2026 Ohio State Fair

Ohio's State Bird watches over the Cardinal Gate at the Fair

I went down to the Ohio State Fair on Saturday for the first time in about twenty-five or thirty years.

It's pretty different now from the last time I visited. The fairgrounds used to have a layout very similar to the Lorain County Fair. It had a big track in the middle and a grandstand for visitors to watch the concerts and attractions, with the whole thing surrounded by food vendors and buildings for the livestock. But I had forgotten that the track and grandstand were removed back in the 1990s. So it all looks very different.  The now-expanded Midway with all the rides practically rivals Cedar Point. And that's where all the biggest crowds were congregated. 

Back when I was a member of the All-Ohio State Fair Band in 1976, I knew the fairgrounds like the back of my hand. But now, with all the new, huge, buildings built in the last few decades – one for concerts, one with an incredible variety of sit-down restaurants, one that's like a mini IX Center, I had a hard time even finding the Rhodes Center, where I stayed during my time at the Fair. It's still the home of the All-Ohio State Fair Band. And it looks the same as it did in 1976. 

I was able to catch part of a concert by the current Band. They played their concert in the Rhodes Center auditorium rather than an outdoor venue such as the Natural Resource area or the Rhodes Center lawn. I never saw them 'ballyhoo' around the Fair either. But it was just as well, because it was hot.

For lunch, it was a Brady tradition to head over to the Schmidt's outdoor restaurant for a brat. Our family visited the main restaurant in German Village many times over the years, so we always hit the Fair outlet too. My bratwurst was excellent of course. It was so big I couldn't even fit it all in the photo!

Another Brady tradition was to go see the Butter Cow, in the Dairy Building. In the old days, you just had to know it was in there – there was no sign outside. But that's not the case now.

And just as before, it's virtually impossible to take a photo of the buttery bovine without some reflection from the many windows showing up in the picture. But I like the top-hatted calf; that's some well-dressed veal.

I saw as much of the Fair as I could. The Bricker Building had information booths and exhibits from all the government agencies. In the ODOT booth, I was surprised to see a display of vintage die-cut highways signs from the old days. They looked like the real thing to me. The numbers are actual highways in Ohio.

But for me, the high point of my visit to the Fair was yet another Brady tradition: going to see Smokey Bear in the Natural Resources Park. I hadn't yet seen the new animatronic version that was installed in 2015. It replaced the Smokey that had been there since 1959 (the year I was born).

Smokey looked great. He's animatronic, but curiously didn't move his arms while I was there – just his muzzle when he talked. I was a little disappointed that no attempt was made by whoever was doing his voice to mimic the gruff, low, familiar sound of the real Smokey that we all remember from TV and radio commercials. The Ohio State Fair Smokey just sounded like a young, glib car salesman. Kids seemed to stay away from him out of fear.

What was neat, though, was that behind Smokey was a historic 60-foot steel lookout fire tower that was originally built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps in Pike County. It was moved to the fairgrounds in 2016. It used to be slightly taller but was shortened when moved and reassembled.

Soon, it was time to go, and I bid farewell to the Ohio State Fair – probably for good. It was interesting going back after so long but I felt a little wistful. The Fair I remember is long gone, but the current one is arguably better now – bigger, with more rides, more air-conditioned buildings and more family-friendly activities.

But my consolation is that Lorain County Fair time – my favorite time of year – is almost here. And I can't wait.

1976 Ohio State Fair Program

My opportunity to be a member of the 1976 All Ohio State Fair Band remains one of the great, unforgettable experiences of my life. 

That's me, almost in the dead center of the band

Performing with such a large group of excellent high school musicians, and being able to be at the State Fair for several weeks was a big thrill. It's something I think about every year when the State Fair opens. I can hardly believe it was 50 years ago, during the nation's bicentennial year.

I did miss the summer band camp of the Admiral King Marching Band, and the photo taken for the football program. But it was worth it.

Anyway, a few years ago I picked up a copy of the 1976 Ohio State Fair program on eBay, and the memories came flooding back. It's interesting to flip through it and get a little taste of the Fair that year. Check out the incredible lineup of entertainers, including Johnny Cash, The Osmonds, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Tanya Tucker, Lynn Anderson, Neil Sedaka, John Davidson, Pat Boone, Mac Davis, The 5th Dimension, Telly Savalas, KC & The Sunshine Band, and Dan Fleenor's Hurricane Hell Drivers – wow!

Since Borden was a sponsor of the Ohio State Fair, and was headquartered in Columbus at that time, the program was full of company ads. Here's a great one with our favorite dairy cow Elsie, as well as her husband Elmer (of Elmer's Glue fame) and their calf, Beauregard.

Much of the program consisted of pages with the Fair schedule. Here are two of them. Band members used these to decide what to do with our free time (what little there was of it). It was fun going to the various pavilions where live TV shows were being broadcast from the Fair, including TV icons Flippo the Clown (from Columbus) and Bob Braun (from Cincinnati).

I've written before how sad all of the band members were during our last performance on the grounds of Rhodes Center, our home during the Fair. Kids were crying and choking back tears; we just didn't want it to end. (One reason I didn't want it to end was that I had a crush on the trombone player sitting next to me; I wonder where she is today?)

