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Winter Storage Info Click on snowflake for registration f orm We will be accepting winter storage items on Saturday, November 5th, 2022 from 8 am - Noon. ​ First come, first serve basis. Close

Close 2019 ​ Harry W. Bowman 1908-1979 ​ Harry W. Bowman was born on the family farm in Elkrun Township in 1908, and became the fourth generation to farm the Bowman homestead, living and working there his entire life. He and his wife, Kathryn, built Bowman’s Dairy, bottling and selling their own milk. He bred registered Jersey cattle before converting his herd to Holsteins in the 1950s. An excellent farm manager, Bowman eagerly embraced new technology, transitioning his herd from hand milking to bucket milking, then to a milking parlor. He was also an early adopter of artificial insemination through the Central Ohio Breeding Association, or COBA, and also adapted to hybrid seeds. Seeing the wisdom of natural resources conservation on his farm, Bowman created contour strips to minimize erosion, followed a crop rotation to build soil fertility and yields, and worked with the Columbiana Soil and Water Conservation District to develop two springs for livestock watering. Bowman was widely recognized for his leadership and integrity, both in the agricultural community and the broader society at large. He worked beyond his farm to help build his community, serving on the Columbiana County Board of Education and nine years on the Beaver Local School District’s Board of Education amid a tumultuous time for the district. He was also an active member and elder at the First Presbyterian Church in Lisbon, and served on the board of directors for the local Production Credit Association. Bowman was also a member of the Lisbon Ruritan Club, the Columbiana County Farm Bureau and Elkrun Township Farm Bureau Council, as well as the Columbiana County/Ohio People to People International agricultural delegation. Zada Crosser 1922-2009 Zada Crosser’s feet were firmly planted on the Fairfield Township dairy farm where she grew up, and later on the farm that she and her husband Clarence operated in Hanover Township. But her heart was in the larger farm community that she served all her life in so many ways. A teacher at United Local Schools, her passion was youth and education, but she taught all ages by her example of hard work, dedication and leadership. She got her start in 4-H in 1932, and was selected to attend the National 4-H Club Congress in 1940. Those 4-H experiences led her into service as a Columbiana County 4-H adviser, a volunteer leadership role she held for more than 40 years. She received the 1989 Friend of 4-H Award, and the 1995 Volunteer of the Year Award for her commitment to youth. The Columbiana County Fair was always a part of Crosser’s life, and she showed her first bull calf before she was in 4-H. When Clarence was elected to the Columbiana County Fair Board in the 1950s, Zada worked along with him in many ways. Then, in 1981, she was the first woman elected to the fair board, and she served until 1987, coordinating the dairy cattle department and serving as an adviser to the Junior Fair Board. She was a member and leader within the Lisbon Grange for more than 50 years and participated in Pomona, state and national Grange activities. She was also active in the Columbiana County Farm Bureau, Dairy Boosters, and was a secretary/treasurer, then president of the Columbiana-Mahoning County Guernsey Breeders Association — and played a huge role in the start of the Columbiana County Fair’s milkshake concession. The Ohio Guernsey Breeders Association honored her in 1997 with the E.J. Rinehart Memorial Service Award. Crosser also served as the president of the Hanoverton Senior Citizens and was an active elder and Sunday school teacher at the Hanoverton Presbyterian Church.

