More live music, family-friendly entertainment to be at this year's Medina County Fair

MEDINA — This year's Medina County Fair will feature new and returning family-friendly entertainment in the form of free performances, live music and ticketed grandstand events. Cracker Jack the Clown will be performing his new show every day, which will feature music, puppets and more. Fair Director Pam Oberholtzer said Cracker Jack has been a part of the county fair for the past couple of years, and on Aug. 2 and Aug. 5, he will be making balloon animals for fairgoers. Juggler Michael Goudeau, who has performed in over 15,000 Las Vegas shows, will also be performing two to three times a day in the pavilion, Oberholtzer said. "He does things like juggling beanbags and things that you don't normally see jugglers do," she said. "I think that'll be a fun show for everybody." For free, kids can play laser tag daily behind building No. 22. There will also be a scavenger hunt through the fairgrounds. "When people complete their scavenger hunt, they take their completed little ticket down to the farm bureau tent," Oberholtzer said. "They usually get a little ice cream treat or whatever they have at that time." The Medina County Fair will have more bands performing this year than before, she said. The performances will range from classic rock to blues to country and more. The following musicians will be performing during this year's Medina County Fair: The 9:29 Band will be performing on the porch of building No. 22 on July 31 at 7 p.m. Back Alley Relics will play classic rock and blues music on Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. on the porch of building No. 22. The Cover Band will be at the pavilion on Aug. 1 at 8 p.m. Sobos is a classic rock band that will be performing music from the '70s and '80s on the porch of building No. 22 on Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. Country musician Karissa Ella will be playing at the pavilion on Aug. 2 at 8 p.m. The Shifferly Road Band will be performing music that ranges from classic rock to modern country to pop at the pavilion on Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. The Dogwood Rockers will play classic rock from the '60s through the '90s on the porch of building No. 22 on Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. Neil Diamond tribute band, The Diamond Project, will be playing at the pavilion on Aug. 4 at 8 p.m. The Cookin' Country Band will perform southern rock, country, blues and bluegrass on the porch at building No. 22 on Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. The LegendZ Experience will cover songs from Queen, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and more at the pavilion on Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. "We've tried to move into some extra tribute bands when we're booking our pavilion bands, so that we can kind of change the genre of music," Oberholtzer said. There will also be free events and ticketed experiences taking place in the grandstand throughout the week. A new grandstand event is the battle of the bands, and it will feature unsigned musicians from all genres competing against each other to win cash prizes. The following entertainment will be taking place in the grandstand: Motocross on July 31 at 7 p.m. will cost $10 a ticket. Autocross on Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. will cost $10 a ticket. Rough track on Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. will cost $10 a ticket. Bull riding on Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. will cost $12 a ticket. The draft horse and pony hitch show on Aug. 4 at 9 a.m. is free. Demolition derby on Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. will cost $10 a ticket. Ohio State Tractor Pullers Association pull on Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. will cost $12 a ticket. The farm pull on Aug. 6 at 11 a.m. is free. Battle of the Bands on Aug. 6 at 3 p.m. is free. Fireworks on Aug. 6 at 10 p.m. is free. After the fair is over, the fair directors begin thinking about what entertainment should be at next year's fair, Oberholtzer said. To keep things fresh, the Medina County Fair likes to rotate its entertainment selections every few years. "We like recommendations from our public," she said. "If there's something they think would be great, and they let us know, we can check it out to see if it fits into our schedule and our budget, and go from there." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.