For generations dating back to 1846, more than 100,000 people a year have made attendance at the Lorain County Fair an eagerly anticipated summer tradition — which has earned the fete the distinction of being Ohio’s second-largest county fair of its kind.
Beginning next fall, the storied fairgrounds are scheduled to become a popular destination year-round, thanks to the completion of a renovation project that features the construction of a new 67,000-square-foot, exposition center; a 32,500-square-foot covered horse arena; and a 16,000-square-foot cattle barn.
“We’ve been holding a successful fair at the Lorain County Fairgrounds for 178 years, and we’re proud that families from around the world plan their vacations around it,” says John Piwinski, a co-chair of Fairs Forever, a 501(c)(3) funding campaign launched in 2021 that’s seeking donations to upgrade and update the fairgrounds.
“But, he adds, “our fair only operates for one week out of the year, and attendance is weather-dependent. We began brainstorming in 2019 about ways we could utilize our grounds year-round.”
The climate-controlled Exposition Center has been designed with 54,000-square-feet of versatile areas with no pillars that, Piwinski explains, will accommodate special events ranging from trade shows to concerts, volleyball tournaments, rodeos, weddings and corporate gatherings for 2,000 to 3,000 visitors. The space will also include video walls, a staging kitchen, showers and restrooms.
The competition-sized covered outdoor arena also contains multiple flexible spaces that can be used for horse shows and staging areas for livestock presentations. It is an open space, and gates can be set according to the event.
The new cattle barn, which features an expanded wash rack and fitting area, replaces three existing Junior Fair beef buildings.
In 2023, the Ross Family Foundation secured exposition center naming rights with a $4 million donation. The arena will be named after the late Maureen M. Cromling, a second-generation member of the Ross family.
At presstime, the campaign had also received funding from sources that include $1.5 million from the Lorain County Agricultural Society and $1.5 million from the Lorain County Commissioners. Additionally, $4 million was raised by board members and community supporters, and the campaign was approved for funding from HB2 (One-Time Strategic Community Investment Grant Program). The Lorain County Port Authority is providing the loan for the project, and additional donors are being sought.
“We want to give our kids, grandkids and great-grandkids the same opportunities so many of us had growing up — attending the fair and participating in livestock shows,” Piwinski says, “and these new buildings will ensure that will be possible for years to come for future generations.”
“It’s also,” he adds, a “great economic opportunity for the county.”
“The expo center concept is fantastic,” Lorain County Commissioner David J. Moore agrees.
“Right now, the fairgrounds are an asset that can only be used pretty much one week a year and are empty the other 51 weeks of the year. The new buildings will create an environment that can be used despite the temperature outside.”
“This project,” he adds, “represents the partnership of private individuals, members of the Fairs Forever committee, the Lorain County Fair board of directors and the county commissioners. It will be a huge asset to our community, and it will be a generational change and that will benefit the whole county.”
