1966 Ohio State Fair Ad

This weekend is the final weekend of the 2026 Ohio State Fair, so if you're pondering a visit, then this is your last chance. As you can see from the logo for the 1966 Ohio State Fair above, it used to run right into September.

Speaking of the 1966 edition of the Ohio State Fair, here are a few ads showing the entertainment headliners. Just like the 1976 Fair, it has an impressive lineup, including Bob Hope, Perry Como, Art Linkletter, the King Family, Jimmy Dean, Herman's Hermits, the Lovin' Spoonful, and Miss USA-World.

August 11, 1966

August 18, 1966

August 23, 1966

And here's the whole page showing the August 23rd ad. Hey, the big screen Batman movie was in local theaters at that time!

There's also an ad for Hanna House, subject of a few posts back here. (It was formerly known as Fior's Spaghetti House).

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So what was the Miss USA World pageant? It wasn't the same as Miss USA (written about extensively here through my posts about Jackie Mayer and Laurel Lea Schaefer). According to Grokipedia, " Miss USA World 1966 was a national beauty pageant organized in 1966 as part of a series of contests aimed at selecting an American representative for the international Miss World competition, amid ongoing legal disputes over similar naming conventions with established pageants like Miss USA. 

"The event, held at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus, Ohio, crowned 19-year-old Denice Estelle Blair of Layton, Utah, as the winner; she had previously held the title of Miss Utah and defeated entrants from 46 states.  

"The pageant, the fifth edition under the Miss USA World banner, was sponsored by figures including comedian Bob Hope and featured state preliminaries across the country, reflecting the era's growing popularity of televised beauty contests despite trademark conflicts. 

"The Miss USA World 1966 pageant took place on Saturday, August 27, 1966, at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus, Ohio. This venue, part of the ongoing 67th Ohio State Fair, drew an estimated audience of 32,000 spectators to the evening event, held in a spacious fairground arena suitable for large-scale presentations including swimsuit and evening gown segments."

So the appearance of Miss USA World at the 1966 Ohio State Fair made sense: the pageant actually took place at the Fair, and Old Ski Nose himself – Bob Hope, who was appearing at the Fair – was a sponsor of it.

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