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Rides, wheels and thrills return to Belmont County Fair

By GAGE VOTA 3 min read

ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Hold onto your hats, the rides at the 177th annual Belmont County Fair are operational for people of all ages.

The rides opened to the public at 5 p.m. Wednesday and will continue through the entirety of the fair. The ride hours will be Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and 6 to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Fair Board President Ed Campbell said the fair opened Monday but Monday and Tuesday were only open for livestock sales, showcases and 4-H presentations.

"It’s been going very well. We’ve had some great shows and some high attendance for the shows," Campbell said. "It just seems to be working out really well for the kids."

He added that his favorite part of the fair is getting to see the youth selling livestock and getting to interact with them.

In addition to the rides, Wednesday featured its fan-favorite demolition derby.

The Belmont County Fair Rodeo will be held Thursday and Friday at 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day. Friday and Saturday will feature a tractor and truck pull at 7 p.m. The fair will conclude Sunday with a Power Wheels derby at 1 p.m., followed by the final demolition derby.

The rodeo is an event that has been absent during the fair for previous years.

It will feature Union Local High School student Eme Martin and Union Local graduate, professional trick rider and Martin’s mentor Shadow Montag. Martin was trained by Shadow and his sister, Dallas Montag.

Campbell said the fair has been very well attended so far this year.

He added that he believes Union Local High School not having school Thursday and the entire school district not having school Friday will bring more attendance.

Campbell said that more than school not being held, the weather is a major factor in attendance.

According to the National Weather Service, Thursday has a chance of rain, Friday will be mostly sunny, Saturday has a chance of thunderstorms and Sunday will be mostly sunny.

This year also saw the much-anticipated return of the Ferris wheel.

For the past two years, the fair has been without a Ferris wheel, which garnered criticism from attendees on social media.

"Ferris wheels are kind of a dying thing, but now they’re coming back and we’re just tickled to have it back here," Campbell said.

He added that he is most looking forward to Saturday night’s truck and tractor pull.

"I think I lean more toward the truck pulls. That’s really a big interest of mine, and it draws me down here every time we have it," Campbell said.

The fair will also have various live entertainment daily featuring local artists, traveling shows and bands.

Two returning attractions are the Steamers Thrill Show and the Stone Age Foam Show, which features the Alvarez family, a fifth-generation circus-performing family.

The Steamers Thrill Show is a high-octane acrobatic show with a wheel of danger, balancing chair act, hula hooping and various thrills by Ariana Alvarez and her fiance, Leder Hernandez. The Stone Age Foam Show is geared toward children and is run by Martin Alvarez and Meda Alvarez.

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