2017 Inductees ​ Ernest F. Aegerter Jr. 1951-2005 ​ In 1951, Ernie Aegerter was born in his family’s farmhouse in Hanover Township. It was in that house that he raised his own family, and it was in that house, surrounded by his family, that he died in 2005. ​ In between, he spent a lifetime building his dairy farm, and strengthening his community, including the Columbiana County Fair. He served 12 years as a fair board director, including two years as vice president and two years as president. He used his time on the fair board to promote agriculture in both a fun and educational way, and was the architect of the fair’s combine demolition derby, that continues today. An avid tractor puller, he also showed cattle at county and district shows, including the junior champion Jersey at the 1993 Ohio State Fair and 2-year-old Jersey Futurity winner at the state fair in 1994. He was a member of the Columbiana County Farm Bureau, and was received the county’s Outstanding Woodland Owner award in 1998. He was never afraid to explore new opportunities, and was one of the first in the area to raise whitetail deer, and opened the Stoney Creek Driving Range on the farm. ​ ​ ​ Frank J. Murray 1916-1997 Frank Murray bought his first farm in Hanover Township when he was just 21. He later bought the family farm in Center Township, which is still in the family, and maintained two farms during his lifelong career. He built dairy, hog and sheep operations, all while working as a livestock buyer, and off the farm for Superior Meat Packing. Frank Murray He helped organize the county’s 4-H hog and lamb committee, and was instrumental in the construction of the sheep and hog barns at the Columbiana County Fairgrounds. He was a member of the Damascus Livestock pig committee, and also bought and sold pigs at Damascus, Elkton, Carrollton and Scio livestock markets, often hauling livestock for other buyers as well. His leadership extended to community organizations, as well. He was a member of the New Lisbon Masonic Lodge, an active member of the Columbiana County Farm Bureau and its Salem-Center farm council, and served on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s county Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation committee, and the board of the Guilford Grange. He also served on the Columbiana County advisory committee for OSU Extension (he was a state winner for his 4-H roping project), and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Lisbon. ​ ​ Isaac “Ike” F. Skeels 1909-1971 ​ Isaac “Ike” Skeels was a dairy farmer in Salem Township and was active in agriculture from 1947 until his death in 1971. A three-term member of the Columbiana County Fair board, he believed the fair was a vital link between the local community and the county’s rich agricultural heritage. He showed Guernsey cattle and draft ponies at the fairs in Columbiana and Mahoning counties. He was also a member of the Mahoning Valley Pony Breeders Association. Skeels was a strong supporter of the county 4-H and FFA programs and served as a 4-H adviser for Just-Rite 4-H Club for 20 years. He also called square dances for area youth at Perry Grange near Salem. Skeels showed his commitment to the community through membership and leadership in several organizations, including St. Jacobs United Church of Christ in Leetonia. He was a past patron of Lisbon Eastern Star, and was a member of the New Lisbon Masonic Lodge and Steubenville Scottish Rite. Close

Close ​ Dwain A. Hawkins 1922-2015 ​ When Dwain Hawkins came home from serving in the Army during World War II, he told his father he would remain on the farm only if they sold the grade cows and bought registered Guernsey cattle. Hawkins soon became recognized nationally as a top Guernsey breeder, and the Jande Guernsey Farm herd was the first Guernsey herd in Ohio, and the first of all breeds in Columbiana County, to produce over 500 pounds of butterfat. The herd was one of the first 13 herds in the U.S. to receive the breed's Gold Star Breeder Award, and the farm went on to receive the award 12 times. The Hawkins family bred two Gold Star sires and developed another. He was a member and past president of the Columbiana-Mahoning Guernsey Breeders Association, chairing their annual eastern Ohio sale for many years. He was also a member of the state and American Guernsey Breeders Associations, serving as state director for six years. He and his four children showed cows at the Columbiana and Mahoning county fairs. In addition to farming, Hawkins also sold Pioneer seed and Standard barn equipment. As his children left home, he dispersed his herd in 1970, and started working for Agri-King, selling livestock nutrition supplements. He became a district, then regional manager, working for 19 years before retiring in 1990. He is the first nonfamily member to be inducted into the Agri-King Hall of Fame. ​ ​ Dr. John Liggett 1928-2006 ​ From the day he was born on the family dairy farm in Cadiz, Ohio, in 1928, until the day he died, Dr. John Liggett carried a love of agriculture and particularly farm animals. He followed the footsteps of his older brother Tom to study veterinary medicine at Ohio State University, graduating in 1954, served in the U.S. Air Force, then moved to Salem, Ohio, to begin his practice in 1956. Dr. Liggett served the agricultural community of Columbiana County for more than 50 years with compassion and a deep respect. ​ ​ Dr. Thomas W. Liggett 1922-1996 ​ Dr. Thomas Liggett spent more than four decades serving farmers and residents in and around Columbiana County as a veterinarian, and served for many years as the veterinarian on call at the Columbiana County Fair. He grew up on a dairy farm in Cadiz, Ohio, and graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University in 1944, and served in the U.S. Air Force in France for two years in the early 1950s. Dr. Liggett operated a veterinary clinic in Lisbon from 1944 until he retired in 1984, then assisted his brother, Dr. John Liggett, with his practice in Salem. His wife, Anna Jean Hawk, worked by his side. An excellent diagnostician, he worked to expand his veterinary knowledge throughout his career, and was active in various veterinary medical associations, and served on the administrative board of Ohio State's College of Veterinary Medicine as well as the board of the Ohio Veterinary Medicine Association.

