BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OWENSVILLE -- Old and new continued to weave into a living tapestry Wednesday at the 149th Clermont County Fair.
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IF YOU GO
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What: Clermont County Fair
When: Today through Saturday
Where: Clermont County Fairgrounds, Locust Street, Owensville
Admission: $6 for ages 12 and over; $1 for kids 5-11; kids under 5 are free.
Info: Call 732-0522 |
In one corner, Cory Campbell, 13, of Mount Orab and his friend, James Edwards, 11, of Clifton got off the Berry-Go-Round and judged it -- no disrespect here -- inferior to the Hurricane and Rock-a-Plane, which go faster and higher.
Across the way, the Little Miami and Owensville historical societies' walk-in booth unveiled the treasures of times gone but captured forever. In one display, a Cincinnati Daily Enquirer headline -- dated Tuesday morning, May 2, 1865 -- heralded "How Sherman Received The News Of The Government's Approval."
The featured events aside, the fair is an annual mix of old and new: amusement park rides in the warm summer sun, iced tea under a cool shade tree. Kids counted their ride tickets while seniors chatted away the day, catching up, looking back.
Bridging the chronological extremes was Sheryl Taylor, 40, of Felicity, who explained, "I've been coming to this all my life. We'll be back tonight, then tomorrow, then Friday." Wednesday she took her son's stepchildren, ages 5, 6, and 7, with a simple game plan: "They rode all the rides, then we watched the races."
The downside to the picture-perfect afternoon, according to Amelia's Richard Ireton, also was one of the fair's upsides: food, plenty of it, every variety, from sirloin steaks to cotton candy.
"Too many places to eat and drink," Mr. Ireton, 72, said with a smile as he and his wife, Leota, made their way back to their car. "I've lived here for 42 years and it hasn't changed that much." Here in Clermont, that's considered a good thing. After all, if it ain't broke . . .