Anyway, while the rest of the band members were packing up to go home, those of us who were in the 1976 All Ohio State Fair Stage Band (including me) got to stay a little longer, pretty much until the end of the Fair. It was odd without all the other band members there, but it was still fun. 

Here's our group shot, which I haven't posted before. I still remember the names of the two of the other trombone players.

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Be sure to visit my original All Ohio State Fair Band post where I go into more detail about my experience as a band member. I also write about 'meeting' Colonel Sanders, and seeing Bob Hope and Red Skelton up close.

1976 All-Ohio State Fair Band Panoramic Photo

Well, the great Ohio State Fair opens today, so it’s a good time for me to post this photo. It shows the 1976 All-Ohio State Fair Band.

I spent two weeks down at the Fair that year as part of this group, which I wrote about here. Even as a crusty 58-year old, I still get a lump in my throat when I think about how much fun it was.

Fellow Admiral King High School Band member Dave Szabo was a member of the State Fair Band too that year. Consequently, we missed summer band camp, as well as being in the AKHS marching band photo for the 1976 football program – but it was worth it.

The All-Ohio State Fair Band tradition continues today (here’s the link to its website).

As for the photo, I still remember the day they took it because we had to sit perfectly still for what seemed like a long time while the panoramic camera did its job. It was a sunny morning, too, and I was really squinting.

To reproduce the photo here on the blog, I had to scan it in pieces and reassemble it, so there’s a visible seam (sorry about that). But since this photo is nowhere else on the internet, I thought it would be nice to post it.

And since the blog software automatically reduces large jpegs to a maximum of 22” wide, here it is below in larger, cropped sections (in case some 1976 Band members would like to pick themselves out in the crowd.

The red, white and blue personalized jumpsuits we wore (remember, it was the Bicentennial year) were a little gaudy, but they created a distinctive look for the Band – especially the groovy scarves that would look right at home around the neck of Fred on Scooby-Doo.

(By the way, your humble blogger is in the bottom photo, in the back row with the other trombone players, seventh from the end.)

1976 All-Ohio State Fair Band

With the Ohio State Fair currently underway in Columbus, I've been thinking all week of one of my most memorable experiences: being a member of the 1976 All-Ohio State Fair Band.

The All-Ohio State Fair Band was founded in 1925, and has entertained fairgoers ever since. It has also provided high school musicians from all over the state with a unique educational experience.

To get into the Band, the student musicians must be recommended by their hometown band director. It was originally an all-male group, but the organization welcomed females for the first time in 1975.

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Rhodes Center was our home away from home on the fairgrounds and served as the barracks. The operation was very disciplined, like the army. Each day began with Reveille and inspection of our bunks. There was also a lights-out ritual at night.

We first arrived at the fairgrounds a few days before the fair opened. For many of the kids, it was the first time they had ever been away from home. Soon, however, we were too busy rehearsing the music to have time to be homesick. We learned dozens of concert pieces and many short marches that we would perform while parading around the fairgrounds.

Often, we would split into two bands for separate assignments around the fair. But the best time was when the whole band played a concert, such as at the Coliseum or at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources area. Considering the fact that we only had a few days to rehearse, the sound was quite impressive and a tribute to the director, Omar P. Blackman.

Two weeks was a long time to be at the fair back then (it's much shorter now), and we did get some free time now and then just to have fun. I remember hitting some of the freak shows with a few buddies. We also got to see some of the Grandstand shows; I remember a Fair employee allowing a few of us to sit in the front row for both Bob Hope and Red Skelton.

Other sights and sounds of the fair are etched permanently in my mind.

There was the annoying Bobo the Clown, perched above one of those ubiquitous dunk tanks, constantly heckling passers-by and "looking for a ballplayer" to take a chance and try to hit the target that would drop him into the water. Although there were a few different Bobo's at the Fair, there was one that was particularly nasty; quite a few bandsmen tried to dunk him!

There was a Dutch Apple Pie stand that was right next to Rhodes Center. A tape recorded message describing this delicacy was looped to blast continually through a loud speaker, and after hearing the description for the 100th time, apple pie was the last thing you wanted to eat.

During one of our marches around the fairgrounds, we stopped and played "Happy Birthday" for Colonel Sanders! I remember being pretty excited but shocked at how short he was.

Living in close proximity to cows and goats made sleeping a challenge. I'll never forget trying to fall asleep in my bunk, lying there listening to the various animal sounds coming from the barns nearby. (There was no air conditioning so the windows were open.)

We also got to be on TV several times, performing on several local Columbus and Cincinnati shows, including the Bob Braun Show! We made a record too (at right).

But the thing that I remember most about the All-Ohio State Fair Band was how sad it was when we played our last concert. I remember many kids bawling; we had enjoyed it so much that we didn't want it to end.

I still get goosebumps when I hear the Stars and Stripes Forever, the traditional closing tune at our concerts.

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The All-Ohio State Fair Band has its own website and a facebook page too. So, if you were lucky like me to be a part of this organization, then there are plenty of online resources for you to enjoy. Better yet, join the alumni association and consider playing on Alumni Day next year! I'm thinking about it!