The 179th Muskingum County Fair starts this Sunday

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – 179 years of tradition continues in Muskingum County with this years county fair. The 179th Muskingum County Fair starts this Sunday at 8 a.m. and lasts all week long with food, rides, and livestock shows. On top of all that, the Pie Contest that debuted last year returns to help raise funds.

“So this year we expanded a little bit. We ask anybody from the community to just make us a homemade pie. Bring it with your recipe. It can be a fruit pie or a cream pie. You can be a student ages 5-18, an adult or a senior over the age of 65,” said Gail Deitrick, a board member of the Muskingum County Agricultural Society. “Bring it to the art hall Thursday morning from 8-9, and then later that afternoon we’ll auction them off and the proceeds will benefit the junior fair as well as the senior fair. And we’ll have a lot of fun announcing winners and things like that too. ”

The year long preparation by the Muskingum County Agricultural Society pays off in new events like the Extreme Raptors Show that will showcase birds of prey all week long. However, for board members Jonna Sharp and Deitrick, their favorite part is goes beyond the rides and food.

“For me it’s that sense of community. You know, it’s the one time of year when you get to see friends that you don’t normally see throughout the year and it’s just coming together as a community and supporting all the youth that are there with their projects and just having fun,” Deitrick said.

Admission to the Muskingum County Fair is $10 per person with free admission for children under five. To learn about the various ways to attend the fair for a reduced price or for free, visit their website or check out the fair books which can be found outside the fairground office.