical Adventure Show
* 2:30 p.m. – Coin Hunt
* 3 p.m. – Market Beef Show; Mr. Puppet
* 3-4 p.m. – Market Steer Pictures
* 3-5 p.m. – Logan Reynolds musical performance
* 4 p.m. – The Magical Adventure Show
* 5 p.m. – Mr. Puppet
* 6 p.m. – Beef Breeding Show; Pedal Pull; Hot Classes Tractor Pull
* 6-9 p.m. – Corn Hole Open Play
* 7 p.m. – The Magical Adventure Show
SUNDAY
* 9 a.m. – Goat Show; Rabbit Show; Cowboy Church Service
* 11 a.m. – Horse Show Fun
* 12 p.m – Midway Opens
* 12-2 p.m. – Happy.Messy.Play
* To Be Determined Dog Show Sportcase
* 1 p.m. – Harness Racing; Mr. Puppet
* 1:30 p.m – Cake Eating
* 1-3 p.m. – Music; Lego Building
* To Be Determined Dog Show Sportcase
* 2 p.m. – Columbus Zoo; The Magical Adventure Show
* 3 p.m. – Ladies Lead Animal Dress Up; Mr. Puppet
* 3:30 p.m. – Coin Hunt
* 4 p.m. – The Magical Adventure Show
* 5 p.m. – Lamb Show; Mr. Puppet
* 6-9 p.m. – $1 Skate at the Roller Rink
* 7 p.m. – SEBRA Bulls and Barrels Rodeo
* 9-11 p.m. – Square Dance: Buckeye Travelers
MONDAY
* 8-10 a.m. – 4-H Pancake Flippin’ Breakfast Show
* 9 a.m. – Junior Fair DFS Showmanship and Market Show; Tractor Tug Pull
* 10 a.m. – Parade; Horse Groom and Clean Contest and Hippology
* 10 a.m.-12 p.m. – The Nit Pickers musical performance; Kids Make and Take Craft
* 12 p.m. – Midway Opens; Dairy Show
* 12-2 p.m. – Happy.Messy.Play
* 1 p.m. – Mr. Puppet; Harness Racing
* 1-3 p.m. – Cloverbud Activities; Pickin’ on County musical performance; Line Dancing
* 1-7 p.m. – Election: Senior Fair
* 1:30 p.m. – Cake Eating
* 2 p.m. – The Magical Adventure Show; Bouncy Horse Relay
* 3 p.m. – Mr. Puppet; A Night to Shine
* 3:30 p.m. – Coin Hunt
* 4 p.m. – The Magical Adventure Show; Post and Skillathon Winner Presentation
* 4-6 p.m. – Red Sky Down musical performance
* * 5 p.m. – Mr. Puppet; Pie Contest
* 6 p.m. – Pie Auction
* 6:30 p.m. – Overall Showmanship Contest
* 6-9 p.m. – $1 Skate at the Roller Rink
* 7 p.m. – The Magical Adventure Show; Demolition Derby
* 9 p.m. – Hay Bale Toss and Women’s Skillet Throw
TUESDAY
* 1 p.m. – Junior Fair Livestock Sale
* 4 p.m. – Buyers Appreciation Reception
* 7 p.m. – KOI Drag Racing
