Dover man visits all 88 county fairs in Ohio

in Ohio. The next summer, he mapped out the remaining 44 and visited them all.

“I judge a fair by its local flavor and agricultural interest,” Lyons said. “I want to eat the food of local vendors ... the bear claws and hand cranked ice cream. My absolute favorite is the pork sandwiches at the Tuscarawas County Fair. I usually head for the animal barns first, and then the horticulture, antiques and art. How many people today actually prepare vegetables, jams and jellies in such a fashion that they can be on display at the fair? If a fair doesn’t have local animals shown by farmers and kids, it’s not a real fair.

“Unfortunately many fairs are in decline,” Lyons added. “Farms are disappearing in some areas, and people are busy with other activities.”

He said that among those continuing to grow, he found 10 that offered unique venues or programs. Those included (in alphabetical order) fairs in Allen, Ashland, Darke, Fairfield, Fulton, Geauga, Licking, Medina, Mahoning and Wayne counties. Most of the rest fell into the “still excellent, just not my favorite” category. “I actually returned to each of those fairs to verify that what I was thinking was true. I was right.”

He gave as examples being able to see 150 antique tractors at the Mahoning County Fair, a lake in the middle of the grounds at Knox and special camping facilities at Darke.

Like many fair participants, Lyons was raised on a small dairy farm and was a member of 4-H from ages 9 to 17. His entire family was involved in the organization and showed Jersey cattle at the Guernsey County Fair. He also raised and showed chickens. As an adult, he continued to involve his family with his wife, Melody, serving as a 4-H advisor. Two sons and a daughter also participated.

Lyons said he has never collected memorabilia from his fair visits, but after meeting a man who was using a T-shirt with the state drawn on it and each county that he had visited colored in, he decided to do the same with his map.

He takes photos of interesting items at each fair and puts them in the county shown on the map. Recently he has been taking people along with him on his trips through social media.

When not traveling from county to county fair, Lyons volunteers for the Foundation for Appalachian Aid.