by Myles Linderman
Urbana, OH — The Champaign County Fair in Urbana, Ohio, has always been a favorite stop in the summer for Ohio horsemen. The fair board has been busy readying the iconic grandstand and prepping the fast track for an exciting schedule of races in 2018.
For 25 years Tuesday night at the fair has been the “Urbana Area Chamber of Commerce Night.” Crowds flock to the grandstand to watch the racing action and try to win one of the many prizes given away that night. The racing action for this year’s Tuesday (Aug. 7) card is slated to be the best ever. In addition to the traditional WOCRA stake races that are held each year, Urbana has been selected to host a leg of the Buckeye Stallion Series. The fair will see divisions of all 2-year-old pacers and trotters battle it out for $15,000.
To make the Tuesday night card even better, Hall of Fame announcer Roger Huston will be behind the microphone for part of the night. Huston is making the trek back to his roots in between cards at the Waynesburg (PA) Fair and before flying to Ireland. The legendary Huston first announced at the Champaign County Fair in 1960. He has since become the announcer at the Meadows Racetrack and the voice of the Little Brown Jug. Huston has “fond memories” of the Urbana Fair, watching talented horsemen like Dick Buxton and Bob Seabrook.
Racing will start on Tuesday (Aug. 7) with a post time of 6:30 p.m. Racing will also be held on Wednesday (Aug. 8) and Thursday (Aug. 9) with a post time of 6:30 p.m. each night. Wednesday night will feature some of the best local trotters. The field will try to break the track record of 1:58.1 held by Route Three O Nine in the $10,000 Dick Buxton Trot.
The race office will be open Aug. 4 at 8 a.m. to take entries, but recommends the use of the USTA online entry system.