This story was updated to correct information about the livestock sale and contributing to Stock the Trailer.
The Ashland County Junior Fair Board is busy gearing up for this year’s fair and raising funds for a building expansion at the Ashland County Fairgrounds.
The 26-member board, composed of 4-H and FFA participants, expanded its involvement in recent years, now hosting events such as The Barnyard Olympics, Stock the Trailer and a cornhole tournament for junior fair exhibitors, according to a community announcement.
The board’s growth and increased activities have created a need for additional space at the fairgrounds. The proposed building addition is intended to provide a venue for meetings and storage, as well as a quiet area for students to do homework, have snacks or regroup before fair week activities.
Fundraising includes raffle and apparel sales
The Ashland County Junior Fair Board is raising funds to create additional space for meetings, storage and a place to do homework at the Ashland County Fairgrounds.
To support the building project, Junior Fair Board members are reaching out to families and businesses for donations, selling Ashland County Fair apparel and offering raffle tickets for an all-inclusive Caribbean resort vacation for two. Sponsorship levels for donors are set at Champion of Champions for $15,000, Grand Champion for $10,000, Reserve Grand Champion for $7,500, Class Champion for $5,000, Senior Showman for $2,500, Junior Showman for $1,000, Blue Ribbon for $500 and Junior Fairboard Supporter for $200, according to the announcement.
Businesses interested in supporting the building addition are encouraged to contact Arica Betson at [email protected].
For those interested in purchasing Ashland County Fair apparel and supporting the building effort, the board is selling t-shirts, long sleeves and hoodies in a variety of colors. Orders can be placed through the online shop at advantagemkt.tuosystems.com/stores/ashalndjfb or by contacting a Junior Fair Board member.
The raffle for an all-inclusive Caribbean resort vacation for two features a $3,000 certificate, which can be added to and allows the winner to select their travel dates. Raffle tickets are $20 and may be purchased from a Junior Fair Board member or by contacting Arica Betson.
Stock the Trailer Drive collection begins Aug. 23
In addition to fundraising, the Junior Fair Board is preparing for the Stock the Trailer Drive, a statewide competition to collect food donations for hunger shelters and food banks in Ohio. The event is presented by Farm Credit Mid-America and sponsored by Rural 1st. Participating counties receive $500 for their Junior Fair Board and have the chance to win additional support. The county collecting the most pounds of food in each region receives $5,000, second place receives $3,500 and third place receives $1,500.
Last year, the Ashland County Junior Fair Board placed second in its region and ninth in the state, collecting 10,080 pounds of food. Across Ohio, 66 counties participated and collected a total of 286,327 pounds of food, according to the announcement.
The Ashland County Junior Fair Board is scheduled to begin collecting items for Stock the Trailer on Aug. 23 and Aug. 24 during the 4-H Super Judging event at the fairgrounds. Collection will continue at various events and local businesses until the week of the Ashland County Fair, which is scheduled for Sept. 14-20. During the fair, non-perishable food items and monetary donations will be accepted at entrances and at the trailer next to the 4-H Dairy Bar.
This year, the Junior Fair Board is partnering with Associated Charities to serve Ashland County communities. Accepted items must not expire in 2025 and may include water, canned food, pasta sauce, peanut butter, pasta and other non-perishable items.
Livestock buyers will have a new opportunity to contribute to the Stock the Trailer collection. More information in will be made available soon. Consider helping the Ashland County Jr. Fair Board reach those in need by donating items to the Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer drive this year.
This story was created by Jane Imbody, [email protected], with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland Junior Fair Board raises funds for fairgrounds upgrade
