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MEDINA, Ohio (WJW) — A competition called the Swine Show hogged the spotlight on the first day of the Medina County Fair, as future farmers showed off their prized pigs. As a result of concern about the spread of COVID-19, the 2020 fair was scaled back to a junior fair, meaning rides and grandstand shows are canceled, and there are fewer concession stands.

“Coronavirus, none of us chose that, it is what it is and so the governor’s order came out to have a junior fair, and quite honestly we had decided two days prior to that to shrink back to a junior fair,” said Fair Board President Chuck Stiver.

A junior fair focuses on the talents and dedication on young people, especially in training animals and raising livestock.

“To be able to provide an opportunity for these kids to get these animals shown, because truthfully they’ve used them and worked hard all Summer and to reward them is a pretty cool feeling,” said livestock judge Garrit Sproull.

In the horse arena at the fairgrounds, young equestrians were putting their ponies through their paces at the fair’s horse show Monday morning, but the riders have that nagging feeling that it’s just not the same as previous years.

Kerastina Pavlovic, who won her division, told Fox 8, “I was really disappointed that there’s not grandstand shows and rides and everything, but I’m really happy I got to come here and work my horses and everything. It’s kind of sad that there’s not a lot of audience here and everything, but it’s still fun, I’m happy to be here.”

Another threat to the Medina County Fair was averted even before it was scaled back by the threat of COVID-19, when an agreement was reached with vendors that no Confederate flags would be sold on the fairgrounds.

Vendors agree not to sell or display Confederate flags at Medina County Fair this year

“Understanding that we had some restrictions on what we could and couldn’t do, as far as First Amendment rights, but we also understand the sensitivity of that issue and being sympathetic to that, so we worked directly with them,” said Stiver.

The Medina County Junior Fair is closed to the general public, but each participant is allowed to invite 10 guests. The fair runs through Aug. 9.

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