About
The Warren County Fairgrounds & Event Center
The Warren County Fairgrounds has a rich history of agricultural exhibitions and community events over 160 years. As we move forward with the redevelopment of the Grounds, we hope to preserve this heritage while building a dynamic future that will allow future generations to create and enjoy memories not only of the County Fair but of numerous special events and celebrations year-round.
Check back often as we unveil new events to our Grounds, explore exciting opportunities that welcome guests to Warren County, and feature partnerships that highlight the fascinating shops, farms, and events in the Lebanon community and throughout Warren County!
Our Mission
Provide unique space for the community to celebrate, educate, and come together.
Bring the Community Together
We strive to offer a
unique, positive, and safe local environment for the community to come together.
Stay true to our
Ag Society Roots
Our Agricultural Society heritage grounds us in good citizenship, hard work, and the pursuit of generational education and development.
Deliver experiences through personalization
We value relationships, mutual partnerships, and personalization. We take a unique approach to each individual and their needs.
Warren County Agricultural Society
The Warren County Agricultural Society (WCAS) is led by a volunteer Board of Directors who are elected to a three-year term by the membership of the WCAS each year at the Warren County Fair. The Board is responsible for presenting the Warren County Fair each year, for maintaining the harness horse boarding barns and the training track and overseeing the Grounds and facilities.
Dana Letner
President
Executive Committee
Ben Combs
Vice President
Executive Committee
Mike Monroe
Treasurer
Executive Committee
Todd Carter
Director
Executive Committee
Alan Suit
Secretary
Jim Breen
Director
Chris Lutmer
Director
Dee Woebkenberg
Director
Jackie Sechrist
Director
Casey Fodor
Director
Gene Steiner
Executive Director
Melanie Heitzman
Office Mgr, Fair Secretary
Kim Callahan
Event Coordinator
Executive Committee:
Dana Letner, Ben Combs, Mike Monroe, Todd Carter
WCAS Staff:
Gene Steiner: Executive Director
Melanie Heitzman: Office Manager
Kim Callahan: Venue Sales and Promotions Coordinator
Brad Measel: Maintenance Director
Warren County Agricultural Society Membership
We welcome all residents of Warren County to become members of the Warren County Agricultural Society (WCAS).
The cost of a membership is only $35. Memberships can be purchased for Warren County resident adults only at the Warren County Senior Fair Office to enjoy these privileges:
-
Daily access to the Warren County Fair
-
Have a voice in the future of the Warren County Fair
-
Be more involved with Warren County's 4-H youth program, the Fair, and with the large network of supporters and sponsors of Fairgrounds events.
The history of the Fairgrounds
On December 1, 1849, Warren County residents met at the Opera House in Lebanon, Ohio, in response to a call published in local newspapers to form the Warren County Agricultural Society.
A constitution was adopted from this group of about seventy persons attending, and a slate of officers was elected. Isaac Evans, the first Vice President of the Society in 1840, took William Henry Harrison to what is now the Warren County Fairgrounds, where he made a campaign speech. The future President Wm. H. Harrison planned and arranged the first agricultural Fair with Issac Evans, which did not occur until ten years later. The first Fair held by the Society was in September of 1850 at Osborn Grove, at the end of East Main Street in Lebanon. The newspaper "deemed it a respectable exhibition." Receipts for the first Fair were $354.50 and were accounted for by $214.00 membership fees, $25.00 from Shaker Society, and $115.50 from the County Treasury. Membership dues in 1850 were $1.00 a year.
The second Fair was held on the same grounds, with the Fair moving the following year to the present location on North Broadway. That year, 1852, a board fence was erected around five acres. Within the wall, a 24' x 80'was built an exhibition hall. This was the expanse of those early years' fairs.
On January 15, 1902, the 4-H program was started by Albert B. Graham with boys and girls in Clark County near Springfield, Ohio. It was met with enthusiasm by the Warren County Agricultural Society, which built a Junior Fair program that developed into an added plus for the Society. The 4-H exhibits and livestock shows then joined flower shows, field crops, the garden produces, arts and crafts, midway games and sideshows, demolition derby, harness racing, high wire acts, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, church groups, floats, bands, farm equipment, and food of all kinds, to design the Warren County Fair we know today.
In 1947, a fire burnt down the original wooden grandstand, and today the Grounds features a glass-enclosed grandstand that seats 2,700 Fairgoers. This grandstand has seated visitors at the Lebanon Raceway and Fairgrounds since 1971.
In December 2013, the Lebanon Raceway departed for a new venue at Miami Valley Gaming and Racino. This has brought exciting change to the Warren County Fairgrounds and challenges & opportunities for the Warren County Agricultural Society. The Fairgrounds continues to be home to the Warren County Fair and a home for a respected training track and boarding facility for harness horses. Today, the fairgrounds cover 97 acres with 26 barns, show arenas, and exhibit halls. The Fairgrounds is still managed by the Warren County Agricultural Society and hosts many exciting events year-round.