Centeseptequinary Anniversary Fair

Medina County Fair Logo Pin from 2015

Happy Birthday to the Medina County Fair!

Last week the Medina County Fair celebrated it's 175th Anniversary! Except this is the 176th Medina County Fair. More on that later.

The Medina County Fair has its roots in the harvest festivals of New England. The Connecticut and Massachusetts pioneers who first settled Medina brought the tradition with them. No one knows exactly when it started, but early in Medina's history, local farmers brought their prize animals to the square in Medina to show off to their neighbors. 

In 1833, the County Commissioners directed the Auditor to call a meeting to form a County Agricultural Society. The meeting was called, but there was little interest.

But the farmers kept gathering on the square in the fall to show off the results of their hard work. Their wives soon joined them to exhibit their prize dishes and needlework. 

In 1845, the Agricultural Society was formed and from then until 1851, the agricultural "fair" continued to be held on the Square. Admission price? 10¢

For several years, the Fair board rented 7 acres from Mr. Bronson. Several exhibit buildings were built on this property.

In 1855 the first race track, 1/4 mile,  was constructed. Horses ran individually and their times were compared.

Excerpt from the 1857 Map of Medina County showing the location of the Agricultural Fair. 
The lower right corner of the fair grounds is now the intersection of Huntington and Friendship Streets. 
 Now it is a residential neighborhood.

In 1863, land was bought between Smith and Washington, where Root Candles now sits. The buildings were moved. The Medina Fire of 1870 dampened spirits and the fair was a meager event. By 1872, the fair admission had doubled to 20¢

This portion of the 1874 Combination Atlas and Map of Medina County, Ohio shows the fairgrounds
on West Liberty, next to the railroad tracks. A few years later, in 1878, the grounds were sold to
A.I. Root for his beekeeping factory. 

In 1878, A. I Root bought the fair property for his new beekeeping enterprise. The fair board bought 21 acres from the McDowell tract and 5 acres from T.W. Rowe and Henry Horn. A large frame building and several halls were built with sheds, stalls & pens for the animals. A new 1/2 mile racetrack was constructed with a grandstand for optimal viewing. 

In 1890 the fair had 10,000 attendees in one day. But the rest of the decade had droughts and hard economic times which affected fair participation.

This undated cabinet card is labeled "Race Trails" (sic) on the back. The gentlemen's hats date from the 1880's
 and 90's. The size of this card, 5" X 8 1/2", makes it a "Boudoir" cabinet card. They were produced
 in the 1890's. The name, "Mrs RM McD", is also on the back of the card.

1895 heralded the 50th anniversary of the fair. 

Admission price = 25¢. Children less than 10 years old were free.

Perhaps because it was only the 50th anniversary, it was a subdued celebration.

Medina Gazette, June 20, 1895  Page 3. The list of who won which prize is extensive,
and the races and the weather received newspaper space but coverage
of the anniversary and the history of the fair is scant.

Or maybe something else was in the air:

The temperance movement (anti-liquor) was very strong in Medina.
 What exactly constituted "immoral exhibitions?

1897

This image from the 1897 Atlas of Medina County pinpoints the
fairgrounds in the present location between Lafayette and Smith Roads

In 1911, the Agricultural Society's finances took a hit when someone produced and sold over $100 in counterfeit fair tickets.

The Spanish Flu epidemic hit in 1918-1919, but the fair continued on, although with reduced attendance. 

Electricity was installed in 1922 and for the first time, the fair had regular evening hours. Fireworks became a fair tradition starting in 1928.

30 years ago this metal sign was found in a drawer at the Medina Library. From the dates, the sign could be
advertising either the 1937 or 1944 fair. Since metal was at a premium throughout the World War II, it is
unlikely to date from 1944. Also, on the back is the name "Sid Bowman". Sid served in many capacities
in Medina History, but right after he returned from serving as a Marine in the South Pacific in WWII, 
he worked for the Medina County Highway Department. The sign probably came into his possession at that time.

1945

World War II had just ended. The men were returning from overseas. Military deaths still dominated the front pages of the Gazette. And it was fair time. But not just any fair time it was the 100th Anniversary of the Medina County Fair. It was to be the fair to "outshine all others!"

Medina County Gazette 31 August 1945, p 6.

Full page ads were in all the local papers.

  The Lodi Review, September 6th, 1945, page 2

The Fair Board spared no expense in making it the best fair ever:

• The midway concessions & entertainment rivaled the best.
• Fair premiums (prizes) were larger, make interest greater and drawing competitors from farther out.
• Govenor Frank Lausche came on Thursday afternoon.
• Senator Harold Burton spoke on Saturday afternoon. He was a contender for a Supreme Court spot. (He was an Associate Judge on the Supreme Court from 1945-1958)
• Extra parking was provided.
• Many businesses shut down to give their employees a chance to attend.
• These companies gave out free tickets to their employees and families:
• Permold
• R. O. Bowman
• Medina Farmers Exchange
• Henry Furnace Company
• Medina Supply
• Nichols Refrigeration
• Old Phoenix National Bank put up a purse of $132 for a special pony race.
• All servicemen in uniform were admitted free to the fair.
• Several columns in The Gazette were devoted to the 100 year history of the fair.
• A new dining hall proved to be very popular.
• The weather cooperated and they had record turnout for the fair.

Everyone agreed. The 100th Medina County Fair was a rousing success!

A few short years later, in 1952, the news wasn't so good...

FIRST TIME EVER!

Medina County Gazette  August 8, 1952 Page 1

Because of the ongoing polio epidemic it was too dangerous to hold the fair. The Fair Board vote was unanimous in its decision. Money had already been spent on advertising, tickets and fair books, but it was decided they could be used the following year. Later in the fall, the townships held achievement meetings for the 4-H members so their accomplishments could be recognized. Because of this, the Board decided the fair the following year would be the 108th. 

Fair premium ribbons from the country's bicentennial - 1976!

Ribbons at the Virginia Wheeler Martin Family History Center

1995 - The 150th Anniversary of the Medina County Fair!

Multiple articles in the Gazette touted the event and the fair book featured a four page article on the history of the fair. By then, big name entertainers, like New Kids on the Block, Kenny Rogers, and Blake Shelton were a staple offering. 350 concessionaires peddled their wares and over 800 exhibits welcomed the 160,000 fair attendees. The budget that had started out as $67 had blossomed to over $600,000.

The Gazette  26 July 1995 cover to the fair supplement.

2020

175 years after the first official fair in 1845, Medina County was set to celebrate the Centeseptequinary Anniversary of the fair in 2020.  But then, something unexpected happened. 

COVID-19. 

The Fair Board opted to not cancel the fair completely. Instead, they held "The Junior Fair". This is the part of the fair where the local 4-H groups compete. But there was no anniversary celebration... 

So 2021...

• Fair budget is now over $1,000,000 
• 92 acres 
• Attendance for 2021 over 100,000 people

2021 Fair Supplement from The Gazette Special Supplement 2 August 2021

Everyone was set to enjoy the fair, anniversary or not. The competition was fierce and the fair food delicious. What are some of your favorite fair memories?

So why Centeseptequinary??

Centa = 100       Septe = 7      Quinary = 5

Cente  + septe + quinary =175

This term was locally used heavily during 1991-1993 when Medina County and many of hits townships and villages were celebrating their 175th Anniversaries.