Laura Merrell
Managing Editor
Last Thursday night after editorial board, three members of the Voice staff and I piled into a bright banana-yellow car to go to the Wayne County Fair. I knew the fair in Wooster had been a long-standing tradition ever since the first one was held over two days in 1850. I couldn’t graduate without ever having experienced one of the oldest institutions in the town. Everyone I went with had their own agenda: Editor-in-Chief Dominic Piacentini ’15 wanted to figure out why he had agreed to take us, Sports Editor Anna Duke ’15 wanted to see the animals, and Viewpoints Editor Rachel Wortman ’15 and I were focused on the food.
The first event we sought out was the Demolition Derby. If you can look up the fair schedule on the official website and plan a trip around attending it, I highly suggest you do so. It’s chaotic, loud and exhilarating. The stands were packed, and the four of us leaned over the railing to watch dilapidated cars smash into each other. Next, I dragged Dominic to the Ferris wheel. Tickets for the rides are reasonably priced, but you can save money by buying an unlimited all-day pass. Once I got used to not facing the way we were going and feeling the seat rock beneath me, the Ferris wheel ride was exciting. I will admit those first few revolutions were a bit shaky.
Throughout the evening, the four of us made our way from one animal barn to another. We saw horses, goats and sheep of all breeds and dispositions. The highlight was seeing a horse so small it looked like a toy. Anna was thrilled to get up so close to these animals since she had never seen them in person before. About her experience, she recounts: “The fair brings out the inner country girl in me that has been dying to get out for 20 years.”
While the rides and animals are interesting, the fair is about food. Choices were eclectic and plentiful and represented the best in American cuisine including onion blossoms, fried cheese on a stick and deep-fried Twinkies and Oreos for the true cholesterol lovers. Rachel tried the fried cheese on a stick and said of that memory: “Cheese is milk’s jump toward immortality, and I ate that immortality battered and fried on a stick.” However, the one thing everyone must be sure to try at the fair is Lerch’s Donuts. They’re incredible. They do not have a fixed location or store front, so you have to check their website to see what events they’ll be in the area. During the fall, they have special pumpkin donuts. It’s everything delicious about a Pumpkin Spice Latte or pumpkin pie put into donut batter, fried, and waiting for you.
My newspaper colleagues and I set out to the fair this year with different goals, but we met them all. Anna got to commune with animals, Rachel and I ate fried food to our hearts’ content, and as Dominic put it, “I went to the Wayne County Fair to find myself, and I did.”
While this year was my first and last opportunity to visit the Wayne County Fair, I urge other students to go while they still have the chance. The entrance, ride and food fees are reasonable. They’ve had some excellent bands play in recent years (including the Beach Boys this year) and the Demolition Derby is a must-see event. If you’re a senior and disappointed that you missed out, there are still ways to experience aspects of the fair. Lerch’s Donuts will undoubtedly be making an appearance at Woosterfest, taking place this year Sept. 26-27. Go try some donuts. You won’t be disappointed.