1961 Ohio State Fair with Huck, Yogi & Charlie Weaver

I was thinking the other day how it might be nice to go to the Ohio State Fair this year. It's been quite a while since I've been to one. Then I discovered that the Fair is already in progress, running from July 24 to August 4th. So the first weekend of it has already come and gone.

I'm still used to the Fair running much later in the summer. I was down at the 1976 Ohio State Fair for the entire run, first as a member of the All-Ohio State Fair Band, and then for a few additional days playing in the All-Ohio State Fair Stage Band. During that whole time I stayed with the other high school musicians in the barracks at the Rhodes Center (originally called the Youth Center).

Being in the All-Ohio State Fair Band was one of the most memorable and enjoyable experiences of my life. (I wrote about it back here and here.) So I'm a little sentimental about the Fair.

Anyway, back in 1961, the headliner at the Ohio State Fair was none other than comedian Cliff Arquette, better known as his alter-ego Charlie Weaver. 

In later years, he was one of the stars of the TV game show Hollywood Squares. But in 1961, he was known for his regular appearances on the Tonight Show hosted by Jack Paar.

Also riding high in popularity in 1961 were Hanna-Barbera's cartoon stars Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear, who also appeared at the Ohio State Fair that year. Each was the star of his own TV show at that time. I'm curious as to what kind of show they put on. It was probably something like this appearance in April 1961 in Los Angeles. 

(Gee, I would have thought Yogi was taller than Huck. He looks about as big as Boo Boo.)

The article (below) which appeared in the Journal on August 22, 1961, describes the upcoming Ohio State Fair.

What's nice that year is the Journal honored the area high school musicians that were heading down to the Fair for the All-Ohio Boys Band. 

As you can see, the Band used to consist of all boys. The first year I applied (1975) was the first year that girls were in the Band – and I didn't make it that year. Thank goodness I did during my last year of eligibility.

As I noted in my two posts about my time as a member of the Band, it was the first time away from home for me and many of the other high school musicians. At first we were all a little homesick. But by the time of our last concert on the lawn of the Rhodes Center, kids were bawling that it was all over.

Ohio State Fair Ad – August 24, 1951

The iconic Ohio Gate entrance to the Ohio State Fair (1966 - 2002)

We should be pretty happy that the Lorain County Fair was back this year. For the second year in a row, there was no Ohio State Fair for the general public to enjoy. (It was cancelled last year, and limited this year to livestock and educational contests, all because of the pandemic.)

I haven’t been down to the Ohio State Fair for about five years or so. I hope to make it down to Columbus next year, when the Fair is scheduled for July 27 – August 7, 2022. For one thing, I still haven’t seen the new Smokey Bear over at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources area. 

Anyway, here’s a vintage ad for the Ohio State Fair. It ran in the Lorain Journal back on August 24, 1951 – 70 years ago this month.

As you can see in the 1951 ad, back then the Fair ran from August 24 through the 31st, which is pretty late compared to now.

An article in the Journal on August 23 noted that the 1951 Fair was expected to draw a record crowd of 500,000 people. It would be the first time that the Fair ran for eight days.

The article noted, “A galaxy of exhibits, events, contests, shows and demonstrations are promised to farmer and city dweller alike. Horace Heidt and his “Youth Opportunity Television program” will be featured nightly from August 25.

“Two new breeds of beef cattle will be seen for the first time at the fair and 29 classes of galloways will compete for $911 in prizes.

“The State Department of Natural Resources will have a four-tent exhibit, featuring a beautiful lake, a fast water stream, a 10-foot waterfall completely surrounded by a 90-tree forest of all Ohio trees. Visitors will pass thru the forest to view the exhibit. A simulated natural channel will form the stream thru which 84,000 gallons of water an hour will be pumped. Another tent will show an extensive wildlife display of mounted animals, birds and fish native to Ohio.”

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You can visit my other posts about the Ohio State Fair (and my time as a member of the All-Ohio State Fair Band) by clicking here.

Ohio State Fair Ad – Aug. 21, 1968

Although the last few days on this blog have focused on the Lorain County Fair, here’s an ad for the Ohio State Fair. It ran in the Lorain Journal on August 21, 1968.

I was surprised to see that the State Fair’s schedule that year was much different than it is now. As you can see, it began on Thursday, August 22 and ran through Labor Day that year  – more of an end-of-summer event.

But what really amazed me was the eye-popping roster of celebrities that was to entertain at the Fair back then – all for free.

There was something for everyone of all ages and tastes.

For comedy, there was Johnny Carson, George Kirby, the Smothers Brothers with Pat Paulsen, Allen and Rossi, and Ohio’s own Bob Hope. Hope made regular appearances at the Ohio State Fair for years; I saw his show up close as a member of the 1976 All-Ohio State Fair Band.

Musically, there were a variety of acts, including Ed Ames, the Bee Gees, Roger Miller, James Brown, trumpeter Al Hirt, John Davidson and the Golddiggers.

I’m sure many red-blooded American males remember the Golddiggers, which was a singing and dancing troupe of showgirls that had their own summer variety TV show. It was a summer replacement series (remember those?) for The Dean Martin Show.

And if watching Hollywood types perform was not your bag, there was still more to see: Harness Racing, the Hurricane Hell Drivers, the 7UP Balloon Race and the Buckeye “100” Auto Race.

All in all, a very impressive lineup.

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In case you’re curious (as I was) who appeared at the 2018 Ohio State Fair, here are a few of the entertainers: the Beach Boys, Reba McEntire, TLC, En Vogue, the Commodores, Trevor Noah, Brothers Osborne, Jeff Dunham, Lee Brice, STYX, and Cheap Trick. All of these acts required an admission price from anywhere from $25 to $45, to as much as $65.

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.)

Ohio State Fair's Smokey Bear May Hibernate Permanently

Smokey's fur looked a bit moth-eaten when I visited him in 2008 at the Fair

I'm a big Smokey Bear fan. That's why I found the news that the Ohio State Fair was planning to retire their current Smokey Bear – and replace him with a new version – pretty interesting.

The beloved fire prevention bear has greeted fairgoers since 1959. He's been a fixture over in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources area for years.

Here's the link to Smokey's page on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website.

Apparently Smokey is now in pretty poor condition, and the plan is to replace him with a new $80,250 "animatronic" version. (The plan is temporarily on hold, but it sounds like it will eventually happen. You can read about it here on the Columbus Dispatch website.)

I don't go to the State Fair every year, but when we do go, a stop to see Smokey to grab a photo is a must. I don't have a problem with a brand new high-tech version of him, as long as it's the classic Smokey – and not the unsettlingly realistic version that was seen in commercials a few years ago (that I complained about here).

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Speaking of the classic, lovable Smokey Bear, I was reminded that Sandy of Sheffield Lake sent me this keen Smokey Bear comic book a couple years ago. (Sandy said that she picked it up at a ranger station at either Cook Forest State Park or Black Moshannon State Park in Pennsylvania.)

It tells the true story of how a badly burned bear cub – rescued in the aftermath of a forest fire in New Mexico in 1950 – became the Smokey Bear who lived at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. for years. (The Forest Service probably gave up the idea when it became apparent that it wasn't a good idea to have a Smokey Bear who would eventually die.)

Anyway, here's the back cover of the comic book (below). It's a reproduction of a classic Smokey poster – and one of my favorites, with plenty of cute critters.

Feel like doing some light reading? You can read an online PDF of the comic book right here!

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UPDATE
Here's a look at the NEW Smokey Bear at the Ohio State Fair. He bears a fine resemblance to the famous forest fire-prevention mascot!

Courtesy ohiodnr.gov

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!