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Heat wave ensures a sizzling opening

Visitors and participants are urged to take care of themselves and animals.

Samantha Lindner gives her pig Cookie a drink of water to keep him cool Thursday at the Clark County Fairgrounds. Weekend temperatures are expected to be in the low 90s. Staff photo by Bill Lackey

Bill Lackey Samantha Lindner gives her pig Cookie a drink of water to keep him cool Thursday at the Clark County Fairgrounds. Weekend temperatures are expected to be in the low 90s. Staff photo by Bill Lackey

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Photos: 2011 Clark County Fair

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By Andrea Chaffin, Staff Writer Updated 6:38 AM Friday, July 22, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — Despite the heat, the fair must go on.

The Clark County Fair opens its gates to the public today at noon, but the heat is causing concern for patrons and animals.

Today’s high temperature is expected to climb to 94 degrees, said WHIO meteorologist Jamie Simpson. Saturday and Sunday highs will be in the low 90s, with a few thunderstorms in the mix, he added.

The first night’s entertainment kicks off with Wyatt McCubbin, the 16-year-old country crooner from South Charleston, in the Big Tent at 7:30 p.m. The Truck Tug-O-War begins in the Grandstands at 7 p.m.

Fairgoers can seek air-conditioned refuge in the Red Cross building and Champions Center, said Allan Hess, the fair’s executive director.

The conditions can be exceptionally dangerous to patrons if the proper precautions are not taken, said Clark County Health Commissioner Charles Patterson.

“There’s a lot of pavement there — the black top absorbing the sun — and the buildings block the breeze,” he said. “There are lots of people and its puts out additional heat.”

It’s important to report to the Red Cross building if one is feeling the symptoms of heat exhaustion, he said.

“Seek help sooner than later,” Patterson advised.

It’s just as imperative that the animals don’t overheat.

Fair veterinarian Dana King said it’s vital to keep the animals cool by continuously misting them, or rotating frozen bottles of water in the cages of smaller animals.

“You’ve got to really be alert to this excessive heat and take precautions,” King said. “Just like us, the evaporation cools them.”

Fair officials delayed Thursday night’s open-class hog weigh-in to run from 8 p.m. to midnight in order to avoid the mid-day sun.

Jim Shull, whose kids show hogs, said he thought a lot of people were concerned about the animals’ well-being. He hauled his pigs in a tractor trailer filled with a mix of shavings and ice, and hoses the pigs down three times a day.

“It never fails when it’s fair week,” he said.

Hess said he can’t worry about things he can’t control, such as the attendance taking a hit from the heat.

“We’ve prepared for a fair,” he said. “And we’re going to have a fair all the same.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0349

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