Allen County Fair kicks off

Aug. 20—LIMA — It truly is that time of year.

With the sun shining down on the fairgrounds and a light breeze carrying the mouth-watering scents of fair food, the 172nd Allen County Fair was officially kicked off Friday afternoon with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the grandstand plaza stage, signaling the beginning of nine days of entertainment, food and thrills for fair enthusiasts in Allen County and beyond.

After the presentation of the colors by the Marine Corps League 1063 and the playing of the national anthem, fair manager Troy Elwer addressed those in attendance, thanking fair organizers and community partners for helping to bring the fair to Allen County. With this being his first Allen County Fair as manager, Elwer was quick to point to all the partners and team members who helped him organize what he described as one of the top county fairs in the state.

"What many people don't realize is that, yeah, our fair's nine days long, but the actual prep that goes into planning this affair is about a year-long experience," he said. "If I were to sum up in one word what it takes to make this fair successful, it's teamwork. It's the fair employees in the office. It's our maintenance crew. It's our superintendents, our board of directors, our trustees, our volunteers, our advisors."

With this year's fair promising all the typical county fair amenities, such as rides, games, food and vendors, this fair also promises high-quality entertainment, including Saturday's grandstand concert featuring BRELAND and Chris Young.

"We also have a couple of new free entertainment opportunities," Elwer said. "On our midway, we've got Tumbleweed Crossing [a Western-feel comedy show,] and the Butterfly Encounter, as well as the Pompeyo Dog Show."

Pair that with the Junior Fair showing off all the hard work put in by the livestock exhibitors and there is a lot to experience at the Allen County Fair.

"Our mission here is to serve the general public in the community and hopefully help the community progress in a positive direction," Elwer said. "It's pretty surreal here when you come out for these nine days. But we need these nine days in order to fit in all this entertainment, everything we have to offer here."

For more information on this year's fair, go to http://limaohio.com/tag/fair.

Reach Craig Kelly at 567-242-0391 or on Twitter @cmkelly419.