The Ohio State Fair Fifty Year Club is looking for new members

SALEM, Ohio — If you visited the Ohio State Fair over a half-century ago, you are invited to join a club. The Ohio State Fair’s Fifty Year Club will hold its 83rd annual celebration during the State Fair in late July.

There are no membership fees or annual dues. The only requirement is that you attended the fair 50 years ago or more.

“We don’t go into detail about confirming and verifying things,” said Barb Prince, a longtime member of the club. “So it’s pretty loose in nature. They didn’t want everyone to have to follow up on a lot of paperwork. So even if you were brought here as a child and haven’t come since – that’s good enough for us.”

In her role as the Fifty Year Club liaison at the Ohio State Fair, Prince is responsible for all activities related to organizing and running the annual event, including setting up, working the grounds, and making sure the event’s speaker and honoree have everything they need.

Prince is a mainstay of the State Fair. “This is my 56th fair and I have been a fair liaison for at least 20 years,” she said.

Jill Nolan, president of the Ohio State Fair’s Fifty Year Club, isn’t entirely sure how the club was founded, but she knows its intentions well.

“They wanted to create an opportunity for people who were at the fair 50 years ago or more to have a little bit of socializing,” she said. “Many of these people knew each other from showing cattle or being in one of the project areas.”

“We’re trying to encourage people to bring their families and spend the day … at the fair and participate in the fair as well,” Nolan added.

Meet

The club’s board of directors meets several times a year to set the agenda for the annual meeting at the State Fair. Because the Ohio Expo Center and State Fair are undergoing several changes over the next few years due to Governor Mike DeWine’s Expo 2050 master plan, Nolan and the board invited Alicia Shoults, deputy executive director of the Ohio Expo Center & State Fair, to speak at the annual meeting.

The title of Shoult’s presentation is “New Footprint of the Ohio State Fair.”

“We thought it would be nice to have Alicia come and talk about what’s happening at the fair, because a lot of us probably won’t be around in 2050,” Nolan said. “They’ve already demolished some buildings and there are plans to build some new things, and she’ll chat a little bit about what the plans are for the next few years.”

Huge step

The club also honors an individual with the Giant Step Award, which is given to someone who has made a significant contribution to the Ohio State Fair. The award was first presented to Ohio Governor James Rhodes in 1977. This year’s recipient is DeWine.

“He has always supported the state and local fairs throughout Ohio,” Nolan said. “His children were in 4-H and participated in fairs, and now he is a grandfather and enjoys the fairs with his grandchildren. We thought it was very fitting to present the Giant Step Award to Governor Dewine.”

service

The club uses dues and donations for special projects at the state fairgrounds, including trees, planting, flower beds, and support of the Ohio State Band and Chorus.

“Ever since I joined the Fifty Year Club, her focus has always been on a project that involves helping with something at the fair,” Prince said.

During the fair, the Fifty Year Club will also present an exhibit documenting the evolution of the Ohio State Fair from its beginnings to the present day, allowing fairgoers to see how the event has changed over time.

Growing numbers

Sometimes the name of a group can cause confusion and the group wants to clarify the criteria for membership.

“I’ll tell you the biggest challenge,” Prince said. “People don’t understand when we say ‘Fifty Year Club.’ They automatically think, ‘Oh, I had to be at the fair for the 50th time.'”

To educate and recruit new members, Nolan and her committee are conducting an aggressive media campaign to return attendance to pre-COVID levels. Before COVID, the annual event averaged 100 to 120 people. Since then, the average has been nearly 90 people.

“We hope to attract a lot of people,” Nolan said. “I hope 100 to 150 people will come.”

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Who, what: Ohio State Fair Fifty Year Club Annual Meeting 2024

When where: July 29 at the Rhodes Center at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. The program begins at 10 a.m.

Why: Time to socialize, renew friendships and make new ones with people who enjoy the fair, view historical displays from past fairs, listen to short concerts by the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir and Band, attend an informative and brief business meeting which includes the presentation of the Giant Step Award. There will also be refreshments and admission fees.

How: Order tickets online: www.ohiostatefair.com/p/about-us/traditions/50-year-club

Call Barb Prince at 614-644-4052 or email her at [email protected]

Tickets should be requested by July 12th. Spontaneous visitors are also welcome.