The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
GREAT START FOR GREAT FAIR
Mother Nature helps out opening day of Great Geauga County Fair
With temperatures in the low- to mid-70s and partly sunny skies on Aug. 30, organizers of the 196th Great Geauga County Fair likely couldn’t have picked a better opening day.
Just take it from the fair secretary, himself.
“We’ve got great weather and weather’s the key to the whole show,” said Great Geauga County Fair Secretary Paul Harris. “It’s can’t be too hot. It can’t be too cold. It can’t be too wet and it can’t be too dry.”
He said opening day this year wasn’t any of the above.
“We’re off to a great start,” Harris said about 4 p.m. Aug. 30.
With Harris’ logic in mind and considering the National Weather Service’s forecast for Labor Day Weekend, attendance at this year’s Great Geauga County Fair will likely follow suit.
And that’s not to mention all the attractions, activities and exhibits organizers packed into this year’s fair.
Take the natural resources exhibits, for example, which Harris referred to as “almost a fair within a fair.”
Among other activities and attractions, this area of the fair features handson fishing and archery
“We’ve got great weather and weather’s the key to the whole show." — Paul Harris, Great Geauga County Fair secretary
options, along with presentations by the National Wild Turkey Federation, trapping demonstrations by The Ohio State Trappers Association, Tree Planting 101 by The Holden Arboretum and demonstrations on wild birds of prey by Lake Metroparks, among others.
Harris said a new addition to this year’s Great Geauga County Fair lineup is the schedule of shows performed by The Dynamo Dogs team — a nationally recognized crew of welltrained canines who, along with team founder Gail Mirabella consistently garner “OOHs” and “AHHs” from crowds of all ages, thanks to the top-notch training the team’s dogs have received.
Mirabella and her team’s credentials include appearances on Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Good Morning America and a segment of Season 22, Episode 3 of ABC’s The Bachelor.
But these are far from the Kenly, N.C.-based troupe’s only claims to fame.
Some other team accolades include accomplishments within the competitive canine flying disc discipline, accomplishments with the Purina Pro Plan Performance Team and gaining acclaim where Mirabella and her dogs got their start: Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, where she said she began her career with The Dynamo Dogs.
“I literally quit my job at 36 and joined the circus,” she said Aug. 30 following an afternoon show at The Great Geauga County Fair — a venue she said she likes.
By about 4 p.m. on its opening day, Mirabella said the fair was proving to be “very, very awesome.”
“I love the fact that they’re dog people,” she said of the audiences and random visitors to The Dynamo Dogs exhibit, adding that many folks felt compelled to tell her their own stories after the show, in which many of the canine participants have been rescued.
“That’s one thing I do love about fairs,” she said. “After (the performances), I’ve had three or four people come up and tell me about their own rescue dogs. I love to hear their stories, and each one is unique.”
She said one of the messages she hopes audiences will take away from The Dynamo Dogs’ performances is “that rescue dogs can make great pets.”
“I love to tell people that what you put into your dogs is what you get out of them, and that they can become family members,” she said.
In addition to The Dynamo Dogs and their impressive repertoire of tricks, Harris said there are a number of new rides this year, provided by Wintersvillebased
Bates Amusement, Inc. and over 12,000 exhibits throughout the fairgrounds’ exhibit halls.
Overall, Harris said, there’s a lot to take in this year at Ohio’s oldest county fair.
“There’s just so much to do,” he said. “It’s hard to do it in a day.”
Whether they come to The Great Geauga County Fair for a day or more, the event represents a longstanding tradition for many families from around Geauga County and beyond.
Take Burton Township residents the Sanders family, for example.
Dad, James, and mom, Jacinda brought their four little ones, ranging in age from 2 to 6, to the fair’s opening day to take in the exhibits and enjoy the atmosphere like they do every year, James and Jacinda agreed.
“We come every year,” James said. “I mean, it’s what you do. It’s fair time and you come to the fair. It’s a tradition.”
Both James and Jacinda said they come from Geauga County families and have relatives, involved in various 4-H club activities, who work hard to participate in that part of the event.
Jacinda added that, as a runner who works out year-round at the Geauga County Fairgrounds, she’s impressed by how quickly and how hard organizers work each year to assemble the fair’s various components.
“My friends and I come and run the fairgrounds all year long,” Jacinda said. “It usually looks like there’s nothing here and I think that all the hard work that goes into the fair’s production — just over a few days — is just amazing.”
Both Jacinda and James agreed their children — 2-year-old Mary Catherine; Maggie, 3; 5-year-old Michael and Cecilia, 6 — are all big fans of The Great Geauga County Fair.
“Oh, they love it,” James said. “They love petting all the animals and all the other exhibits.”
While the Sanders’ brood are all too young to show animals at the fair at this point, James said they have taken an interest in animal husbandry, having a number of chickens they’ve raised at home: Cuddles, Blacket and Dot Dot.
“They’re too young for fair this year. Maybe next year,” James said. “But, if not, you know, (the chickens) will probably wind up as nuggets.”
The Great Geauga County Fair runs through 8 p.m. Sept. 3 in Burton Township. Aug. 31 is Senior Citizen and Veterans’ Day with all guests 65 and older and all veterans admitted free. On Sept. 3, discount, all-day ride bands are $10.
For more information about grandstand and other featured events and a complete schedule, visit http://www.geaugafair. com.