Ohio
2024 Ohio Fairs Hall of Fame inductees announced – Farm and Dairy
STOW, Ohio — The Ohio Fair Managers Association inducted Bev Fisher, CFE, Mahoning County Fair; Candace Tripp, Marion County Fair; Cindy Woodman, Lake County Fair; Robert Buxton, Coshocton County Fair, and Dan Kimmett, Allen County Fair, into the Ohio Fairs Hall of Fame Class of 2024 on Jan. 7 in Columbus during the 99th annual Ohio Fairs Convention and Marketplace Tradeshow.
Bev Fisher CFE, Mahoning County Fair
Bev Fisher began her career at the Canfield Fair in 1991 as a secretary and became the fair manager four years later. She built her career in a variety of roles for the Canfield Fair and its Board of Directors. Fisher obtained her CFE designation from the International Association of Fairs & Expositions in 2008. She has attended the Ohio Fair Managers Convention for over 25 years, the IAFE convention for 20 years and IAFE zone meetings for 10 years. She has been a presenter for OFMA and IAFE many times and served for 16 years as a director at large on the OFMA Board. Fisher also managed and grew the Ohio Fairs’ Queen Program for 13 years. She served as chair of guest relations for 13 years; served on the audit, budget and legislative committee, and was vice chair of the program committee.
She worked to overhaul the program from the annual convention in 2014 and served on the Ohio Department of Agriculture fiscal report committee, working with the auditor of state to streamline the annual reporting document. She was also instrumental in the 2018 revision of the law and rules that govern Ohio Fairs in the Red Book. Fisher served on the political action committee for the OFMA and traveled to the statehouse to testify on Ohio fairs legislation many times.
She has been a great asset to many fairs that have called upon her knowledge and is truly a blessing to this state association. Fisher and husband Randy, whom she married in 1987, enjoy working on their family farm together.
Candace Tripp, Marion County Fair
Candace “Candy” Sawyer Tripp, whose career at the Marion County Fairgrounds reaches back to 1990, has become a pillar of knowledge, serving as secretary/manager and treasurer for over 30 years. She has been married for 16 years and resides in Punta Gorda, Florida, with husband Dan and pup Cooper. She has three daughters and five grandchildren, all of whom have worked with her in the office at one time or another. Tripp has worked diligently on bringing a diverse crowd to Marion over the years, expanding off-season events from just four in 1990 to a combined total of 45 weeks of off-season events and fundraisers.
She was awarded the Marion Area Convention and Visitors Bureau’s 2017 Tourism Ambassador Award. She was also an officer on the Marion Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, a member/treasurer and on the financial committee of Epworth United Methodist Church and a charter member of the Marion County Special Wish Foundation from 1983 to 1995. She attended 28 OFMA conventions and presented at a few round table discussions at the IAFE Convention.
In 2000, Tripp helped the Marion County Agricultural Society pass a .3-million-dollar levy for capital improvements to the Coliseum and grounds, and she has helped organize and promote grants for restroom renovations, new sheep pens and electrical upgrades with grant funds over $300,000. Tripp retired in 2017 but returned in 2022 after her replacement left, again, proving her dedication to the Marion County Fairgrounds.
Cindy Woodman, Lake County Fair
Cindy Woodman has provided outstanding service to the Lake County Fair for over 29 years. Since the time of her election as a director in 1994, she has been an innovator on the Lake County Fair Board and her hard work, out-of-the-box thinking and countless contributions have helped the fair keep going and growing. Woodman had a very active 4-H career as a youth and was heavily involved in saddle horse. Following that, she raised daughters Stephanie and Samantha while successfully operating her concession business, The Pony Express, and serving the Lake County Fair.
She served as fair board vice president for six years and as concession manager for the past 20 years. She has actively participated on the audit, concessions, finance, fine arts, gates, historical, horse, marketing and rent committees over the years. Woodman is a broad thinker and visionary whose creativity has led to the addition of popular exhibits. Through her hard work, management and guidance as rent committee chair, non-fair rentals have grown, and she was also an integral part of changes in the concession and ticket areas which have led to continual growth of fair-time revenues. While serving as saddle horse chair, she brought in such popular events as cutting and roping which included a celebrity class of local public and elected officials, a huge and highly competitive open show and a locally designed and operated Wonderful World of Horses event which educated the public on different breeds of horses and their characteristics. Woodman was also instrumental in bringing a nondenominational Sunday church service to the show ring.
Woodman is a regular participant in the OFMA District Nine Round Tables, OFMA Spring Meetings, OFMA Convention and IAFE Zone Meetings and is an active member of the Greater Ohio Showmen’s Association. She has participated in OFMA conventions for more than 25 years. A past recipient of ODA’s Outstanding Fair Supporter award, she was also recognized by GOSA as Concession Manager of the Year and is a member of the Lake County Fair Hall of Fame.