Michael Conny ​ 2018 Outstanding Fair Supporter MAC Trailer Enterprises Inc. was founded in 1992 by Mr. Michael A. Conny. He started in business as a one-man operation repairing wrecked trailers in a single bay garage. MAC Trailer has grown to be the nation’s foremost manufacturer of dump, flatbed and transfer trailers, straight truck bodies, dry bulk pneumatic tanks in both food grade and raw materials as well as an entire line of Liquid tank trailers equipped for gas, oil, fertilizer or food grade materials. The Columbiana County Fair Board is very grateful and proud to recognize Mr. Conny as an individual within our community that selflessly shares his success and makes a positive and productive impact. Mr. Conny continues to provide outstanding support to the success of the Columbiana County Fair through his generosity and assistance with capital improvement projects. Over the last 10 years his generous donations to the fairground include funds to support the new grandstand, funds toward providing truck and tractor pulls to the fair annually and for special events, as well as being a large contributor to the Junior Fair Livestock Auction. Mr. Conny provides the use of his heavy equipment to the Fair Board for maintaining the grounds and special projects, such as excavation for the site of the newly restored historical bridge at the entrance to the fair. Because of the assistance of community minded individuals like Mr. Conny, the Columbiana County Fair Board, as well as the community can save a substantial amount of financial burden each year.

Close 2016 Inductees ​ ARTHUR ARTER RUDEBOCK 1918-2014 ​ Art Rudebock was a quiet leader within the agricultural community, often in the background, but even the first time you met him, you discovered his keen wit and quick smile. Born in 1918, he farmed with his father near Leetonia, in Salem Township, and started by milking six cows by hand and working with a team of horses pulling a 12-inch walking plow. After assuming management of the farm in the 1950s, he and his wife, Eunice, built the AREUTOBE Dairy Farm, developing a milking string of 50 head by the time he retired in 1980. He incorporated many conservation practices to improve the farm’s soil and crop yields, including the installation of many thousand feet of drain tile, and also served on the Columbiana Soil and Water Conservation District board of supervisors. He was an active member of the Columbiana County Farm Bureau, and its Salem Township Farm Bureau Council, and received recognition for his membership and leadership efforts. He also worked at the Columbiana County Farm Bureau Co-op, was a member of the former Milk Marketing Inc. cooperative, and served as a member of the Columbiana County Extension Advisory Committee. A proponent of youth development, he promoted the county’s 4-H program, and often hosted farm field trips for students. The Rudebocks also hosted an International Farm Youth Exchange student from Pakistan in the early 1960s. Through his leadership in the OSU Extension Farm and Home Development group, he became a mentor to many young farm families, and also hosted many farm tours and visitors. And he felt so strongly that farmers should open their doors to their peers and the public, that he was a key member of the Columbiana County Drive-It-Yourself Tour Committee when it formed in 1968. While looking to the future with youth and young farmers, Art also became interested in preserving the past, and was instrumental in establishing the antique farm and home display at the Columbiana County Fair, which featured many items from his personal collections, including his vast collection of antique milk bottles. That first display in 1984 ultimately grew into the Items of Yesteryear building that was completed in 1991, a unique exhibit among county fairs. He was an active leader within St. Jacobs United Church of Christ, serving as deacon and elder, and promoting Rural Life Sunday programs. Of an interesting multi-generational note: Art attended Buckeye Boys State as a junior in high school, an accomplishment followed later by his son Tom and grandson David. ​ ​ ​ JAMES C. BAER 1944-1999 ​ Growing up on his family farm, and in the auction atmosphere, Jim Baer was firmly rooted in agriculture from an early age. He was the only child of Emmet and Lucille Baer, who founded Baer Auctioneers in 1948 and conducted produce auctions in Rogers, Morrisville, Damascus and Canfield, Ohio. This led to the creation of Rogers Community Auction and Open Air Market in 1955. Baer served as an auctioneer and real estate broker for more than 37 years, attending Reppert’s School of Auctioneering in Indiana between his junior and senior years in high school and becoming licensed before he graduated from high school. In addition to his work with Baer Auctioneers, he also sold at Carrollton and Damascus livestock auctions. A strong supporter of youth in agriculture and 4-H, Baer was a volunteer auctioneer for junior fair market livestock sales in Columbiana, Jefferson and Mahoning counties for many years, and the Mahoning County market