The Medina County Fair is one of Ohio's oldest and largest county fairs and will celebrate its 176th anniversary this year. The fair's mission is "to provide a center of activity for the preservation and promotion of agriculture through the enhancement and management of our fairgrounds".
The fair has a rich and interesting background. It evolved from the early agricultural societies of Connecticut and for many years people came together to show their livestock on the Public Square of Medina, long before the Medina County Agricultural Society was officially organized. On a designated day each year, an impromptu group of committees was organized for the judging of cattle and horses. Gradually, the farmers' wives began to bring their handiwork for comparison. The fine arts and needlework were displayed in the old court house basement and the basement of the old Congregational Church building. This became a type of "harvest home" celebration. During these celebrations, one of the features was displays of yoked oxen. It was not uncommon to see twenty or thirty oxen in a "string". This practice was continued for several years and premiums (or awards) were offered to the township with the longest string of yoked cattle.
