LANCASTER, Ohio – “You know the old saying, you save the best for last.”

That was the response by Fairfield County Fair manager Jim Marcinko when asked why his fair is always held in October and is the last running Ohio county fair each fair season. 

“This is our 174th fair and we’ve never stopped holding this fair, even when we had two World Wars, we were up and running. Not even COVID put a stop to our great fair.,” Marcinko said.

Fairfield County Fair celebrated its 1atest gathering Oct. 6-12. The fair began in 1850.

The Fairfield County Fair is steeped in history that beckons tens of thousands to the historic white-washed grounds at the base of Lancaster’s Mt. Pleasant, hovering some 300 feet above the festivities below.

This fair is the last one in Ohio each season, the last of 88 county and independent fairs in the state. It’s a fair that normally requires a light jacket, and this year was no exception. A cooler than normal October, combined with changing leaf colors, made this picturesque fair attractive to fair goers this fall.

“We have some of the oldest structures you’ll find at any county fair,” Marcinko said. “We don’t tear down and replace, we simply paint the structures and do repairs piece by piece to maintain them. We have many original structures, and we intend to keep it that way.”

Evidence of this fair’s past is found all over the 68-acre grounds. The Art Hall, which houses the horticulture, fine arts, sewing and antique exhibits, is still in pristine condition. It was built in 1901, and the Grange Wing was added in 1926. The original Floral Hall still stands, and it was built prior to 1860.

The Round Cattle Barn (1909) was designed and built by J.E. Hedges and is the most recognizable building on the fairgrounds. The building stands in full view when entering the fairgrounds through the main entrance on Fair Avenue.

Many old structures from the past from this and adjacent counties have been relocated to the fairgrounds. The Pioneer Cabin (1803) is the oldest and one of the most historic buildings on the grounds. The cabin was originally built outside of the Village of Pleasantville, Ohio, during the early period of the settlement of Ohio. The Pioneer Cabin features many tools and utensils of the period and several pieces of furniture as examples used by the early settlers of Fairfield County.

The Hocking Valley C&O Railroad Depot was originally located in Carroll, Ohio, and was in active use until 1966 when it was moved to the fairgrounds. That railroad brought patrons to the fair from Indiana as well as Ohio. Officials saw this as an important landmark in the development of the county as a place where crops, products and county residents were served by the railroad. The depot features many interesting railroad artifacts, time schedules and fee charts.

The Country Store on the premise was originally built by Emanuel Miller in Dumontville, Ohio, in 1885 and found its way to the fairgrounds in 1969. The store provides a unique look at a much simpler time with original product containers of merchandise that would be purchased at that time.

Also sitting on the grounds of this fair is the Weakley School No. 6 House (1870), a schoolhouse that served people of nearby Liberty Township. The school features many items that would have been used in a Fairfield County one-room schoolhouse during the late 19th century.

A 1930s gas station gives fairgoers a glimpse into the past and houses many products and accessories of that time period. It was donated by the Lancaster Old Car Club.

An 1850s doctor’s office, originally located in Millersport, Ohio, now sits on the grounds and features a wide range medical equipment and medical artifacts of that time period. It was relocated to the Fairfield County Fairgrounds in 1985.

Huddle Church, named after the first deed holder, Daniel Huddle Sr., was moved to the fairgrounds in 1990. It was the Mt. Zion Brethren in Christ Church (1858) and stood in Bremen, Ohio, before being relocated.

The historical significance of the fairgrounds is not lost on Joyce Harvey, a historian with the Fairfield Heritage Association.

“They had one of the first nighttime harness races lit with natural gas,” Harvey said of the fairgrounds. “In the late 1880s, they were drilling for natural gas all over town and drilled a well on the fairgrounds in July of 1889. They piped it and then laid pipe all around the racetrack. They claimed it was the first lit race at night. It’s pretty amazing.”

Harvey said there is also a race horse buried at the track, marked by a headstone from 1891. The horse, named “Edinburgh,” was a 7-year-old gelding that collapsed and died after he won an important race. He was buried in the infield and the horse’s tombstone still stands to this day.

As with any country fair, Fairfield County’s fair has in interesting timeline. In 1898, the first mechanical rides appeared, including a steam-powered merry-go-round. In 1909, a wooden grandstand was erected, one with a capacity of 500. In 1927, a modern steel and concrete grandstand took its place. The first high school parade occurred in 1940.

The fair’s Show Arena was erected in 1990. That was followed by the AAA Multipurpose Building (1999), the Ed Sands/Fairfield County Farm Bureau Building (2008) and the Ricketts Family Hall addition (2013).

Lancaster, a small city of 40,000 and 25 miles southeast of Columbus, is home to 40,000. The public schools close during fair week.

Other than this fair, Lancaster’s claim to fame may be the fact that portions of the movies “Brubaker” and “Green Grass of Wyoming” were filmed at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds.