What’s new at the 2021 Knox County Fair

MOUNT VERNON – Dustin Beheler doesn’t like to mince words.

And he didn’t recently, when asked to describe what it was like planning for the 2021 Knox County Fair, given the absence of all Senior Fair activities in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To be honest with you, it’s overwhelming. You’d think that it would just pick back up like it used to, but skipping last year, it was like starting the fair all over again it seemed like,” the fair board president said.

“There was a void there. We missed a year, but it’s not the same, as far as making sure you have everything lined up, having all the contracts in place, making sure everything is scheduled and all that. When you have a year gap, it’s really difficult.”

But the board made it happen, through long hours and community support. And next week, with the pandemic on the mend and fairs returning to normalcy statewide, the community will reap the benefits.

“I think it gives us a sense of hope or routine … It gives us normality,” Beheler said. “It’s a sign that everything is back to normal again.”

The Knox County Fair is set to return to full strength next week, bringing rides, live music and grandstand entertainment to Mount Vernon.

It will begin Sunday, July 25 and conclude Saturday, July 31.

Beheler said he expects a record turnout this year, given the lack of festivals and community events last summer.

“I’m thinking we’ll probably have the most well-attended fair we’ve ever had …” said Beheler, who regularly attends fairs around the state as a part of the tractor-pulling circuit. “The fairs I’ve been to (this year), it seems like their numbers are up.”

This has already proven to be true with the Junior Fair, where participation has returned to pre-pandemic levels, Junior Fair Coordinator Samantha Beheler said. There will be 943 student exhibitors at this year’s fair – displaying approximately 3,000 projects – up from 556 last year.

“It’s an incredible number for our youth in the community, the outpour that we’re getting …” said Beheler, noting that projects range from still exhibits to livestock. “I think we definitely have a great number, considering we’re coming out of a year that was not necessarily typical.”

In terms of grandstand entertainment, this year’s Senior Fair will look similar to the one in 2019.

It will feature a NTPA tractor pull on Sunday night; motocross and demolition drag racing on Monday night; autocross on Tuesday night; rough truck and side-by-side racing on Wednesday night; figure-eight racing and a demolition derby on Thursday night; motocross and a rodeo on Friday night; and a OSTPA truck and tractor pull on Saturday night.

Harness racing will take place July 24 and 26.

The Junior Fair will also function similarly. Each species will have market shows and showmanship competitions throughout the week, with the “Showman of Showmen” competition taking place Wednesday afternoon and the “Sale of Champions” slated for Thursday morning.

But this year’s fair will differ slightly in certain ways. Here’s what’s new:

SHOWCASE OF THE BANDS: Live music will return to the fair this year, taking place Thursday and Friday on the midway stage. The “Showcase of the Bands” will feature 17 local artists, and will be capped off by a two-hour concert on Friday night. Jess Kellie Adams, a Nashville-based country singer, will perform following the rodeo.

“We were hoping to get some form of entertainment back,” Dustin Beheler said.

The fair board chose to replace the traditional Friday night concert with a rodeo in 2019 for financial reasons, Beheler said. The low turnout and high overhead cost made the event unsustainable.

“We’re hoping that having this is a stepping stone to going to larger concerts in the future,” he said.

NEW BEER RULES: Beer will also become more widely available on the fairgrounds this year. It will be sold from various locations each evening (near the grandstand, upper track, and midway stage depending on the event schedule), and patrons will be able to drink most places, with the exception of Kiddie Land and the 4-H barns.

“We’re just asking people to be respectful,” fair board member Matt Jones said.

Beer was introduced to the fair in 2019, in the form of beer gardens, which permitted the sale and consumption of beer in certain fenced-off areas within the fairgrounds. The effort was hailed by board members as a success, as it netted $4,800 in profits and did not result in an increase in alcohol-related disturbances, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.

Jones, who serves as the fair board’s Beer Garden Committee chairman, said expanding access was a logical next step.

The fair board approved the decision in April, then took the idea to the Knox County Commissioners (who own the property) and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office (which polices it). Both entities signed off on the concept in May.

The fair board applied for its state liquor license in June, and received it shortly thereafter, Treasurer Cora Lyon-Eberhart said.

“I hope it (discourages people) from bringing their own stuff in, and it keeps things more controlled. Safety is our biggest thing,” Jones said. “If we provide it, we can monitor it, and we can watch for excessive drinking.”

Jones said walking around the fairgrounds this year “will be like walking around the Columbus Zoo,” with attendees able to carry beverages with them from place to place. Most fairs in Ohio operate this way, he added.

“We’re one of the last ones to get on-board with this,” Jones said. “This is a very common thing at most of your fairs.”

The rules, however, will be enforced strictly, Jones said. Patrons must be 21 or older to drink. Each customer will be ID’d, and will receive a wristband upon purchase. There will be signs posted and deputies monitoring to make sure beer is not taken into Kiddie Land or the 4-H barns.

Outside alcohol is not permitted on the fairgrounds, and patrons will not be able to leave with beverages purchased on the property.

“You may get ID’d two or three times, that’s just how it is,” Jones said. “We’ve gotta look out for us.”

Aluminum bottles of Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch Light and Michelob Ultra will be sold for $4 apiece.

“We think that’s pretty reasonable …” Jones said. “Go enjoy it. People go to concerts and tractor pulls, and they enjoy having an adult beverage with their family.”

NO RIDES SUNDAY: Rides will be provided by Bates Brothers Amusement Company, out of Wintersville, Ohio, again this year. But according to fair board member Kyle Atherton, they will not be operating Sunday due to staffing shortages.

“They’ll have the same amount of rides, it’s just they can’t have them Sunday,” Atherton said. “So they’re doing discounted wristbands for kids on Monday to try to make up for it.”

The pandemic hit the ride industry hard, Atherton said, as nearly all fairs and festivals in Ohio were canceled last summer. Four ride companies statewide survived, according to Atherton, down from the “15 or 20” that used to do business here before.

“None of them had any income last year,” he said.

While Bates Brothers was certainly impacted by the pandemic as well, Atherton said the company was able to stay afloat due to its diverse business portfolio (it also manufactures rides). The Knox County Fair was able to secure their presence this year through a three-year contract, which began in 2019.

“We already had them locked in,” Atherton said.

A NEW COMPETITION: Junior Fair exhibitors will have a new opportunity to shine at this year’s fair, when the first annual “Outstanding Market Exhibitor” will be crowned.

The competition will take into account each exhibitor’s skillathon, market show and showmanship scores. The exhibitor with the highest combined score across all species will win the award.

“This is new,” Samantha Beheler said. “We were hoping to launch it in 2020, but with COVID, we couldn’t. Some of those things had to be postponed until this year.”

By adding this competition, Beheler said organizers are hoping to reward the Junior Fair exhibitor with the most well-rounded skill set.

The skillathon score – known as the educational component of the fair – will be measured equally alongside market show and showmanship scores, which are often more reflective of physical training and nutrition.

“We are extremely excited for this opportunity to recognize the youth in another way,” Beheler said. “Just to give them another opportunity, another (piece of) recognition for their hard work and effort that they’re putting into their projects.”

For more information on this year’s fair, visit the Knox County Fair’s website.