Robert Buxton, Coshocton County Fair
Robert “Bob” Buxton served for 45 years as a director of the Coshocton County Fair, during which time he has seen and been involved in all aspects of the fair. He has served on all the committees and has been in every seat as a director and officer. From the Art Hall to the livestock displays, Buxton has been involved in raising funds for all departments of the fair, including paving, roofs, grandstand rehabilitation, animal pens, building additions and anything that has to do with improving the fair experience. He travels to other fairs around the state and across the country to bring back ideas to improve the fairs in Ohio and is the first one to show up for workdays and to help recruit and train new directors.
As a district director, Buxton served with honor and represented District 8 to the best of his ability. Buxton is a past president (2016-2017) of the OFMA and still helps anyone or any fair. His selfless service to the fair industry is unmatched. He was married for 37 years to his late wife Beverly Buxton and has two children, Emily and Jesse, and five grandchildren, Nathan, Julia, Beverly, Eliza and Jay. He enjoys spending time with his fiancé Christina Slaughter.
Dan Kimmett, Allen County Fair
Dan Kimmett has been instrumental to the growth of the Allen County Fair, serving as board vice president for eight years and president for 13 years and being the catalyst in acquiring land from Walmart to increase the acreage of the fairgrounds property. He has served on every committee that was established and has shown a deep commitment to educating youth. His footprint on the state level includes being a director of OFMA since 2004, director of the year in 2006 and president from 2012-2013.
Outside of the fairgrounds, Kimmett has left his mark on the community and was recently honored as an inductee to the Delphos St. Johns Hall of Fame. He has been married to his wife Cindy for 41 years and has two sons, Erik and Nathan, and two grandchildren. Kimmett was key to introducing the National Trappers, Motorcycle Races and 4-Wheel Jamboree as staple events year-round. He also left his mark by starting the super stakesraces, the Dunlap-Renner Memorial and Doc-Steiner Classic. The Allen County Fair considers Kimmett the backbone to many of the fair’s successes over the years.
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The U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 was a monumental, year-long celebration marking the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Coming in the aftermath of the turbulent 1960s, the political disillusionment of the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974, and the capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese and the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the Bicentennial served as a crucial moment of national healing.
The festivities culminated on the Fourth of July 1976, with spectacular events staged across the country. The most enduring legacy of the celebration in Columbus is Bicentennial Park, located in the Downtown riverfront area along the Scioto River.
Dedicated on July 4, 1976, this 4.7-acre green space was built to permanently commemorate the nation’s 200th birthday. The park’s initial centerpiece was a massive fountain system featuring four circular pools that could shoot water 60 feet into the air.
From May 22 to June 2, 1975, Columbus served as the 11th official stop for the American Freedom Train. This massive, steam-powered rolling museum carried more than 500 priceless historical artifacts – including copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution – across all 48 contiguous states.
The train was displayed at the Defense Construction Supply Center [DCSC] in Whitehall and drew massive crowds of local families. Columbus held a special distinction during the tour: it was one of only three cities nationwide where the “Splendid Spirit” car was included with the train.
Warren Motts, the founding director of Motts Military Museum in Groveport, traveled with the train for its entire 25,000-mile journey, capturing the official photos that documented this historic event.
Beyond these massive metropolitan events, the true spirit of the Bicentennial thrived at the grassroots level. The American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA) encouraged local communities to form their own committees, leading to thousands of unique municipal projects.
Towns across the nation hosted local parades, commissioned historical murals, dedicated new parks, and sealed time capsules intended for the tricentennial in 2076.
It also triggered a resurgence of interest in local history and genealogy, as everyday citizens sought to trace their own roots back to the nation’s founding eras.
The civic energy and patriotism generated by the 1976 celebrations also helped pave the way for other major local traditions. Just a few years later, in 1981, Columbus launched its annual Red, White & Boom! celebration, which grew into the largest Independence Day fireworks display in the Midwest—a tradition deeply rooted in the community pride revived during the Bicentennial era.
Get involved in America 250 at your library this year! Visit columbulibrary.org for a full list of America 250 events.
Angela O’Neal is Local History & Genealogy Manager with the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
NORTHEAST OHIO (WOIO) – Thousands are without power Friday after severe weather sweeps across Northeast Ohio counties, creating weather-related damage.
FirstEnergy reports more than 71,000 in Northeast Ohio are without power Friday night.
More than 22,000 are without power in Cuyahoga County.
The utility company reports that more than 700 are without power in Erie County.
Lake County reports over 1,000 outages, and Portage has over 4,000 outages.
Trumbull County is experiencing over 1,000, and Ashtabula reports over 3,000.
Lorain County is experiencing more than 3,000 reported outages, and Geauga County has more than 7,000.
