LANCASTER, Ohio – Attendance is the driver that helps determine a thriving or struggling county fair. Competition from sporting events, television and other distractions can be a strain with some fairs, especially in some of the smaller counties.

Ohio hosts 94 county and independent fairs, and those county fairs remain on solid ground.

“County fairs in Ohio are holding their own and doing very well,” said Howard Call, president of the Ohio Fair Managers Association. “Each county fair in Ohio provides their county with a great value. The cost to enter a county fair is a lot less than what some of these big-name theme parks charge you.

“At the county fair you get to see all the small home exhibits, the 4-H projects, FFA attractions, rides, harness racing, demolition derbies, cattle and poultry exhibits and much more. You can spend three hours or all day at these county fairs and enjoy yourself so much more. The county fairs are very affordable for the communities that they reside in.”

All county fairs in the state, Call said, are doing very well financially.

Officials at the Fairfield County Fair, for instance, estimate that about 100,000 people visit each fair season, a number that hasn’t changed the past 15 years, with the exception of a few rainy seasons.

For many county fairs in Ohio, this past fair season rain was a detriment to their operations.

“I would say overall, this was probably the worst weather year we’ve had for county fairs and independent fairs,” Call said.

Many Ohio county fairs sustained damage from storms that devastated parts of the state in early September and early August.

In August, severe storms forced the Champaign County Fair in Urbana to close for a day after tents were damaged and trees were taken down. Rain-soaked grounds forced the fair to cancel grandstand events.

That same month, the Mercer County Fair in Celina lost access to its parking lots for four days and the Delaware County Fair in Delaware had rain during the first five days of its fair.

At the Erie County Fair in Sandusky, early August flooding made parking difficult, and organizers lost a one-night rodeo event. The canceled event cost the fair an estimated $10,000. And at the Columbiana County Fair in Lisbon, rain fell on Aug. 5 just as grandstand entertainment was getting underway. Money-making events canceled included a truck and tractor pull as well as a rodeo. Attendance was down 20 percent due to weather conditions at this year’s fair.

At the Morgan County Fair in McConnelsville, flash floods occurred after up to four inches of rain fell in that area in early September. The Merchant’s Building took on water, the entertainment stage was impacted, and rising water damaged the poultry barn. Fair officials there estimate the fair lost close to $100,000 in revenue, including $65,000 to $70,000 admissions that were never collected.

“At times it’s been a tough road for many of these county fairs in Ohio this past season,” Call said. “One vendor told me that of the 18 county fair weekends, 14 saw rain. But then again, county fairs in Ohio know how to survive.”

County fairs in Ohio remain on solid footing, Call said. The fairs are supported through the Ohio County & Independent Fairs Grant Program, providing $10 million in grants to all 94 county and independent fairs. Most fairs receive roughly $106,831 each year under the current program.

Grants can be used for capital improvements such as machinery and equipment, repair of fairground buildings, improved lighting, camping sites, traffic signage and road improvements. Those fairs affected by storms of September and August will likely use grant money for restoration purposes.

While the state grant is a significant boost, Call said it doesn’t guarantee that every fair is doing well in a broader financial sense. County fairs are typically not-for-profit agricultural societies that rely on a mix of admission fees and concessions, vendor and sponsor revenue, grants and donations, and event-related income such as livestock sales and contests.

The grant money, he said, is not a direct operating subsidy but an investment in infrastructure, which can help fairs remain competitive and profitable over time.

“County fairs in Ohio have been around a long time and they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon,” Call said.