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155th Annual Great
Darke County Fair Opens
By Bob Robinson
See also photos for Fair
Gate traffic and Cheerleaders getting ready for the
contest... click here
“It’s a mini city. We rotate gates, walk around, handle calls…”
About 50 fair and elected officials, Chamber of Commerce members, media
representatives, volunteers and interested fairgoers were on hand
Friday morning for the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of the
155th Great Darke County Fair.
The Ribbon Cutting went off without a hitch and the group dispersed for
their various duties and scheduled commitments.
Watching from Gate 2 a short distance away were volunteers selling and
taking tickets for the 9-day event, plus a long-time Darke County
Sheriff’s Patrol Deputy, Doug Baker.
“I love the fair,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for 31 years and it
never gets old. I love the people.”
He and other Sheriff’s Patrol Deputies have been working since
Wednesday, some of them scheduled for the entire 12-day stint.
“It’s a mini city,” he said. “We rotate gates, walk around, handle
calls… we deal with some fights and thefts, but generally the visitors
are well-behaved.”
He said that during the day they typically concentrate on “gate time”
while in the evenings they bring in more Sheriff’s units.
Baker said he has what he believes is one of the largest collections of
memorabilia from the Darke County Fair in existence, with posters,
tickets, racing schedules and more as far back as the early 1900’s.
The Great Darke County Fair has been functioning continuously since
1853 with only three exceptions: two years during the civil war and one
in 1949 during the polio epidemic.
He added that there were a couple of other Sheriff’s Patrol deputies
with similar “time on the job,” one of whom is Scott Riffle, already on
the post at Gate 5, the gate manned by Greenville Kiwanis and the
Greenville High School Key Club.
Traffic flow at all gates was consistent but light compared to that
expected later in the afternoon and evening.
Many vendors were still preparing for the day while others were already
open and ready for customers.
The main event for Friday morning? The Cheerleading Contest. At 9 a.m.
students from school districts throughout Southwest Ohio were arriving
and practicing for the 11 a.m. competition. Watch for more competition
photos in a future CNO report.
For Saturday’s Fair schedule, click here
For the full 9-Day Fair schedule, click here
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