CANFIELD, Ohio — The Canfield Fair Board cut the ribbon on the Michael Kusalaba Fund of the Youngstown Foundation Event Center Aug. 10 and auctioned off 21 rooster statues that were part of the Flock to the Fairgrounds public art display.
Phase 1 of the event center was completed in 2020, just before the 2020 Fair, at the cost of approximately $3.2 million dollars which built a 35,000-square-foot building. Phase 2 was completed in 2023 at the cost of approximately $1.3 million dollars and included the lobby, restroom area and classrooms.
The Flock to the Fairgrounds is a public art project designed to celebrate 175 years of Canfield Fair traditions, promote the arts and raise money for the Canfield Fair Foundation. The rooster statutes were sponsored by local businesses and painted by local artists selected through a jury process. The roosters made their debut at the 2021 Canfield Fair and were to be auctioned off that year, but because of continued COVID community flareups, the event was put on hold. As progress continued on the building it made sense to incorporate the auction with the ribbon cutting. The auction brought in nearly $60,000, all proceeds of which will go to the Mahoning County Agricultural Society Canfield Fair.
