It’s been a long, long, long wait for the tens of thousands of Mahoning Valley residents who relish the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of this region’s largest annual entertainment extravaganza better known as the Canfield Fair. After an excruciatingly long 104-week wait, the gates of the fair will swing open once again Wednesday for what promises to be one of the biggest and most memorable fairs in its proud 175-year history.

Yes, the anticipation for this annual summer closeout of fun in our region has reached a fevered pitch. But as it does, this year’s estimated crowd of 350,000 fairgoers must temper that fun with healthy doses of cautious and prudent behavior.

That’s because this year’s fair arrives smack dab in the middle of a disheartening surge in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in the nation, the state and the Valley. At last report, case numbers have risen to levels not seen in seven months due to the speedy spread of the particularly pernicious delta variant of the coronavirus.

And although the fair board is not requiring proof of vaccination for entry, socially conscious fairgoers would do themselves and the thousands around them on the fairground a favor by ensuring they are inoculated before entry. Health leaders in Ohio and worldwide have noted the current colossal uptick in cases almost exclusively has targeted the unvaccinated population.

For its part, the fair board is placing portable hand-washing and sanitizing stations conveniently throughout the massive fairgrounds. Mother Nature is cooperating, too, as temperatures are expected to drop from the recent insufferable 90s to the much more tolerable 70s during the fair’s six-day run through Labor Day. That climate will enable those who voluntarily choose to mask up to do so much more comfortably.

After all, no one should want COVID-19 worries to dampen enjoyment at the annual agricultural and industrial exposition. Dedicated fair board members and other planners have worked diligently throughout the past two years to put fresh new coats of enjoyment onto the renowned and expansive playground and learning lab. The fair takes in a whopping 353 acres filled with dozens of rides, concessions, food delights, animal barns, displays, stellar grandstand attractions and much more.

One new highlight this year that’s sure to please diehard fairgoers will be the sprawling exposition and event center, the crown jewel of a $4.5 million capital campaign in the community launched in 2019. We bet Junior Fair members will be particularly elated as the space at which they will exhibit stands about seven times larger than their previous barn.

New, too, this year will be Flock to the Fairgrounds, a public art project designed to celebrate 175 years of Canfield Fair traditions, promote the arts and raise money for the Canfield Fair Foundation. The project features about 20 6-foot-tall, highly decorated rooster sculptures adorned by Valley artists, including one sponsored by The Vindicator titled “Good Morning, Mahoning County” by talented artist Rick Muccio.

In other respects, however, much of the allure of the fair lies in its bedrock traditions. Though it has matured and diversified over the years to include a variety of city-slicker attractions and foods, the heart of the fair still rests deeply in its rich agrarian roots.

The Mahoning County Agricultural and Horticultural Society, founded at Canfield in 1846, established its Grand Annual Fair the next year to bring together the people and their products to compare notes and relate experiences. Today, that tradition endures with fresh farm products, livestock, poultry, pumpkins, antique tractors and other tools of the farming trade proudly on display.

And while we’re speaking of fair traditions, The Vindicator will return to the fairgrounds at its familiar spot directly in front of the grandstand. We welcome and encourage fairgoers to stop by the tent and exhibit to learn more about the newspaper, its mission and its staff. Several editors, columnists and other staff members also will be on hand daily to meet, greet and discuss any and all concerns you may have with the newspaper.

All in all, with a dash of coronavirus caution thrown in for good measure, this week’s milestone 175th Canfield Fair promises once again to live up to its lofty and long-running slogan: Something to Crow About!

editorial@vindy.com