By Kim Sutton, Paulding County Bicentennial Committee Part of a series
PAULDING – Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Paulding County Fair has been canceled for the year 2020. The Paulding County Fair Facebook post says it all: “This was the most difficult decision most of us have ever had to make. We came together as one, to make this tough decision for the best interest of the community. Paulding Strong!”
It is disappointing for 4-H, FFA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, all of the many other participants, and for those of us who enjoy and look forward to our county fair each year. However, the citizens of Paulding County understand. Many people have wondered if this is the first time the county fair has been canceled. Let’s take a brief look at the history of the Paulding County Fair during national and global catastrophes.
The Paulding County Agricultural Society held its first fair on a farm near Junction, on Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26, 1860. Horatio N. Curtis was the president; Robert Shirley was vice-president; B.L. Wentworth was treasurer and Fielding S. Cable was the secretary. The original fair was truly a “Farmer’s Fair” – a place for the farmer to display his finest in the plant and animal kingdom. There also was a class for wood working, leather goods and blacksmithing. The farmer’s wife also would show her skills in areas such as her best quilt, loaf of bread, butter, hand stitched gentlemen’s coat, or ladies dress. Premiums were paid to the winners.
The Paulding Independent newspaper of November 8, 1860, gave this review: “Our County Fair at Junction, October 25th and 26th, for the first effort of the kind, more than justified our expectations. The numbers in attendance showed an interest that is seldom manifested at commencement of exhibitions of this kind. The number of articles on exhibition was not large, and we hope to see next year a better display.”
By April 1861, the Civil War had commenced. President Lincoln called for a volunteer army from each state to serve for three months. It was believed that it would take no more than three months to suppress the rebellion. Over 100 Paulding County men signed up, including the secretary of the fair board, Fielding S. Cable. This was quite a number of men considering the county’s population at that time was less than 5,000.
The Paulding County boys returned home from their 90-day service on July 25, 1861 and immediately Fielding S. Cable put a notice in the paper of a meeting at the courthouse to make arrangements for the county fair to be held that fall. The dates would be September 19 and 20 and would be held at Junction.
No records of the fair can be found for the year 1862, so it is uncertain whether the fair went on as the country continued in horrific battle to save the union. The next reporting of the Paulding County Fair was in October 1863. The fair was held in Antwerp on October 1 and 2, but was a disappointment because of bad weather. The Civil War was still raging on and would continue until 1865. No records could be found regarding the Paulding County Fair and it seems to have faded away.
In 1870, the newspapers encouraged Paulding County residents to attend the Defiance County Fair in hopes of inspiring the citizens to hold a fair in Paulding County. In the spring of 1871, the Paulding County Agricultural Society started to revive its activities. Members held a meeting to elect officers and make the necessary arrangements to hold a fair in Paulding on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 11, 12 and 13. The location of this fair is believed to be south of town along the bank of the Flat Rock Creek at the site it is today; however, the agricultural society did not own the land at that time.
In 1872, the Paulding County Agricultural Society purchased 25 acres, which is the present day location of the fairgrounds. The 1872 fair would be held at this location on October 15-17. The Paulding County Fair has continued at this location and has been held each year since.
The fairground was enlarged in 1888 with the purchase of an additional 10 acres, for a total of 35 acres.
The grandstand you see today was built in 1906. It replaced the old one that stood in the same location. At the time of construction, this was the envy of other counties. The grandstand is 132 feet long and 86 feet wide and has a seating capacity of 1,200. Underneath was a dining room, 70 x 36 feet, and three small rooms, two of which were occupied by the secretary and his force, and the third rented as a refreshment stand. The year “1872” painted on the north end of the grandstand represents the first year the fair was held on the fairgrounds property as owned by the Paulding County Agricultural Society rather than the date the structure was built.
By April 1917, the United States entered WWI. The fair was held that year on September 10-14. An advertisement announced there would be a genuine German submarine. “You can look through the periscope and see everything that’s going on, races and all!” The fair continued each year, although it was reported that due to war conditions, not as many concessions and side shows were present.
In 1918, not only was WWI still being fought, but the Spanish Flu pandemic had overtaken the world. There were 500 million cases and 50 million deaths worldwide from this pandemic. The Paulding County Fair was held from September 11-14 and the only complaint was wet weather. The Paulding Democrat published September 19, 1918, tells us: “The rain fell in torrents Wednesday night and showers copiously on Thursday afternoon added to the volume of water, rendering the grounds a sea of water and soft mud. In spite of it however, quite an attendance of people braved the elements and paid admission to the grounds both days.”
The next tragedy to face the nation and Paulding County was the Great Depression of the 1930s. The 1929 fair went off just prior to the financial collapse and boasted that the 4-H livestock exhibit was the largest in the history of the club.
In 1932, a new ruling from the board limited the exhibits to residents of Paulding County only. Whether this was due to the Depression or not is unknown. Up until this time, it seems Defiance and Van Wert were running away with the premiums.
At the height of the Great Depression in 1933, the fair board decided to continue the fair largely as a junior show including boys and girls’ 4-H clubs and county schools. Although it was necessary to suspend premiums in the adult classes this year, they felt an obligation to the children.
The United States entered World War II with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The 1942, the Paulding County Fair would be a one-day free fair, with exhibits from 24 4-H clubs and many commercial and civic exhibits. Because of the uncertainties of gas and tire rationing, the fair board called off the regular five-day event and instead the fair would be centered on the work of the 4-H clubs.
As WWII continued, the fair resumed its normal schedule in 1943, and in 1944 the fair set new records in gate and grandstand admissions. The Beauty Contest on the last day of the fair in 1944 saw 1,196 paid admissions to the grandstand! Miss Lou Ann Welch, 16, of Grover Hill, was named “Miss Paulding County Beauty Queen.”
Unfortunately, there are been other wars and global pandemics since WWII, but the Paulding County Fair continued on. So what makes Covid-19 so different? Scientists are studying this virus and trying to get a handle on it, but it appears to be deadlier and has affected more people over a particular period of time as compared to other viruses.
This virus has never been seen in humans, so no one is immune. It is easily spread and infects the respiratory system. Something unique to Covid-19 is its 14-day incubation period, which is significantly longer than other viruses. It can take up to two weeks for a person to develop symptoms; therefore, an infected person without symptoms can unknowingly infect others. The Covid-19 virus is also stickier and has the ability to adhere to surfaces for a longer period of time.
This year’s Paulding County Fair would have been the first fair in Ohio this season, With the state government suggesting gatherings be limited to 10 people, many other fairs, as well as festivals and events, have been canceled this summer.
We will miss our fair this year, but it is better to be safe than sorry. The Paulding County Fair Board made the best decision in order to protect the children and our community.
More information on the bicentennial can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PauldingCounty200.
