(PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
RULES DISCUSSION … The board discusses swine regulations for upcoming 2025 Williams County Fair.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Williams County Fair Board was held on April 17th, starting at 7:00 p.m. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a roll call. Nine directors and two auxiliary members were present at the meeting, including President Pam Goll and Vice President Tom Fry.
The previous month’s meeting minutes were approved, as well as the Treasurer’s Report. There were no additions made during this time.
Several committee reports were presented. Matt Kennedy announced that the ticket office has ordered the blanks needed for the upcoming fair.
He plans to continue to work on switching the merchant services to an online usage. There has been no date set yet for the online ticket sales. Kennedy also mentioned that he submitted the quote for a new flagpole for the fairgrounds.
KOI racing ticket prices were discussed among the board members. Most counties in the surrounding area have significantly higher prices for their entry ticket costs.
It was suggested to increase the price for this year’s KOI racing events to $15. The motion was made and carried without objection.
President Pam Goll brought attention to the changing of rules for livestock. “All livestock need to arrive drug free,” Goll noted, as there cannot be any drugs in the system of market swine animals. This is for the safety and health concerns of the meat.
This requirement includes vaccines, dewormers, and anything with a withdrawal period. She implores participants to plan accordingly. “It’s a law, and we will follow the law,” affirmed Goll.
Tagging swine will also be changing for the fair of 2025 and 840 forms can be picked up for the registration of animals. The board scheduled a “tagging day” to be held on June 7th, when participants can come and tag their swine at fairgrounds.
Tagging day is a great opportunity to learn for those who are unsure of the process or the new rules. However, if the animal is already tagged accordingly (including the electronic tag necessary for competing), participants do not have to attend.
Official fair entries will be accepted from June 8th to August 5th. Livestock interviews are to be held on August 6th.
Katoe Winebernner reports that there are 407 4-H members and 100 volunteers this year.
The fair grandstand event schedule is as follows:
-Saturday, September 6th: Rodeo
-Sunday, September 7th: Horse Pulls
-Monday, September 8th: Band Show
-Tuesday, September 9th: Blue’s Brothers
-Wednesday, September 10th: Harness Racing and Concert from Julia Neville
-Thursday, September 11th: Youth Night
-Friday, September 12th: Derby
-Saturday, September 13th: KOI Racing
The board then moved on to discuss new business. This included a message from OSHA relating to the recent budget cuts, which could affect fairgrounds across Ohio.
OSHA provides help with funding for rides and concessions. The audit results were also returned, and there were no problems or findings against the Williams County Fairground.
The safety concerns of the Golf Cart and UTV policies were mentioned by Goll. Many UTVs can easily exceed speed limits, and this is hard to enforce during nightfall or on the camping grounds.
Goll mentioned she has been sent many videos of campers abusing the UTV rights, and she hopes to help create a safer place for all involved. This would include a proper certification of insurance, and if not presented, drivers would have to sign a waiver of liability.
She reminded others that they need auto insurance, as there is a common misconception that a homeowners insurance covers vehicles of any kind. “It’s not a free for all,” Goll explains, “it’s a liability. We can’t have that.”
With no other business to attend to, the meeting was adjourned at 8:18 p.m.