Jul 7, 2023 6 min read

The Washington County Agricultural Fair will celebrate its 225th anniversary August 12-19. The Washington County Agricultural Fair aims to promote and advance the interests of agriculture, horticulture, homemaking subjects, arts, sciences and all kindred arts. The mission also encourages 4-H club work, FFA activities and other educational work. The fair also serves to create closer coordination between agriculture, business and industry in the area and to develop industrial and commercial participation in conjunction with the exhibits.

Putting together such an event takes a strong leadership team, including the Fair Board, Washington County commissioners, the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency.

“Washington County is the property owner of the fairgrounds,” said Washington County Commissioner Chair Diana Irey Vaughan.

“We have had a great partnership with the Fair Board for decades. They provide the day-to-day management of the property.”

Irey Vaughan said Washington County has stepped in to fund capital projects at the fair and other types of assistance as needed through their planning department.

“We’ve had great success,” she said. “When we instituted the tourism tax, the first thing we did was dedicate a portion of the revenues to go to building the structure that houses the food vendors, with the canopy. We worked with them to have a lease by Range Resources that has provided additional gas revenue, monies that have gone into capital projects at the fair. We’ve worked jointly with them, creating master plans for improvements for the property for years to come.”

Irey Vaughan said the Fair Board has provided valuable leadership in making the fair a continued success.

“The volunteers of the fair board provide an extremely valuable asset and experience to the citizens of Washington County and those in our region,” she said.

Fair Board Secretary Wayne Hunnell said the board is comprised of 11 volunteers.

“It’s an all-volunteer board,” Hunnell said. “It has its president, Todd Richards. Dave Cowden, who’s been on the board for over 34 years, is vice president of the board. Pat O’Brien is the treasurer, and I’m the secretary. In addition to the four of us being board members, we’re the four officers of the fair board.”

Hunnell said the balance of the board is made up of individuals who directly contribute and volunteer in some fashion.

Board member Mindy Ivcic’s in-laws and family own a petting zoo nearby and are very involved with the fair. Audra Brigich comes to the board from a farming family.

The newest addition to the fair board is Kelly Korpus. “She is also the one who started the Junior Fair Board and oversees those meetings,” Hunnell said.

Bill McGowan is a 30-year member of the board, Hunnell said, and added that Gino Bioni is one of the younger members on the Fair board and has his own construction company.

Gino has all the equipment that allows us to move things around and get them ready for each of those events,” Hunnell said. “He’s a huge contributor to the board.”

Jeff Gardner comes to the board by way of his familial connections. He’s been in a farming family for years. His mother, Nadine Gardner, was a board member and was fair board secretary. She, much like Hunnell himself now as secretary, oversaw a lot of the day-to-day happenings at the fairgrounds.

“Then Doug Redd is one of the local farmers who has come on the board and helped bring more of the direct agriculture back to the Fair Board as well,” Hunnell said.

Most of the Fair Board members have some farming backgrounds or come from families with longtime ties to farming.

“Most of us have some input into the farming side of things,” he said. “Some are more involved day-to-day with the actual farming. For example, going back, Jeff Bull from Bull International had the tractor parts place. He was on the board for years. Harry Hank, for years, was the one who oversaw, and in fact, the arena has his name on it as ‘Harry Hank Arena’ here at the show arena. He did a lot for the board and then, over time, contributed a fair amount of his funds to make sure that the fair was able to continue. Bill Iams from Log Cabin Fence has been a huge contributor. They still bring a lot of equipment and other things to the fair to help out every year.”

Hunnell said Dick Horstman ran food booths until a couple of years ago and was also a director and president of the board for several years.

The Fair Board works hard to ensure the fair’s success.

“It’s a very exciting time for all of us involved here that we continue the tradition of this fair and continue to promote agriculture, which is still a key economic engine for the state. We are excited to maintain the fair for future generations to enjoy,” Hunnell said.

Jeff Kotula, president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Promotion Agency, says the organization has a vested interest in ensuring that the Washington County Agricultural Fair is promoted, and that’s for several reasons.

“The first being it is a major tourist attraction for Washington County,” he said. “We get thousands of people that come in over the week-long festivities of the fair just to visit with all the fair attractions, the animal exhibits and things of that nature. We want to encourage that because it does bring in people, which of course, helps the economic development of Washington County.”

“When this fair was started, John Adams was the President of the United States,” he said. “And I think it’s a world testament to the fair organizers and then the volunteers for keeping this tradition going for so long. We’re actually building on what has been successful all these years.”

“When this fair was started, John Adams was the President of the United States,” he said. “And I think it’s a world testament to the fair organizers and then the volunteers for keeping this tradition going for so long. We’re actually building on what has been successful all these years.”

Kotula said the three leadership facets have worked hard to ensure the fair is still vibrant now and in the future.

“In addition to the traditional venues that people come out to see, we’re working on a lot of improvements at the fairgrounds as well,” he said. “We’re opening up a new plaza right in the middle of the fair to serve as both, to honor the 225th anniversary as well as to serve as directional signs on how to get around and enjoy the fair. Many of the buildings are being improved. Diane Adams, our local artist, has painted a mural on one of our buildings as well. We just don’t rest on our laurels at the Washington County Fair. So many local companies are donating and volunteering to improve and ensure we enjoy the fair for another 225 years.”