OWENSVILLE, Ohio — The Clermont County Fair dedicated a reserved parking sign and a nameplate above the door of its new maintenance barn to Wendell Wehrum, honoring decades of work and volunteer leadership that spans three generations of his family at the fairgrounds, according to a Facebook post from the fair.
Wehrum began showing animals at the fair as a boy while his father, Ralph Wehrum, served on the fair’s board of directors, according to the fair. Ralph Wehrum retired from the board after 50 years of service representing Franklin Township, and Wendell succeeded him in the seat, according to the Clermont County Fair’s website. As a director, Wendell Wehrum oversaw the fair’s flower and vegetable, herb and seed departments, along with the bicycle races and the truck and tractor pulls, and served two years as board president, the fair said.
After his time on the board, Wehrum moved into a staff role in the fair’s maintenance department, where he continues to work today, according to the fair’s post. The fair credited him with more institutional knowledge of the fairgrounds than anyone else on staff.
The Wehrum family’s involvement with the fair now spans three generations. Wendell’s son, Eric Wehrum, is also a fair board director and has served as the board’s president, according to the Clermont County Agricultural Society. Eric Wehrum is recognized as a third-generation Clermont County senior fair director, continuing the line of service that began with his grandfather Ralph’s half-century on the board.
The new maintenance barn where Wehrum’s sign now hangs was dedicated during this year’s fair, which ran July 26 through Aug. 1 at the fairgrounds on Locust Street. The building itself was named for longtime Owensville residents Ray and Mary Jo Hawley after their granddaughter purchased its naming rights, the fair said in a separate post.
The Clermont County Agricultural Society, which organizes the annual fair, is governed by a board of directors made up of representatives from each of the county’s townships along with at-large members, according to the organization.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Clermont County Fair.