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Welcome to Wayne County
Whether you are looking for some old-fashioned fun in the sun or an award-winning micropolitan experience, Wayne County has a lot to offer Northeast Ohioans. On the southern edge of The 330, this area is jam-packed with industry, including economic powerhouses like the J.M. Smucker Company in Orrville and Daisy Brand in Wooster. It also is the gateway to Amish Country, where residents and visitors alike can enjoy an old-time way of life. From Orrville to Wooster, and everything in between, Wayne County is a great place to be.
Wayne County Country Fun
Who says you can’t have fun in the country? Sometimes leaving the city and doing something different is just what the doctor prescribed. Wayne County has several bustling communities, but in-between is a wide-open countryside. Aside from the peace, relaxation and open skies, the country can provide excitement that you never thought you were missing. Here are three good old country fun events that people in the heart of Wayne County look forward to in the summer months, always welcoming new faces.
The Ultimate Cowboy Experience
Cowboys Mount Up For the Ohio State Championship
When thinking of people riding on horses, wielding lassos and wearing old Cavalry costumes, the mind goes straight to thoughts of old western movies. However, these things are not confined solely to the silver screen, instead, you can find them right here in The 330. Visitors to the Wayne County Fairgrounds August 7 through the 9 can have a cowboy experience that even John Wayne would have enjoyed.
Watch as cowboys participate in the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Ohio State Championship with the Northern Ohio Outlaws. With over 350 members, the Northern Ohio Outlaws is the largest cowboy club in the world. They are also ranked at the highest mastery level of six.
Mark Wright, the president of the Northern Ohio Outlaws, was ranked as one of the top cowboys in the Midwest last year. He says that he first became interested in being a cowboy because there’s just no fun like cowboy fun. “How could you have more fun than playing cowboys?” he asks. “And that’s literally what we do. We dress up in 1800’s cowboy outfits, the old-style clothing and guns.”
Throughout the three-day western experience, Wright says there will be shooting events during the days, with a cookout and band in the evening. On Sunday, one of the events will be the Cavalry. Cowboys dress in their Cavalry outfits, run with the flap holsters and give away buckles, along with other items. “It’s free for anybody to come watch. We get the audience involved and have them come, hang out and talk about the horses. It’s fun to come and watch, but it’s a lot more fun to come and try it,” Wright says.
For more information on the Northern Ohio Outlaws, visit their website at http://www.nooutlaws.com.
Meet the family behind the world-class cheese at Shisler's Cheese House.
Pro Bull Riding Fun at Buckin’ Ohio Ranch
The Buckin’ Ohio Ranch Hosts Event
to Celebrate the American Farmer
For years the Buckin’ Ohio ranch has put on top-notch bull-riding events in Burbank, Ohio, attracting over 3,000 attendees each month in the summer to enjoy a very dangerous, but exciting, sport.
During a pro bull-riding event, cowboys from all over race against the clock as they try to stay on long enough to win the “purse,” or prize money, at the end of the event. These cowboys are all competing for a spot at a national competition in North Carolina.
One local event that these cowboys will compete in will be held at the Buckin’ Ohio ranch on August 22, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Eileen Thorsell, one of the owners of the family business, says that the August event will not only feature amazing bull riding, but it will also celebrate the American farmer. “The American farmer in today’s world is so important to our country,” she says. “I always say that if you know a farmer, say 'thank you', because they are the ones who produce the food that we eat and they are very valuable.”
Buckin’ Ohio produces five bull riding events throughout the year on the family ranch. They also do two at the Medina Fair and one in Columbus. The family has been in the livestock industry for 40 years, and entered the bull industry when Thorsell’s son competed in a high school rodeo.
“ If you love the West, Buckin’ Ohio is the place to come because everything we do revolves around our western heritage.”
Buckin’ Ohio is part of an association called the Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association (SEBRA). “When I’m running an event, [it will attract] cowboys from all over the United States. They call SEBRA and enter my events. But they’re also travelling all around. They might be at an event on Friday night, then they’ll come to my event on Saturday night and some of them are going to another event on Sunday,” says Thorsell.
The ranch also trains anyone interested in becoming a bull rider. Students are taught balance, how to move on the bull, how to get off the bull, and very importantly, safety. “It’s like any professional sport. There are techniques in each sport that the athlete needs to learn and understand in order to become a champion,” says Thorsell.
For more information on the Buckin’ Ohio Western Rodeo and Western Experience, visit the website at https://buckinohio.com/.
Check out some wildlife while you're in Wayne County!
For the Love of Tractors
Marshallville Residents Celebrate Antique Tractors with a Tractor Pull
For many, tractors are a source of annoyance. When a driver suddenly pulls up behind one on a two-lane road, they curse it as a hold-up for the traffic. However, for the people of Marshallville, tractors are a farmer’s most prized possession. And what do you do with valued vehicles? Show them off, of course! On August 22, the farmers of Marshallville will do just that with a little friendly competition. Beginning at 1 p.m., spectators visit the park on Fulton Road to check out antique tractors and learn more about these valuable pieces of farming equipment.
“ We’re a farming community. They were important then and even today,” says Tim Twinem, the president of the Marshallville Historical Society. “The tractor was a part of your whole existence.” Though many think of tractors as only harvesting machines or sprayers, Twinem says that historically the tractor has been used for many tasks. It plowed fields, helped with the harvest, attachments powered saws, as well as many other practical parts of a farmer’s livelihood. “And today, like a car enthusiast, you rebuild the tractors and show them off. It’s the pride of showing your accomplishments,” says Twinem. Some of the farmers involved have tractors from as early as the 1920s.
“ It basically got started because the farmers wanted to have a competition amongst each other to pull on antique tractors,” says Twinem. “They’re passionate about their antique tractors like people are passionate about their antique cars. I mean some of these cats have been doing it for 20 to 30 years."
The tractor pull is a time for farmers to relax and take a load off, especially in the summer when they are working in the fields from sun up to sun down. The objective of the event is to attach sleds onto each tractor, add weights, and see who can pull the most weight for the longest.
Because tractors don’t move very fast, the event will last until the last tractor has pulled. “A lot of people whose family pulls come out and make a day event out of it,” says Twinem. “These things don’t go really fast, so we’ll start at 1 p.m. and keep pulling until all the classes are done. We might not finish until ten or eleven at night.”
For more information on the Marshallville Tractor Pull check out its Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/marshallvillepullersofficial.
