LEBANON, Ohio — Little can shake an organization like the retirement of a key individual. So, when longtime secretary Teri Maddox announced she was retiring from her post at the Warren County Fair last year, fair board members were faced with filling that void with someone capable of keeping this popular southwestern Ohio fair alive and well.
More important was finding one who has the capability of renting the grounds during the other weekends of the year to other groups. Fair officials didn’t have to search long or far. Taking over this vital post is Rebecca Osborne, who already has 15 years of service to Warren County as an organizational advisor for 4-H in the county.
"I had been a director on the board here for a year and been involved with 4-H all my life," Osborne said. "I showed cattle, hogs and goats growing up, as did my husband, Ken. I have four children and they came up through the 4-H ranks. Two boys are aged out, but two girls still show."
She was teaching at Berry Intermediate School in Lebanon for five years as a substitute and a tutor, eventually giving up these responsibilities to take the fair secretary position.
"So far it’s been fun and I enjoy it. It’s constantly something to do, even in the winter months." Osborne said.
There’s more to her position other than the fair. Other fairgrounds happenings throughout the year include Apple Fest, the Annual Lebanon Antique Show, the first Lebanon BrewHaHa in Exhibition Hall C (in April), an annual motorcycle race and equipment auctions, just to name a few.
"I wear a lot of hats, and that’s what I like. I enjoy juggling a lot of things," she said.
It’s been just over a year since the Miami Valley Trotting Assoc. left the grounds for the Miami Valley Gaming racino a few miles down the road, leaving fair officials to find other sources of events and revenue. Local equestrians, however, board their horses at the Warren County Fairgrounds stables.
"The fair is still going to be here," Osborne assures. "We’re looking at our facilities and what we can do with them. We have great facilities for livestock and other things, so we’re looking at what changes we can make to make things better and increase revenue."
She is still actively involved with 4-H, an advisor for Achievers 4-H Club, serving youth in Lebanon, Waynesville and Springboro.
Osborne, who has a degree in Education, is one of three full-time staffers on the premises, with roughly nine other part-time to full-time seasonal workers. Earlier this year she attended the Ohio Fair Managers Convention in Columbus. Fair secretaries from across Ohio gather to share ideas about entertainment, how to keep nonprofit status, liability issues, accounting, taxes and much more.
"We do $1 million worth of business, so it’s a big deal," Osborne said. "When you get other organizations and events out here, people take note. We’re not just a fairgrounds and we’re not just a racetrack – we can host a lot of events. There’s a lot of history and a lot of heritage here and I think we can build on that."
The first Warren County Fair was held in 1850. U.S. President William Henry Harrison assisted Warren County Agricultural Society President Isaac Evans in forming this fair in 1840 while Harrison was on the campaign trail in Ohio.
That first fair was small and staged near the center of downtown Lebanon. Today the fairgrounds covers 97 acres with 26 barns, show arenas and exhibit halls on-site.
