Sea lion show makes a splash at the Medina County Fair

MEDINA — A pair of sea lions performed a variety of tricks such as headstands, catching rings, throwing a Frisbee and dancing with their trainer during a show at the Medina County Fair on Wednesday. Fair board Director Pam Oberholtzer said fair directors typically go to different fairs to see what kinds of entertainment and activities are offered. The goal is to bring something new and different to the Medina County Fair each year. "Someone had seen these sea lions at another fair and said, 'This is a great show. We need to bring it back here,'" she said. Oberholtzer said there are a few traveling sea lion units, and this unit is coming from South Dakota. The unit is making a stop at the Medina County Fair on the way to New York. Ivo Silva is the manager of the unit that is visiting Medina County, and he was the trainer on stage with the sea lions. He said the unit travels to a lot of county fairs across the country. Fairgoers in Medina County can see Kitty, a 21-year-old South American sea lion, and Lily, an 11-year-old California sea lion. "They're special animals with a strong character," Silva said. There will be a sea lion show each day for the remainder of fair week at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., and an additional show will be at 1 p.m. Saturday. The shows take place behind building No. 22 at the fairgrounds. "It's a very fun show," Silva said. "Every show is different because they're animals, so you never know what is going to happen." There are other opportunities to see animals at the fair that are not farm animals. For instance, Outback Ray will show animals at the pavilion from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, and the Medina Raptor Center will have live animals at the community center building at 6 p.m. Friday. For more information on activities at this year's Medina County Fair, visit medinaohiofair.com. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.