Belmont County Fair adds inclusive activities for 2026
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- The Belmont County Fair is expanding its efforts to make the annual event more inclusive, with new activities and sensory-friendly offerings planned for this year's fair.
The Champion in Me director and Belmont County Senior Fair Board member Kaylin Burress updated the Belmont County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday about the fair's inclusive initiatives for the 2026 Belmont County Fair.
Burress said she started the Champion in Me organization four years ago as a way to help include people with disabilities in the fair.
"What we do is livestock shows for people with disabilities. They get the chance to show an animal at the Belmont County Fair, and that show happens on Saturday September 12th," Burress said. "They’re paired with a junior fair exhibitor and there is no age limit for my participants."
Participants can showcase rabbits, poultry, goats, lambs and hogs at the fair alongside the junior fair exhibitor they are paired with, she said.
"This is our fourth year now, and two new things that we brought to the Champion in Me is we are doing a creative arts show where they get the chance to showcase their art. It could be scrapbooking, puzzles, photography, sewing, or jewelry but it’s also not just limited to art. We will accept baked goods, plants, flowers, or anything domestic that we do for the Senior Fair Board," Burress said. "Anything art related, we will take it and we’re so excited for that."
This year, the Senior Fair Board, which is part of the Belmont County Agricultural Society, also has partnered with the Belmont County Board of Developmental Disabilities to create the "A Fair For Everyone" program.
The program will include a sensory-friendly space in a bridal suite inside the Carnes Event Center, which was recently purchased by the Fair Board.
Outside the sensory-friendly space, there will be a Giggles and Goop station where attendees can participate in various hands-on activities.
The fair also will host sensory-friendly rides and games from 3 to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11.
Burress said she came up with the idea for the inclusive program because the fair holds a special place in her heart and she wants everyone to have the opportunity to participate.
Senior Fair Board member and Burress' mother, Amber Cawthorne, said she is incredibly proud of her daughter.
"I grew up in 4-H, and I wanted to put my children in the program as well. I think it is very beneficial for kids. It gives them great leadership skills," Cawthorne said. "When she brought this to the board, she was very passionate about it, and I wanted to help her pursue it and I am very proud of her."
Burress said she would not be able to make the program possible without her mother's help and support and thanked her for her continued encouragement.
"If I ever had any issues or concerns, I'd be like, 'Hey, mom, I need help' and she would say if she didn't have the answer she'd find someone who did."
Commissioner JP Dutton began his remarks by thanking the Senior Fair Board for its continued tradition of inviting Senior Services of Belmont County to the fair. He said seniors look forward to spending the day at the fair and that he believes it is one of their favorite events of the year.
"We’re very excited about the future of the Carnes Center. Our board has been involved in that quite a bit with the Senior Fair Board, and I think there’s going to be a lot of exciting possibilities with that moving forward," Dutton said.
He encouraged everyone to attend this year's fair, which will take place Monday, Sept. 7, through Sunday, Sept. 13.
"If not for any other reason than just to support the kids that are out there, they are busting their tails all year, but especially during the fair," Dutton said. "The amount of work that goes on at the fairgrounds, even when the fair is not going on, I don’t think anyone really realizes, unless you’re out there quite a bit, so please support everyone that’s out there showing animals and showing projects."
Commissioner Vince Gianangeli then asked Senior Fair Board members what rides and games would be available during the sensory-friendly hour on Sept. 11.
Cawthorne said the board plans to take representatives from the Board of Developmental Disabilities on a tour of all the rides and games a day before the fair starts. They will help determine which rides and games would be most appropriate for participants with disabilities.
"The board will come out before the initial day and pick what rides they feel will be most beneficial," Cawthorne said. "We are really relying on their partnership a lot this year."