The Summit County Fair brings animals, rides, carnival games, motocross and more to Tallmadge every summer. But for some, the main draw of the fair is the food.
Corn dogs, funnel cakes, lemonade, french fries — for those looking to indulge, the county fair is a one-stop shop.
As the culture & arts reporter for Signal Akron, I was tasked with taste-testing some of this year’s fair offerings. (It’s tough work, but someone has to do the hard-hitting journalism.) Here’s a rundown of everything I tried.
Fried Cheese ($6)
I started my delicious journey with a food I hadn’t tried before. This fried delicacy is offered at many fairs and festivals. At the Summit County Fair, the cheese options are Swiss and mozzarella. I went with the latter, assuming it would be similar to a mozzarella stick, albeit larger. To my delight, it turned out to be more in line with a corn dog. A hot, crispy cornmeal breading surrounded a gooey center. A+ cheese pull, and will be ordering at every fair from here on out.
Fried Pickles ($8)
In the Signal Akron office, there is a pro-pickle team and an anti-pickle team. I fall firmly on the pro side. (My local favorites are the dill chips from Cleveland Kitchen.) This generous portion featured juicy dill spears, fried to a crispy, golden hue with lots of nooks and crannies for maximum dipping pleasure. I had mine with ranch, but spicy ranch is also an option. Fried pickles can be hit or miss, but these were excellent. They were also piping hot, but that didn’t slow me down too much.
Deep-fried Loaded Pierogi ($10)
I’ve never had pierogi at a county fair, but it seemed like an appropriate choice seeing as Northeast Ohio is known for its large Polish population. Usually, I like my pierogi boiled and then pan fried with lots of butter, onions and kielbasa. These were decidedly not that. Then again, is there really a bad way to eat pierogi? The fried potato dumplings were served with cheese, sour cream and bacon. They were gluttonous and glorious, and I finished all of them.
Birch Beer ($3)
After all that fried food, I was in need of a beverage. My usual drink of choice at a fair is a lemonade shake-up. But after passing two booths selling birch beer, I decided to mix it up. Turns out both the booths are owned by BB’s Concessions. Karen Blackledge started the business in 1986. Back then, she brought her young sons to work with her when she ran the food stands at summer events. Today, her son, Bart Blackledge, owns BB’s. Unlike root beer, which is made with ginger, Karen said birch beer is made with birch tree bark and sassafras. It makes for a drink that isn’t as sweet as root beer but is just as refreshing.
Elephant Ear ($9)
To wrap up my feast, I of course, needed a sweet treat. Birch beer in hand, I turned around and walked a few steps over to BB’s Concessions’ second outpost, where Bart was making funnel cakes, elephant ears and fried Oreos. After a debate with Multimedia Reporter Ryan Loew over which of the three I should go with, I settled on the elephant ear. It had been years since I had one, but I remembered loving them as a kid. Bart stretched out the dough similar to how you would a pizza, and then into the hot oil it went. It came out bubbly and golden brown. I had mine topped with a ridiculous amount of cinnamon sugar. I can’t explain it, but it tasted just like childhood.
Other county fairs in the area
The Summit County Fair is open through Sunday until 9 p.m. Can’t make it to the fair before it closes? Check out a fair in one of the surrounding counties:
Medina County Fair — Aug. 3-9
Cuyahoga County Fair — Aug. 11-16
Portage County Randolph Fair — Aug. 25-30
Stark County Fair — Sept. 1-7
Geauga County Fair — Sept. 3-7
Wayne County Fair — Sept. 12-17
