CANFIELD — This year’s 174th Canfield Fair is reduced to just a Junior Fair and is limited to only families of the participants. It was the only move the fair board could make, with the state’s latest COVID-19 directives.

The Junior Fair is somewhat different than the adult fair. Junior Fair focuses on the youth and has been around for the past 89 years.

According to information supplied by the Canfield Fair Board, youth had been a part of the Mahoning County Fair (known today as the Canfield Fair) since about 1847. The youth would display animals, but didn’t have its own classes until 1931 when the “Junior Show” was intitiated. It began because of the large number of young people involved with various groups such as Grange and other youth clubs.

In 1934, to support the youth, the Junior Fair Building was constructed and opened. It became the centerpiece for the Junior Fair complex on the north end of the fairgrounds.

“Prior to the forming of the Junior Fair, all the youth groups were at the fair, but not under one umbrella,” said Junior Fair manager Kim Moff.

She said Junior Fair is made up of seven youth groups: 4-H, Junior Granges, Future Farmers of America, Farm Bureau Youth Council, Camp Fire, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

Moff said in 1989, she started working with the Junior Fair while serving as 4-H director at the OSU Extension Office in Canfield. In 1996, she was offered the position of Junior Fair manager as that part of the fair had grown so much.

Moff explained the purpose behind the Junior Fair.

“This teaches our youth responsibility, how to start and finish a project, lets them make new friends for a lifetime, and last but not least, lets them have fun,” she said.

Part of that fun is the Rooster Run, a 5K foot race that was just an idea eight years ago. The race is a fundraiser that uses the proceeds to help provide for new pens, storage areas, feeders, water troughs and any of the little things Junior Fair needs to make the facilities look good.

Race director John James said this year’s race will be different as it will be run as a virtual race. Anyone wanting to enter can do so by going to www.mcjrfair.com and clicking on the Rooster Run link. It will take the person to the Second Sole (Boardman) web page for the race. The $20 fee gets a person into the virtual race, a T-shirt and a finisher medal.

“It will go by the honor system,” James said. “You will have up til Labor Day to run 5K and report your time to Second Sole.”

He said this is the only way to hold the race that made sense for 2020. The county health department wanted groups of no more than 50 spread out by half-hour intervals. James said that would not have worked well at the fairgrounds.

“Next year we will be back bigger and better than ever,” he said.

As for Moff, she said this year’s Junior Fair is closed to the public and only immediate families will be allowed to attend. She wanted to use technology to allow everyone to see the fair and the youth with their animal projects. People can even become bidders for the animals via a virtual connection during the auction,

“We are going to try live feeds of the shows this year and post them on our website so everyone can see the Junior Fair, virtually,” she said. “This has been a true learning experience, especially for the kids. They have had to work harder than ever this year. It is a hard situation we are dealing with this year, but if there is a silver lining, it is the fact we are moving into our new home and getting use to it this year. Next year we can make it even better.”

The auction is an important aspect of the fair as the young person raises an animal and sells it at the fair, often using the money for a college fund.

jtwhitehouse@tribtoday.com