By VICKI JOHNSON
Ohio Correspondent

TIFFIN, Ohio — Ohio’s Seneca County Fair has a new 10,000 square-foot Livestock Pavilion under construction, to be completed in time for the fair, July 24-31, as a show arena for hogs and sheep.

The building is the latest among fairgrounds upgrades partially funded by Seneca County Junior Fair Foundation, with flea market proceeds. The $150,000 building, replacing hog and sheep barns, is being made possible with partial funding from the Seneca County Junior Fair Foundation – the legacy of Don Ziegler, who managed the flea market as a paraplegic from a wheelchair. He and his wife, June, were the driving force behind the flea market, which has raised more than $1 million in fair funds. Tiffin Flea Market is one of the largest in northwestern Ohio and the foundation is continuing the efforts of Ziegler, who died in January.

Remaining dates for this year are June 18-19, July 2-3, Aug. 20-21, Sept. 3-4 and Oct. 1-2 and 15-16.

June was always by Don’s side. They were married in July 1954, when he was 17 years old and she was 18. A little over a year later, polio struck. She said she will always remember “how we always worked together and did things together and did things as a team.

“He was going to take over the farm and then he got polio in August of 1955,” she said. “We had one child and one on the way.”

The illness left Don paralyzed and dependent on machines to breathe. Not letting his paralysis keep him down, June said he lived in spite of it.
“He always put other people before himself,” she said. “He was always thinking about other people. He wanted to help other people. He liked the youth. He wanted to do a lot of things for young people, to make their lives better.”
The Zieglers became involved in the flea market during its early years. The event started as a garage sale-type fundraiser and grew to more than 400 vendors last year. More than 50 volunteers assist with each event.

“He was the manager for 35-plus years,” June said. “He always had to be busy. He was in a lot of things. He always had to be doing something. His ambition was to be involved and make things better.”

Since it was organized in 1979, the foundation has assisted with the construction of a 300-by-120-foot beef and dairy open-sided exhibit building with a show arena in 1980, and a 60-by-80-foot Youth Center in 1992. It also provided financial assistance for construction and remodeling of three restroom buildings, siding a Merchants Building, blacktopping, roofing several buildings, tiling and similar grounds improvement projects.
For more information on the Seneca County Fair, call 419-447-7888 or visit www.senecacountyfair.org

Information on flea markets can be found at www.tiffinfleamarket.com