livestock committee created the Jim Baer Memorial Scholarship following his death. He also donated his talent and expertise to various benefit auctions, including the Amish School Auction and New Springfield auction. He did this while managing and building the Rogers Community Auction, often called “The Rogers Sale,” which he owned from 1981 until his death in 1999 — single-handedly putting Rogers on the map and creating a tourism destination. Under his direction, the initial eight-acre site purchased by Emmet Baer in 1955 has grown into a facility with nearly 250 acres. He guided the continued growth of the Rogers sale, which has provided a market for the trading of small livestock, produce, hay, grain and other agricultural goods — a local market that has benefited both farmers and consumers for more than 60 years. An active leader in his profession, he was a member of the auctioneers’ associations in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well as the National Auctioneers Association . He served on the board of directors of the Ohio Auctioneers Association from 1990 to 1994, and as the association’s president in 1995 and was enshrined in its Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also a member of the Columbiana County Farm Bureau, the East Palestine Masonic lodge, the Belgian Draft Horse Corporation of America. ​ ​ ​ G. WALTER BOYD 1913-1992 ​ Walter Boyd was born, raised, and then lived and worked on his family farm in Yellow Creek Township his entire life, building a well-managed dairy herd and crop enterprise in the hills of southeastern Columbiana County. Always open to new ways of improving his farm, he worked closely with the Ohio State University Extension to learn and implement the latest crop production and dairy management practices. Other dairymen looked to his leadership, as he served as district director and local president of the Dairymen’s Cooperative Sales Association, which later became Milk Marketing Inc., from 1954 to 1961. And he also helped build the next generation, serving as an assistant 4-H adviser to the No. 16 Agriculture Club. An organizer and charter member of the Southern Ruritan Club, Boyd served as the club’s first president in 1958. He was also a member of the Columbiana County Farm Bureau. He opened his farm to the public, hosting a county agriculture tour of the farm in the early 1950s to demonstrate how he had set up the farm for contour strip farming, a conservation measure that was just gaining interest. He also gave tours of the farm to students from nearby Wellsville and East Liverpool who had never seen where milk came from. His connection with children was fostered by the 30 years he drove school bus for Yellow Creek Local and Southern Local school districts. His commitment to building his community can be seen in his public service: He served as the Yellow Creek Township Clerk for 38 years, from 1940 until 1978. He was also a lifetime member of the Oak Ridge Presbyterian Church, where he served as trustee and elder, and, for 22 years, was a trustee of the Oak Ridge Presbyterian Cemetery. ​ ​ ​ WILMA LIPPINCOTT 1906-1993 ​ When Wilma Lippincott’s husband, Russell, died in 1946, leaving her with children still at home and a 230-acre dairy and poultry farm to run, she did what she had to do to learn how to operate and manage the farm. She continued the early soil conservation efforts of strip contour farming that Russell pioneered and, in 1949, was one of three farmers honored by the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce Farmers’ Club for their farmland restoration work. Today, that West Township farm remains in business, farmed by Lippincott’s oldest son, Neil. In 1955, she married Jim Pendry, and helped him build his Christmas tree farm and landscaping business until his death in 1977. She attended a floral training center in Cleveland to learn how to design natural decorations, so they could add a “Christmas House” to the local Christmas tree sales lot and expand their retail market. Together, they were involved in organizing the Ohio Christmas Tree Association, attending state meetings and developing a constitution. That involvement led to their participation in the National Christmas Tree Growers Association, and helped develop that organization as well. In 1981, she married Perry Lippincott, former part-owner of Lippincott’s Dairy. She received the Bayard Grange’s Community Citizen Award in 1993, which recognized her Grange leadership, and efforts in support of building a new, consolidated West Elementary School and other various community activities. She also served as clerk of the elementary school board, volunteered as a 4-H club adviser, and was an active member and leader of the Bayard United Methodist Church. Incidentally, Wilma Lippincott follows the footsteps of not only her husband, Russell , and his father, Edmond Lippincott, who were enshrined in the Columbiana County Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2006 and 2001, respectively, but also her father, C.F. Mindling , a prominent fruit grower who was enshrined in 2004.