Canfield Fair Day 4: A day at the races and more

CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) — Saturday marks Day 4 of the 178th Canfield Fair. Though a demolition derby topped off Day 3, there is still plenty more to see and do as we move through the Labor Day weekend.

Harness racing kicks off at 11 a.m., with nine races slated at the Grandstand before the Wiener Dog Derby starts at 2:30 p.m.

Woody Woolman is on the board of directors with the Mahoning County Agricultural society. He says there will be over 40 dogs racing in the derby, most of them local. A two-time champion racer is returning to this year’s finals.

“This year, [the Weiner Dog Derby] is a standalone event,” Woolman said. “We’ll have a good 45 minutes of pure weiner dog action!”

The night’s main attraction? The Championship Truck and Tractor Pull, which starts at 7 p.m. at the Grandstand.

If all that racing makes you hungry, The Apple Cart – a tradition almost 70 years old – might have some of your favorite treats, including candy and caramel apples, cotton candy, popcorn and more.

Barry Bunts says his family’s Apple Cart has been at the Canfield Fair for almost 70 years. His grandmother started selling treats in the 1930s and 1940s, and in 1955 Bunts’ father started selling treats at the fair.

“It’s just the joy that it brings people,” Bunts said. “Just a simple candy apple, or cotton candy, or whatever somebody’s favorite treat is. But they’ll come back, year after year, and say, ‘Oh, we used to come here with our parents, or with our grandparents, and we come back here year after year.'”

What started as a part-time gig eventually turned into a fulltime job for Bunts’ father. Bunts started helping when he was 8 years old, selling snow cones. Now that they keys belong to him, he’s looking to continue his father’s legacy.

“I didn’t want to see that tradition my father started all those years ago just go away,” Bunts says. “I travel to all these different fairs every year, and you have friendships at all of them. You’ve been here so many years. You might see that person only once a year, but they’re excited to see you.”

Bunts says over the last few years, he’s been able to expand the business, attending fairs and events throughout the East Coast. But he makes sure he’s home in Canfield this time of year to continue the tradition at his hometown fair.

Also at the Canfield fair is a local group focused on keeping fairgoers as safe as possible.

Susan Viars, with Mahoning County Safe Communities, stressed the importance of driving sober or having a designated driver, especially with the recent legalization of recreational marijuana use.

“We just want to make sure that everyone, whether they’re local or they’re from out of town, that they’re safe and that they keep our citizens safe as well,” Viars said.

And it’s not too late to win a grill just in time for the Labor Day weekend. Bass Pro Shops is holding a free-to-enter raffle for a grill and griddle combo. For those interested in becoming Bass Pro club members, information is available at the shop’s tent.

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