Medina County reported more than 1,000.
Chardon fire crews field wave of storm calls
The Chardon Fire Department shared the calls it responded to concerning storm damage Friday evening.
Fire crews said they responded to a tree in a house at 127 Burlington Oval.
The department said a tree fell on a gas line, causing a gas leak at 408 Charleston Avenue.
Wires were reported down on South Claridon Road, closing State Route 44 near South Street.
Wires were reported down on a house near Irma and South Hambden.
Fire crews said a tree was reported down on a home at 306 North Hambden.
The department also said alarms went off at UH Geauga Hospital.
Downed wires also closed Auburn and Twing roads.
The department said power was out on the south side of Chardon City.
Another tree was reported to have fallen into a house at 109 Burlington Oval, but no injuries were reported.
Fire crews said an incident involving a tree in a house and electric lines was reported at 11396 Aquilla Road, but no injuries were reported.
Fallen tree takes out power line in Independence
The city of Independence said a downed tree took out a live power line on lower Stone Road.
The city asked the public to avoid the area because of the danger posed by live wires.
The city said FirstEnergy had been notified and both police and firefighters were on scene.
Downed wires prompt closures across Hambden
The Hambden Fire Department said Friday night it was dealing with multiple storm-related incidents.
Crews said Claridon Troy Road was closed between Route 608 and Chardon Windsor Road because of downed poles and wires.
Kenny Drive was closed south of Leaders Mobile Home Park because of downed wires across the road, according to fire crews.
Multiple wires were reported down on Route 6 near Cutts and Grant Street along the north side of the road.
The department said the public should use caution in areas with downed wires and poles and should not attempt to move any of the wires.
Anyone with an electrical emergency or who encounters downed wires is asked to call 9-1-1.
Hambden Fire said people should not call 9-1-1 to report an outage.
The department said FirstEnergy is aware of these issues and is working to fix them.
Check FirstEnergy’s, AEP’s, and Cleveland Public Power’s websites for the latest outage numbers.
These outages come after severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for multiple Northeast Ohio counties this evening and were extended until 10:45 p.m.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Friday, July 3
Downtown Columbus: Billed as the Midwest’s largest fireworks show, Red, White & BOOM! takes place along the Scioto Mile. The fireworks show starts at 10:00 p.m. More information can be found on the event’s website.
Bexley: Festivities at Capital University begin at 6:00 p.m., with a fireworks display starting at 10:00 p.m.
Buckeye Lake: The Buckeye Lake Area Star Spangled Tradition (BLASST) fireworks display will take place at approximately 10:00 p.m. The primary viewing area is at Fairfield Beach, Lake Shore Drive NE, Thornville.
Canal Winchester: First Friday at Loose Rail Brewing will feature a fireworks show at approximately 9:00 p.m. The brewery will also show Red, White & BOOM! on big screens.
Gahanna: Activities start at 5:00 p.m. at the Gahanna Municipal Golf Course and the fireworks show is at 10:00 p.m.
Newark: Central Ohio Technical College and Ohio State Newark campus will host festivities with live music and food trucks at the Martha Grace Reese Amphitheatre, culminating with a fireworks display at dusk (approximately 10:00 p.m.).
Pickerington: The city’s fireworks show starts at 10:00 p.m.
Reynoldsburg: Festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. at Civic Park, with fireworks starting at 9:45 p.m.
Saturday, July 4
Chillicothe: Fireworks are scheduled to begin at approximately 9:45 PM from the Yoctangee Park Annex.
Circleville: AMVETS Post 2256 will host food trucks, live music, and a fireworks display after dark.
Clintonville: Whetstone Park of Roses hosts a live music event followed by fireworks at 9:45 p.m.
Delaware: Fireworks will launch from the city’s Cherry Street property at 10:00 p.m.
Dublin: Independence Day Celebration activities wrap up with fireworks at 9:50 p.m. at Dublin Coffman High School.
Grove City: Fireworks will launch from Murfin Fields at 9:45 p.m.
Hilliard: Freedom Fest takes place at Roger Reynolds Municipal Park with fireworks starting around 9:45 p.m.
Lancaster: A full day of celebrations culminates with fireworks at dusk at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds.
Marysville: Fireworks at approximately 9:00 p.m. at the Union County Fairgrounds.
New Albany: The July 4th Festival ends with fireworks at 10:00 p.m. at New Albany High School.
Upper Arlington: The annual Party in the Park begins at 5:00 p.m. at Northam Park, followed by fireworks at 10:00 p.m.
Westerville: Evening festivities and food trucks can be found at the Westerville Sports Complex until the fireworks show begins at 10:00 p.m.
Worthington: The city’s celebration concludes with fireworks launched from Thomas Worthington High School at 10:00 p.m.
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