By Ben Shanahan

Special to the Sentinel-Tribune

The Wood County Fair Board hosted its opening ceremonies on Sunday, welcoming all Wood County residents to the 150th fair.

The theme is 150 years of fair fun for everyone.

The ceremony opened with Wood County Fair President Kyle Kulp welcoming everyone to the fair and explaining how much 150 years of the fair mean to him and his family.

“Last night, as I was thinking about the fair hitting its 150th anniversary, I kept thinking about my grandmother, who has been going to the fair her entire life, and how much the fair has evolved over the years,” Kulp said. “For example, I know most of you used your credit card to get in here today — that was not even an option six years ago. And now it is quite the possibility that in the future we have a cashless fair.”

Newly crowned 4-H king Drew Thomas, left, and queen Katie Oestreich, right, pose for photographs after being crowned during the opening ceremony parade of the Wood County Fair on Sunday.

Scott W. Grau | Sentinel-Tribune

Wood County Fair Manager Laura Westgate joined the board early this year. She has been coming to the fair since she was a little girl and is excited about joining the team to put on this historic event.

“I have only been here since January, but I know this took over a year to plan and get all the history behind this milestone year,” Westgate said.

The fair also returned many former Wood County kings and queens for its 150th anniversary, something that Westgate said was a challenge trying to get in contact with past winners.

“It was tough, especially for those who won longer than five to 10 years ago, so going back and doing the research and then finding out how to contact them so they could be celebrated was a big undertaking,” Westgate said.

Toward the end of the ceremony, a proclamation was read from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, congratulating Wood County on the big milestone and thanking all who ran such a successful fair.

“We would hereby like to recognize the Wood County Fair on behalf of the State Of Ohio. It is a great honor to congratulate you on the 150th anniversary of the Wood County Fair. Ohio county fairs are rooted in a deep tradition of education and agriculture,” the proclamation read. “Each year’s fair allows visitors to experience Ohio’s finest people, places, and pride. Agriculture is Ohio’s largest industry, and each country fair offers an opportunity to support our culture and economy.”

The ceremony concluded with a ribbon-cutting, and Kulp doing the honors. It received a loud ovation from the almost full single side of the grandstands.