The Crawford County Fair will open its gates next week for six days of livestock competition, midway excitement, grandstand action, and a tradition stretching back nearly 180 years. The 168th edition of the fair will run from Monday, July 20 through Saturday, July 25 at the Crawford County Fairgrounds in Bucyrus. This year’s theme is “Fiesta,” bringing an added splash of celebration to one of the county’s most anticipated weeks of the summer.
Daily gate admission is $10 and includes amusement rides and entertainment on the grounds. Three nights of grandstand programming will also be offered at no additional charge. Veterans will receive free admission on Thursday, July 23, with a military identification card. Admission for senior citizens will be reduced to $5 that day.
Daily admission tickets may also be purchased online for $11.64 at https://app.fairs.com/o/Crawford-fb79d16a12894fc1?tab=events.
Six Nights Of Grandstand Action
The week’s grandstand and arena schedule ranges from harness racing and motocross to two fair favorites that promise dirt, noise, and plenty of horsepower.
- The Cash Scramble will begin the grandstand schedule at 7:00 PM on Monday, July 20. Grandstand admission will be free.
- Motocross takes over on Tuesday, July 21 at 7:00 PM. Grandstand admission is $10, with pit admission priced at $15.
- Wednesday’s schedule begins with Wiener Dog Races at 4:00 PM, followed by harness racing at 6:00 PM. Both events will be free from the grandstand.
- Harness racing returns at 6:00 PM on Thursday, July 23, again with free grandstand admission.
- The OSTPA Truck and Tractor Pulls roar into the grandstand at 7:00 PM on Friday, July 24. Grandstand admission is $10, and pit admission is $15.
The fair concludes Saturday, July 25 with the Demolition Derby at 7:00 PM. Admission is $10 for the grandstand and $15 for the pits. The annual Pig Scramble follows at 8:00 PM.
Something New In The Show Ring
Among this year’s additions is a celebrity livestock show hosted by the Crawford County Farm Bureau. The event will begin at 2:00 PM on Wednesday. Andy’s Wild West Show will provide daily entertainment on the grounds throughout fair week, joining the midway rides, games, food vendors, agricultural displays, and other family activities.
Livestock shows and judging will remain at the center of the fair experience. For months, young exhibitors have prepared animals, completed projects, and developed the skills needed to compete in the show ring.
Fair week gives those participants an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned while allowing visitors to see the continuing importance of agriculture in Crawford County.
A Fair With Deep Roots
The Crawford County Fair has changed considerably since its first gathering on October 19, 1848. That inaugural fair was held on land now occupied by the Crawford County Courthouse. It featured only 10 entries of sheep and hogs, displayed in wagons on the courthouse grounds. A small collection of needlecraft was exhibited on the second floor of the old courthouse.
The fair eventually outgrew its early home. After considerable wrangling over a permanent location, the former Boyer farm east of the old grounds and Whetstone Street was purchased from E. Yaussey for $17,500 on September 16, 1914. Improvements to the property began soon afterward. More than a century later, that process of building, maintaining, and improving the fairgrounds continues. The scale of the event has grown far beyond those first animals displayed in wagons, but the fair’s underlying purpose remains recognizable. It is still a place where agricultural work is celebrated, neighbors gather, young people take pride in their accomplishments, and families build summer memories.
For six days in July, those traditions will once again fill the barns, grandstands, midway, and gathering spaces of the Crawford County Fairgrounds.
Source: Crawford County Fair