The first Franklin County Fair was held on October 22, 1851, by the Franklin County Agricultural Society at what was then Sullivant’s Grove in Franklinton. The fair, which later relocated to Franklin Park, was originally held in the fall to coincide with the harvest season before being moved to July.

Fair organizers believed that a grandstand and racetrack were needed to properly hold events at the fair, so Franklin County joined up with Licking and Delaware counties to host the Tri-County Fair from 1896 to 1909.

Vonda John, 16, left, and Vickie Kinser, 17, took the plunge on the Sea Dragon ride at the 1981 Franklin County Fair.

In 1910, the Franklin County Fair moved to Driving Park on Columbus' East Side to take advantage of the world-class grandstand and racetrack there. For a few years, the fair bounced back and forth between Driving Park and Grove City before it was decided that Hilliard would be its permanent home.

17-year-old Brad McCormick, of Groveport, walks his grand champion steer around the auction ring at the 1982 Franklin County Fair's Junior Fair Livestock Sale. His 1,205-pound steer sold for $3 a pound and was bought by car dealer Bob McDorman. Auctioneer Merlin Woodruff is in the background.

The 1918 fair opened with a National Trotting Association regulation track and four days of racing. The new Hilliard location was praised for being only two blocks from the Pennsylvania Railroad lines and a quarter of a mile from the New York Central Railroad, allowing for easy transport of people, animals and supplies to the event. The next year, the Franklin County Fair broke all previous attendance records and every exhibit space was full.

Franklin County Commissioner Hugh DeMoss tries out a piece of cherry pie during the Commissioners' Pie Judging Contest at the 1989 Franklin County Fair.

The Allied victory over Japan on August 14, 1945, effectively ended World War II. Attendance at the Franklin County Fair exploded to more than 22,000 people. “Crowds thronged the area until long after midnight, for no one seemed in a hurry to get home.”

Melissa and Danny White paint “hanimals” at the 1985 Franklin County Fair.

Despite a fire in 1978 that destroyed a barn and another in 2000 that took out the grandstand, the fair continued to grow. The Franklin County Agricultural Society purchased the fairgrounds in 1946. The Franklin County commissioners bought an additional 44 acres in 1986.

At the 1985 Franklin County Fair, Marcia Kitchen, 11 and Michelle Kitchen, 13 of Columbus, only spent $1 to win this huge bear at the dime-a-try Lucky Strike game along the fair's midway. They said they shared a bedroom and would put it there.

Like most county fairs, the Franklin County Fair has several attractions, from agricultural competitions to rides, midway games, food, performances, and other events. Visit this year’s fair runs from July 14 to July 20 at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Hilliard.

Angela O’Neal is Local History & Genealogy Manager at the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: The Franklin County Fair, which opens this week on July 14, was first held in 1851