Dale Schulte, of the Putnam County Agricultural Society, speaks at the opening ceremony for the 2024 Putnam County Fair.
David Trinko | The Lima News
OTTAWA — If you’re expecting the same-old, same-old at the Putnam County Fair, you’re in for a surprise as soon as you walk through the main gate.
“There’s nothing new to see here, nothing at all,” emcee Eric “The Big Kahuna” Siewert joked as he stepped onto the stage Monday for the opening ceremony in front of the wood paneling adorning the front of the new Putnam County Event Center.
The venue occupies the space where the merchant and 4-H buildings sat at last year’s fair. Thanks to $3.5 million of American Rescue Plan funding and capital investments from the Putnam County commissioners, the $5.5 million event center is now a reality. The large, open venue has a modern feel to it, including attractive circle lights throughout the main area. It also has big windows on each end.
Its opening helped lead up to the theme for the 169th annual event, “A Fair Reimagined,” said Dale Schulte, president of the fair board. Everyone involved wanted to leave the fairgrounds a bit better than they found it.
“We, as a board, are trying to get to that point where we can self-sustain ourselves,” Schulte said. “This is going to help us do that. We’re going to be able to rent this out. You guys will be coming to weddings here, reunions, graduation parties. That’ll give us the ability then to have a revenue stream to come in and start repairing some of the buildings that we have.”
They’ve already seen improvements with a major overhaul of the grandstands, aesthetically putting siding on the old wood structure while also pouring new handicapped accessible ramps. There are also new pens in the hog barns, as well as more ventilation fans for the animals and their humans alike.
The early reviews were positive. Dignitaries speaking at the event, including U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green; state Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon; state Rep. Roy Klopfenstein, R-Haviland; and the county commissioners all spoke glowingly about the new space, which replaced a pair of block buildings.
While the crowd grew restless with all their speeches, it became focused when the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce conducted an official ribbon-cutting, thanks to the show-stealing smile of 4-year-old Eloise Prowant, who helped cut the ribbon with last year’s fair queen, Natalie Langhals.
The new structures can withstand winds as high as 140 mph, Putnam County Commissioner Vincent Schroeder said.
“But the real purpose of the fair is for our agricultural community to come together and compete against each other to see which kid or which family can raise the best hog, sheep, cattle, rabbits and chickens,” Schroeder said. “I’m looking forward to seeing who’s the best in the county.”
Latta, whose mother’s side of the family hails from the area near Pandora and Columbus Grove, acknowledged his wife will be participating in a senior hog show at the fair on Thursday night.
During a Monday evening ceremony, the fair crowned its king, Anthony Kahle of the OG Prize Winners, and its queen, Erica Kahle of the Kalida Sew N Sew. Monday night also included a veteran memorial presentation and a band show featuring bands from Columbus Grove, Continental, Fort Jennings, Kalida, Leipsic, Miller CIty and Ottawa-Glandorf.
The fair continues through Saturday, with events planned daily. The schedule can be found at PutnamCountyFair.com.
“I’d like to extend my warm wishes for a great week here at the fair, obviously celebrating our shared agricultural heritage that we enjoy here in Northwest Ohio and how important that is to our culture and how important it is to pass that value set on to the next generation,” McColley said.
Reach David Trinko at 567-242-0467 or on Twitter @Lima_Trinko.
