OWENSVILLE, Ohio — Families planning to enter a child in this year’s Clermont County Fair pageant have until Wednesday to register early and save on the entry fee, according to the Clermont County Fair.
The pageant is open to children ages 0 to 8, the fair said in a Facebook post. Entrants do not need to live in Clermont County to participate, and pre-registering before the Wednesday deadline saves entrants $15 compared with registering after the cutoff.
The pageant is part of the lineup at the 2026 Clermont County Fair, which runs July 26 through Aug. 1 at the Clermont County Fairgrounds, 1000 Locust Street in Owensville. The fair is organized by the Clermont County Agricultural Society, a nonprofit that has run the event since it was founded on June 9, 1849. The society’s first fair drew about 2,000 people to a two-day event that September, with $176 spent on premiums for winners.
The fair moved to its current Owensville grounds in 1864, and the original Floral Hall building from that era still stands on the property, according to the fair. The society expanded the site by 24 acres in 2008 to add parking and built a new hog barn and show arena in 2020.
Youth contests have a long history at the fair. The Agricultural Society held its first baby contest in 1878, awarding a top prize of $5, decades before pageants for young children became a fixture of county fairs across Ohio.
Families with questions about registering can contact the Clermont County Fair through its Facebook page or by calling the fairgrounds office at (513) 732-0522.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Clermont County Fair.