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SHELLEY TERRY | STAR BEACON Hannah Johnson, 18, of Pierpont, takes a ride on the mechanical bull on Wednesday at the Ashtabula County Fair.
Macie Beckwith, 1, of New Lyme, plays with flowers at the entrance to the steer barn Wednesday at the Ashtabula County Fair.
SHELLEY TERRY | STAR BEACON Connor Ogeka, 7, of Ashtabula, tries his luck at the Gold Fish game Wednesday at the Ashtabula County Fair.
SHELLEY TERRY | STAR BEACON More than 25 children played a Tic Tac Toe relay game Wednesday afternoon at the Ashtabula County Fair.
SHELLEY TERRY | STAR BEACON Long lines of children waited to ride the dozen or so carnival rides Wednesday — Family Day — at the Ashtabula County Fair.
Twelve-year-old twins Madison and Lexie Colucci of Conneaut take a spin on one of a dozen or so carnival rides Wednesday at the Ashtabula County Fair.
SHELLEY TERRY | STAR BEACON Hannah Johnson, 18, of Pierpont, takes a ride on the mechanical bull on Wednesday at the Ashtabula County Fair.
Macie Beckwith, 1, of New Lyme, plays with flowers at the entrance to the steer barn Wednesday at the Ashtabula County Fair.
SHELLEY TERRY | STAR BEACON Connor Ogeka, 7, of Ashtabula, tries his luck at the Gold Fish game Wednesday at the Ashtabula County Fair.
SHELLEY TERRY | STAR BEACON More than 25 children played a Tic Tac Toe relay game Wednesday afternoon at the Ashtabula County Fair.
SHELLEY TERRY | STAR BEACON Long lines of children waited to ride the dozen or so carnival rides Wednesday — Family Day — at the Ashtabula County Fair.
Twelve-year-old twins Madison and Lexie Colucci of Conneaut take a spin on one of a dozen or so carnival rides Wednesday at the Ashtabula County Fair.
JEFFERSON — Family Day at the Ashtabula County Fair is always high energy with lots of things for children of all ages to do.
This year, Mother Nature cooperated with plenty of sunshine and a pleasant 78 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
As crowds of grandparents, parents, teens and children flocked to the fair on Wednesday, they found several new rides, games and vendors.
Madison and Lexie Colucci, 12-year-old twins from Conneaut, rode a new heart-shaped ride that’s part swing, part twirls while their grandmother, Missy Colucci, took photos.
Hannah Johnson, 18, of Pierpont, hopped on the bull ride machine — and was thrown off in 17 seconds.
Kids stood in long lines at all of the rides, especially the SeaRay — a giant boat that rocks back and forth.
Lots of kiddie rides kept the younger set occupied while the older kids looked for thrill rides, including a giant slide on the east side of the grounds.
Renee Burns of Austinburg pushed a stroller carrying her daughter, Rosie Miller, 2, down the midway. Rosie had one thing on her mind — “pony rides,” she said.
“She loves the pony rides,” Burns said.
Rides weren’t the only attraction on the midway; there are several carnival games of chance.
Connor Ogeka, 7, of Ashtabula, tried his luck throwing ping-pong balls into fish bowls at the Gold Fish game, to no avail. Even so, Connor retained his smile.
“It’s a spending time with mom day,” said his mother, Savannah Ogeka. “We’re having fun.”
If a child didn’t win a prize, several vendors along the midway offer everything from stuffed animals, flags, T-shirts, toys and more.
The Junior Fair Board hosted several games for Family Day, including a Tic Tac Toe Relay, Bucket Ball Toss and Egg and Spoon Race.
Keeping track of the 25-plus children who lined up to play these games seemed to be a bit like corralling cats. While a bit hectic, lots of laughter emerged as the games got underway.
Many families toured the animal barns, including 1-year-old Macie Beckwith of New Lyme. While her siblings looked at the steers, her mom kept a close eye on her as she played with the colorful flowers decorating the entrance to the barn.
Animal shows and showmanship took center stage throughout the day for 4-H’ers and their pigs, rabbits, horses and dairy cows in the MAC, Show and Saddle Horse arenas.
For lunch and dinner, folks flocked into the Jefferson Grange for their famous roast beef sandwiches and homemade pies. For the first time ever, the grange is only serving lunch and dinner, except Saturday and Sunday, due to the high cost of groceries, members said.
Kettle corn, snow cones, cotton candy, candy apples and flavored pork rinds offered tasty snacks, and the Holstein Club provided fairgoers with vanilla, chocolate or strawberry milkshakes.
More than 35 booths are set up in the air-conditioned Expo Building providing information on about everything related to parenting, including organizations and non-profit agencies that offer financial assistance, as well as church groups and vendors selling their wares.
Veterans get in free all day with identification
• Junior Fair Horse Project Judging — 9 a.m. Saddle Horse Arena
• Harness racing and pari-mutuel wagering — 11:30 a.m. grandstand
• Junior Fair Rabbit show — 4 p.m. MAC Arena
• Country music artist Ted Riser & the Marshall Band — 7 p.m. grandstand. Free admission.
Rides open 1-5 p.m. and 6-11 p.m.
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