Findlay man has been to 83 Hancock County Fairs

FINDLAY — "I could never get tired of the fair," said Ralph Lazenby, a Findlay man who has attended the Hancock County Fair every possible year for the past 83 years. "The only time I didn't go was in 2020 because of the pandemic," he said. Lazenby said his mother took him first just after he was born, "in a baby buggy." Born in 1942 in McComb Hospital, which is no longer there, and raised on a Hancock County farm, Lazenby said he spent many of his younger years showing animals at the fair through the 4-H program and even competed in the pig scramble a few times, winning it once when he was in middle school. In high school, Lazenby said he spent fair week rotating between football practice and the fair. "I'd stay all night at the fair, then get up in the morning to feed my animals, go to football practice, go back to the fair and then get up at 4:30 or 5 o'clock for football practice," he said. Then return to the fair. "We did that for five days." He said he was young and wasn't tired by the sleep deprivation during the week, and enjoyed the fun of it. While rides and fair food are the main attraction for many at county fairs, Lazenby said he most enjoyed the animals and farm machinery shown at the fair. "I never knew what fair food tasted like until we were older," he said. As a kid, his mother used to prepare a packed lunch to save money. "We used to eat lunch in the parking lot." Lazenby was raised with five other children and said he grew up without a lot of money. He recounted a time he believed he had worked especially hard for years on his animals while his sister won a pie competition her first time entering. When he was drafted for military service, he said his first concern was that he was would miss the fair, but he didn't end up having to go abroad. Despite his love of animals, in his later life he realized he didn't want to be a farmer. After graduating high school, he worked for a lumber company for a while, then for Whirlpool. Now retired and having survived cancer three times, he said he still enjoys going to the fair every year. "Now I just sit and talk to people," he said. It has become a time for seeing old friends. When asked if he would change anything about the fair, he believes it has only gotten better with time. Despite earning the right to say he's been able to attend the county fair for such a long time, he said he is most proud of living long enough to become a great-grandfather, which happened in July. Now with another generation to share the fun with, Lazenby said he'll be attending this year as well. "I have fun at the fair," he said. "I enjoy it."