Royalty contest and opening ceremony moved to Friday night
COSHOCTON – The junior fair royalty contest and opening ceremony will be held on a new date and time during this year’s Coshocton County Fair.
The event was previously held on Saturday morning of the fair at the Rotary Pavilion, but this year it will be held at 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 27, in Hunter Arena.
“We are trying to get more people from our programs there,” said Ron Seitz, who is part of the fair royalty committee. “I’ve been coming to the fair since 1984 and I’ve never been to an opening ceremony because Saturday morning at the fair is a busy time.”
This is Seitz’s sixth year on the fairboard and he’s been a 4-H advisor for 27 years. His family also shows cattle and Saturday morning is weigh-in for market steer and feeder calf. The poultry show and open horse show also are on Saturday morning.
“The only thing we have going on Friday night is the truck and tractor pull and that goes on all night long so we should be able to have kids, their parents, families and as many people as possible at the opening ceremony,” Seitz said. “In the past I’ve understood there has been a very small crowd.”
The move also eliminates any concerns about the weather.
“If it rained you could only put so many people under the roof of the Rotary Pavilion,” Seitz said. “Here that’s not a question and we also have plenty of seating at Hunter Arena. The kids up there vying for king and queen deserve as much support as other Saturday morning events.”
He added that the committee has heard from royalty from 50 different counties who plan to attend the Friday evening event.
“My goal is to get as many people there as possible and more than in the past,” Seitz said. “I want to start the fair on a high note.”
After the ceremonies, a junior fair extravaganza will start at 7 p.m. in Hunter Arena.
“The idea is to start the fair off with a big bash, something to get the kids excited for the week,” Seitz said.
There will be a DJ, pizza, and the first 200 kids to attend will receive a shirt from the Coshocton County Farm Bureau.
“We’ve told the 4-H kids to bring your friends,” Seitz said. “We want people to realize that 4-H is more than livestock. We do other things. We’re hoping they see 4-H is a lot of fun and they’ll get interested in becoming part of the program.”
Category: Arts & Entertainment
