REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — Honors were awarded to 48 individuals and organizations for outstanding service to their local fairs at the 97th Ohio Fair Managers Association annual convention at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Of this group, 16 received the Director’s Award for Innovation and Excellence for their progressive ideas and actions to improve and strengthen their fairs.
Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Director Dorothy Pelanda presented each winner with a certificate. Those chosen for the special honor (denoted by an asterisk below) received plaques.
The award recipients were:
Adams County Fair | Corbett Phipps | Henry County Fair | Laura Rohlf |
Ashland County Fair | Barry Litten | Holmes County Fair | Kerry Taylor* |
Ashtabula County Fair | Ryan Schwotzer* | Jefferson County Fair | Vicki Whinnery*+ |
Athens County Fair | Tom Weekly | Madison County Fair | Dave Monnin |
Auglaize County Fair | Dennis Dickie | Marion County Fair | Keith Seckel |
Brown County Fair | Paul Hall* | Meigs County Fair | Jim Ridenour*+ |
Butler County Fair | Mary Jo Little* | Miami County Fair | Melissa Kleptz |
Canfield Fair | Ward Campbell | Monroe County Fair | Jack Cera |
Carroll County Fair | Ashton’s Preservation Assoc. | Ottawa County Fair | Richard Petersen |
Clark County Fair | Steve Turnbull | Perry County Fair | John Russell |
Clermont County Fair | Robert Young | Portage County Fair | Ernest Rufener* |
Clinton County Fair | Dave Albers* | Preble County Fair | Rob Caldwell |
Clinton County Fair | Kim Albers* | Putnam County Fair | Peg Kruse |
Columbiana County Fair | Tim Yarian* | Richland County Fair | Angela Phillips |
Coshocton County Fair | Chuck Ellis* | Richwood Independent Fair | Steve Robinson |
Coshocton County Fair | Sally Ellis* | Ross County Fair | Gary Prater |
Crawford County Fair | Ron Storer | Seneca County Fair | Bryan Zimmerman |
Delaware County Fair | Morgan Mellen* | Summit County Fair | Mike Hawsman |
Delaware County Fair | Laryssa Hook* | Summit County Fair | Angela Hawsman |
Geauga County Fair | Vicki Koller | Tuscarawas County Fair | Bob Sensel |
Greene County Fair | Bob King* | Washington County Fair | James Booth |
Hamilton County Fair | Shirley Mesley | Washington County Fair | Kevin Ritter |
Hardin County Fair | Matt Jennings* | Washington County Fair | James Booth |
Harrison County Fair | Dale Norris | Wayne County Fair | Ronald Grosjean* |
+Denotes Posthumous Nomination
Ohio’s 94 county and independent fairs and the Ohio State Fair support the local economy and help educate the public about the importance of agriculture and the many necessities it provides, including food, clothing, shelter, fuel, and energy. In addition to setting and approving the dates for the independent and county fairs, ODA is responsible for helping to assure the safety of amusement rides, for monitoring livestock shows to help assure honest competition, and for coordinating animal health efforts with designated local veterinarians.
For more information on Ohio’s fairs, visit https://www.agri.ohio.gov.
— Ohio Department of Agriculture