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Ohio State Fair Cancelled For The First Time In 75 Years

The Ohio State Fair opened last year on July 24. 934,925 people attended the fair last year, a slight increase over 2018.
Daniel Konik
The Ohio State Fair opened last year on July 24. 934,925 people attended the fair last year, a slight increase over 2018.

For the first time since World War II, the Ohio State Fair won鈥檛 go on as scheduled. The fair was set to start on July 29.

鈥淚t hurts me for cancelling, but it鈥檚 the right thing to do," said General Manager Virgil Strickler.

Strickler sounded dejected in announcing that after two months of internal discussion, state fair commissioners have decided to cancel the fair鈥檚 12-day run, which brings in an average of 900,000 visitors.

鈥淟et鈥檚 say at 50 percent even, that鈥檚 450,000 people, around there. It鈥檚 just too scary. It鈥檚 too big of a mass gathering,鈥 said Strickler.

Strickler said since the fairgrounds hosts around 200 events, the fair couldn鈥檛 be postponed, and vendors need to plan.

The fair has a budget of around $7 million, and a rainy day fund of a million dollars. Strickler said the state fair has made money for 18 years, after several years of money-losing fairs and financial problems for the Ohio Expositions Commission in the '90s.

Strickler said it鈥檚 up to counties whether they鈥檒l hold junior fairs where kids usually compete to go on to the state fair.  Fair boards in Franklin, Jackson and Warren Counties have announced they will hold modified junior fairs.

DeWine has said several times he's a huge fan of the fair. At his daily briefing he said he'd been notified this decision was coming, and that this is a "sad day" and is difficult for junior fair competitors and their families.

Strickler said the Expo Commission is now working on planning the 2021 Ohio State Fair, scheduled for July 28-August 8.

It鈥檚 the first time since 1945 that the fair has been cancelled. The fair was called off from 1942 to 1945 while the fairgrounds were used for the war effort.

DeWine and then had , the mother of Tyler Jarrell, who died when a midway ride fell apart on the first day of the fair in 2017. DeWine had after that tragedy, which also resulted in a new state law requiring stronger fair ride standards and improved inspections.

Last year, DeWine had also appointed , which is just three miles away from downtown Columbus. The state is still negotiating with the Columbus Crew major league soccer team and the city of Columbus over land that the team and the city want to use for a training facility and a sports park. The Crew's Mapfre Stadium is adjacent to the fairgrounds.

Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit .

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio鈥檚 public radio stations, she鈥檚 reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau鈥檚 weekly TV show 鈥淭he State of Ohio鈥, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She鈥檚 also a frequent guest on WOSU TV鈥檚 鈥淐olumbus on the Record鈥, a regular panelist on 鈥淭he Sound of Ideas鈥 on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of 鈥淔ace the State鈥 on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for 鈥淧BS Newshour鈥. She鈥檚 often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club鈥檚 Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland鈥檚 US Senate debate in 2012.
Karen Kasler
Contact Karen at 614/578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.