Family Day boasts tons of fun for all ages

JEFFERSON — Family Day at the Ashtabula County Fair is always high energy with lots of things for children of all ages to do.

Children 14 years and under will be admitted free to the grounds all day. An all day ride pass is $7.

The fun begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday with registration for a bicycle drawing and Find Pennies in Sawdust competition by the FFA building.

As crowds of grandparents, parents, teens and children flock to the fairgrounds, they will find several new rides, games and vendors.

Last year, Madison and Lexie Colucci, 12-year-old twins from Conneaut, rode a heart-shaped ride that was part swing and part twirls.

Hannah Johnson, 18, of Pierpont, hopped on the bull ride machine — and was thrown off in 17 seconds.

Families often stand in long lines at all of the rides on Family Day, but no one seems to mind. Lots of kiddie rides keep the younger set occupied while the older kids look for thrill rides.

Renee Burns of Austinburg plans on taking her daughter, Rosie Miller, 3, to ride the ponies on the west side of the fairgrounds.

“She loves the pony rides,” Burns said.

Rides are not the only attraction on the midway; there will be several carnival games of chance.

Connor Ogeka, 8, of Ashtabula, plans on trying his luck by throwing ping-pong balls into fish bowls at the Gold Fish game.

If a child doesn’t win a prize, several vendors along the midway will be selling everything from stuffed animals, flags, T-shirts, toys and more.

The Junior Fair Board will host several games for Family Day, including a Tic Tac Toe Relay, Bucket Ball Toss and Egg and Spoon Race by the FFA Building.

In addition to games, many families tour the animal barns, where they can find horses, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, rabbits and even guinea pigs.

Harness racing will take place in front of the grandstands at 11:30 a.m., where families can cheer on their favorite horse and sulky driver.

Animal shows and showmanship take center stage throughout the day as 4-H’ers plan to show their animals in the MAC, Show and Saddle Horse arenas.

For lunch and dinner, folks often line up at the Jefferson Grange for their famous roast beef sandwiches and homemade pies.

Vendors offer sausage sandwiches, tacos, hot dogs, hamburgers, steak on a stick, barbecue chicken, pizza, french fries, sloppy joes, as well as Chinese and Greek food.

Kettle corn, snow cones, cotton candy, candy apples and flavored pork rinds offered tasty snacks, and the Holstein Club provided fairgoers with milkshakes.

More than 35 booths will be set up in the air-conditioned Expo Building providing information on about everything related to parenting, including organizations and non-profit agencies that offer financial assistance, as well as church groups and vendors selling their wares.

Lisko Amusements will provide the rides from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 6-11 p.m.

Derbydog Rough Truck and Half-Car Races will take place in front of the grandstands, beginning at 7:30 p.m. with $5 admission price.

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