Day 2: Opening ceremonies kick off Canfield Fair

CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – Thursday is the second day of the 178th Canfield Fair.

Thursday is Veterans Day — all veterans and active duty military will get free admission with proper identification. It is also Youth Day. Kids 12 and under can get in free.

WKBN will also be at the Window World tent from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. to give away free Identi-kits for kids.

High school bands performed at the grandstand. Marching bands from around Mahoning and Columbiana counties put on their half-time shows.

Fans and parents alike had the chance to watch the kids play some of the tunes they’ll be performing under the Friday night lights this fall.

There will also be 4H events happening all day, such as junior fair auctions for goat milk fudge, rabbit meat pens, market goats, lambs and pigs.

WKBN talked to Brooklyn Stoufer, Zaria Woolley and Kenzie Wooten about the process of getting their lambs ready for the shows. You can see that interview below:

WKBN also spoke with Zander Sell, Katie Byers and Sophia Gorby about their pigs. Watch that interview below:

Opening ceremonies held at fairgrounds

Opening ceremonies and a ribbon cutting kicked off the fair Thursday morning at the Michael Kusalaba Fund of the Youngstown Foundation Event Center Stage. During opening ceremonies, a C-130 plane flew over the fairgrounds, piloted by Lt. Drew Tancer. His wife, Sky, is the new fair manager.

The guest speaker was former Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel. He called the fair the premier event of the Valley that everyone looks forward to each year. He praised the time and effort put in by young people to raise and sell their animals.

“It’s incredible and what a great lesson it teaches, and then the culmination — now they have to compete which is good in life. You need to compete,” Tressel said.

This is the first for the new manager Sky Tancer. She succeeds Bev Fisher who is retiring after more than 30 years.

“Thankfully, Bev Fisher has laid down a great foundation for me to build upon. What I’ve been doing every day is just smiling and watching all of the pieces fall together for this great fair,” Tancer said.

This year’s theme at the Fair is “The Valley’s Homecoming.” New Fair Board President Dave Mannion said the event helps bring the community and families together as his own grandchildren share the same experiences he did as a kid.

“Everything that goes into the Canfield Fair — it’s just fun watching it though their eyes as it was when I was watching it through my own when was 6, 7, 8 years old,” Mannion said.

Mahoning County Commissioners meet at the fair

In something of a tradition, Mahoning County commissioners held their weekly meeting just before the ribbon cutting at the fair.

The board held its meeting at the Ohio State Extension offices in Canfield, just across the road from the fairgrounds.

Director Eric Barrett introduced the members of his staff and each explained their duties with both 4-H programming and the Extension Office.

Commissioners also had the chance to meet the new fair manager.

Vendors show off their foods at the fair

People may be wondering what to eat at the fair. Of course, there are the classics like fries and lemon shakes, but one of the favorites at the fair is also Armida’s Cucina.

The vendor’s stuffed pepper sandwich has won best sandwich of the Canfield Fair three times.

Its biggest sandwich, The Godfather, is layered with chicken, mozzarella sticks, New York strip steak and its famous peppers.

“We prepare food out of… a food truck and the trailer so we can go faster and provide people with quicker service. We use pagers. We used to have a line that would go down through the next intersection that the fair police used to have to help us out with,” said Mark Primavera, with Armida’s Cucina.

Fair gates open at 8 a.m. each morning, and Primavera said they’re usually ready to serve up food by 10 a.m.

Melissa Delsignore, of Coaches Burger Bar, also showed off their offerings.

They have several burgers, pulled pork nachos and other options. A tent is available for customers to eat under.

Delsignore said they have been preparing for three days to get ready for the fair.

The truck is located near Gate 5 and the pumpkins.

Rare antiques on display at Canfield Fair

Antique machinery volunteer Shawn Watson also spoke with WKBN about the history of the fair and the antique vehicles that you can see displayed. Included are some rare vehicles, and most of them predate 1970.

You can see more below:

Columbiana-Mahoning Beekeepers on display

Members of the Columbiana-Mahoning Beekeepers hosted a program to show children and adults the role bees play in the nation’s food chain.

This is the fourth year the organization has had an educational display inside the hay and grain building.

“One-third of the food that you eat comes from a pollinator, and a honeybee is one of the biggest pollinators. If we don’t have our bees and take care of them, we won’t have them to pollinate,” said Lori Mowad, a beekeeper with Columbiana-Mahoning Beekeepers.

Money raised through the sale of bee honey and other items helps fund scholarships the group awards to kids between the ages of 12 and 18 who are willing to learn the art of beekeeping.

The fair runs through Labor Day, September 2. Find more information about hours and ticket prices here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.