While the Pickaway County Fair has a long history dating back to 1834, in the early years there were many times that a fair did not take place, or it overlapped with Circleville Pumpkin Show. While there was a short stint of the fair in the late 1800s, it wasn’t until 1944 when the Pickaway County Agricultural Society was organized with the goal of creating a new modern fair that opened in 1945 when the fair became a steady happening in Pickaway County on the 60 acre lot that was purchased the previous year.
The early fairs were much different from what we experience today, they had the same goal of providing an area for the youth to be able to “display their exhibits and projects”. According to the Pickaway County Fair’s website, “The 1945 Pickaway County Fair featured an amateur horse show, amateur races for junior pony, bicycle and scooter enthusiasts. Exhibits included beef and milk cattle, poultry, sheep, swine, farm produce, farm equipment, needlework, canning, and preserving.”
Over the years many things were added to the fair in the form of buildings like the Coliseum, which was built in 1947, and activities like live music and mechanized entertainment (aka rides) to name a few.
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In 2018 a huge project was started at the end of that years fair to update many of the buildings that were built in the early 1940s to 1960s and were suffering from years of use and harsh Ohio weather. Along with the Pickaway County Commissioners, the Pickaway County Agricultural Society partnered together with private donors to raise millions in funds to make some of the updates you see today a reality! The exciting part is they are not done. There are still more phases in the project to continue to advance the fairgrounds in to a modern facility that is not only used for the yearly fair, but their goal is to create a facility that can be used year round for other events and activities within the community.
When you attend the Pickaway County Fair this year be sure to pick up our special edition of the Dimple Times available at the gates.