This year, the Canfield Fair will celebrate its 180th anniversary from September 2-7. I have written about it several times over the years because, in the city of Canfield, Ohio, with a population of about 7,500, it’s a tradition like no other. 

Of course, through the years, the fair has changed. Agriculture was the main focus at its inception. Today, agriculture still has a huge presence at the fair, including 4-H and exhibits, but entertainment, rides, and, of course, the food seem to be the popular components.

However, one thing missing since 2014 is the infamous “Sound Tower”. It was a building that made public information available across the fairgrounds. Starting around the 1950s, fairgoers could write a message on a piece of paper and, for a quarter, have it read by volunteers over the PA system. 

This was obviously before cell phones. Most of the messages were about meeting people at certain landmarks and reuniting lost family members who wandered off to grab a sausage sandwich. The most popular place to reconnect was at “The Big Rock,” located by the Grandstand. It’s literally a big rock that you can’t miss!

My father and fellow Boy Scout dads volunteered at the Sound Tower for years. I wrote about it briefly in one of my earliest blogs, but it was such a big part of the fair experience that I felt the need to revisit.

These gentlemen were my Dad’s lifelong friends, and I could differentiate their voices over the PA system. I don’t think any of them knew that Seymour Butz and Ivana Tinkle weren’t real fairgoers..lol. 

But kids my age often spent their quarter in their shoe to get a good laugh. I was so embarrassed when I recognized my Dad’s voice announcing, for example, “ Larry O’Neil, please meet Anita Tie at the restrooms” or “Cliff Hanger, please meet your family at the entrance to the Zipper ride” or, better yet, “Sharon Lunch, meet your husband at the corn dog stand. He’s hungry.”

Since my friends and I spent the whole day at the fair, we often sat by the Big Rock and were entertained by listening to all the messages from fairgoers! Ahh…the simple silliness of childhood! It’s a lost art!

If you’re local and have plans to visit the fair this year, bring enough cash Justin Case you want to bring home a candy apple or cinnamon roll…

PS..I know that the picture above is not thrilling, but I wanted to be authentic and show you exactly what the Sound Tower looked like. The 2 white windows is where you stood in line to pay for your messages!