Lovebirds wed at Canfield Fair
Hundreds celebrate marriage of iconic Rooster to Grace the Hen
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CANFIELD -- While the musical acts Sunday and today at the 180th Canfield Fair are major attractions, Saturday's big event involved two beloved figures that brought crowds together to celebrate their marital bliss.
The fair's longtime mascot, Rooster, married Grace, who debuted this year in a wedding ceremony that brought nearly 200 people to the gazebo area in the Western Reserve Village.
"This was so much fun for the community, and it talks about all the things that go out here for the families that come out here, our patrons and our vendors," said Canfield Area Court Judge Scott Hunter who officiated the wedding ceremony. He is also vice president of the Canfield Fair Board of Directors.
"It's just a really great time out here, and this is a way of celebrating it. Personally, I had my daughter and grandchildren here. It's just a great day, a little exclamation point and a lot of fun at the fair," Hunter said.
Later, the couple celebrated during the Rooster Wedding Reception and Dance Party on the concourse. Besides fairgoers, other mascots joined in the fun, including Tra's Gourmet Sandwiches, Rooster, Grace, Weichert Realtors' Kurt the Bear, the Canfield High School Cardinal, Zippy, the University of Akron kangaroo, St. John the Evangelist Catholic School BlueJay, Sharkie, the Chick-fil-A cow and a Blue Devil plus Heroes and Tiaras characters Buzz Lightyear, Spider-Man, Princess Tiana and Cinderella.
The public event found Rooster and Grace dancing to "Cotton Eye Joe," "YMCA." and, of course, doing the "Chicken Dance" with the other mascots and other well-wishers.
The couple cut a wedding cake and shared it with all the attendees as well as raised a glass of Ed's Cherry Cider, which is available at the fair, to toast their nuptials.
George Roman III, who is on the Canfield Fair Board of Directors, brought up the history behind the newlyweds.
In 1962, Grace Williams, who was an executive secretary of the fair, contributed the idea of having a rooster as the fair's mascot as well as coming up with the slogan "Something to crow about." In 1996, Rooster became the official mascot.
Grace, the mascot's name, is a tribute to Williams.
Fair Manager Skye N. Tancer stated, "I am beyond excited for Grace to be joining us. There is a long history. It's a beautiful addition."
In regard to Saturday's wedding and reception, Roman said, "It's just a great attraction for us. It's something different, something new. You have to think out of the box occasionally and we have 17 good directors who help in that matter. We have good employees that work for us that actually feed those ideas to us and then we just follow through with all of them."
Roman, who is celebrating his 40th year with the annual event, spoke about the changes he's seen over time to keep the fair relevant for generations.
"It's been a process but we try to stay active with all the new ideas and fads that are coming along. We have our computer set up. Now we register all of our vendors online. We do a lot of credit card exchanges here now, and that's what people have, that's what people want."
Rooster and Grace weren't the only ones celebrating. Carsyn McAtee, 8, of North Lima, said that she was excited that the wedding ceremony took place Saturday because it also happened to be her birthday.