Dayton Fair embraces history, fun
DAYTON — The place to start when visiting the 130th annual Dayton Fair at the Dayton Fairgrounds this week is the Dayton Fair Museum.
It's a good way to find out about the agricultural heritage of the area before taking in the fair.
"You wouldn't believe the stuff coming in," said Ron Rumbaugh, vice president of the Dayton Fair Association and groundskeeper. "There's anything you can think of."
"They'll be in here standing for an hour looking and they'll say, 'I have something my grandfather had,' and they want to bring it in for the museum," he said.
The museum is in its second year at the fair. Rumbaugh started it in an old building not being used on the grounds and there's no shortage of farming equipment to show visitors.
"All this old wooden equipment disappeared in the 1930s and 1940s when they got tractors (and other mechanical things)," said Rumbaugh.
One piece that catches your eye is the old corn shredder.
"At least that's what we think it is," said Rumbaugh. "It has teeth on the bottom. Something's going to get shredded up in that."
Another farming contraption is a Haflinger treadmill.
"They put a horse inside it," said Rumbaugh. "He walks and doesn't go anywhere and it propels (a mill)."
There's also a corn shredder, horse cultivator, wooden plow, neck yoke, grain cradle, corn planter, corn cutter, wagon jack and buck saw. Looking at a trip rake, it's easy to imagine the piece being dragged along until it filled with hay before flipping over.
"They stuck their grain in there and ground it up," Rumbaugh said of a burr mill.
The museum houses plenty of photos, too, including past fair queens and board members.
"The museum is about agriculture," he said. "Agriculture is why our fair is so successful. The amount of agriculture and 4-H in this area keeps the fair really going."
The Dayton Fair runs Monday through Saturday of next week.
The 4-H entries include 238 swine; 52 beef; 53 sheep; 29 goats; 13 dairy cows; and three dairy beef.
There are fourteen 4-H clubs participating in the fair and 299 4-H youths from Armstrong County.
The week-long fair will have its usual family attractions, exhibits, rides, food, music and competitions.
The pre-fair events are a demolition derby at 7:30 p.m. today (Saturday) and a vesper service with Randy Quinn at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow (Sunday). The 2010 Dayton Fair Queen will be crowned at 7:30.
Tony Peterson's Hell Drivers will put on a show at 8 p.m. Monday. The Painted Pony Rodeo performs at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Harness racing is held at 1 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.
"The heyday of the sport was the 1950s," said Trish Adams, race secretary for the fair. "We're trying to get new faces watching the harness racing. We're happy to be here at the fair racing."
A 4X4 Mud Bog event is at 7 p.m. Thursday. Friday is Demolition Derby night at 7:30 p.m.
There is a circus, game show and camel rides for everyone to enjoy.
Country singing artist Jason Michael Carroll is the Saturday (Aug. 21) headliner at 8 p.m.
"There's a good bit," said Rumbaugh.
