By Don Jovich
Record-Courier staff writer
MANTUA " Area residents should plan to attend the largest, three-day fair in northern Portage County where visitors can enjoy food and family fun for all ages.
St. Joseph's Ox Roast Fair will be held from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.
The 45th annual event features a wide variety of fair food favorites, live entertainment, an air-conditioned dining hall and an assortment of rides, games, contests and giveaways.
New this year, the band Sobeit, which was just named the "Best Local Band of 2008" in the myfoxcleveland.com's Akron/Canton hotlist, will be performing from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday.
Other highlights include $7,000 in main raffle prize drawings and hourly progressive drawings each day plus several specialty raffles, souvenir T-shirts and hats, tractor, truck and semi pulls, trade booths and indoor and outdoor casino areas with instant bingo.
And, the famous Ox Roast beef has always been a part of the fair.
Thirty-five hundred pounds of high-quality sirloin roasts are prepared in brick-lined pits, which are heated up several days before the fair with a constantly burning fire. The beef is prepared, wrapped in unbleached muslin and netting, and placed in the fiery coals, covered over and cooked for hours until done to perfection.
Visitors may still see the pits smoldering as they enter the fairgrounds.
Ox roast sandwiches are available in two locations on the fairgrounds throughout the hours of the fair while ox roast dinners are served in the air-conditioned Hughes Hall. Dinners also include real red skin mashed potatoes with a secret recipe gravy, tender green beans, fresh fruit and salad bar, beverage and dessert.
Many other choices abound at the festival, including elephant ears made from scratch, pizza, soft pretzels, funnel cakes, corn dogs, french fries, pierogis in a variety of flavors, onion blossoms, hamburgers, hot dogs, pickles, sausage sandwiches, chips, walking tacos, gyros and soft serve in vanilla, chocolate or twist.
McGinnis Amusements provides the rides and games on the big midway and offers ride specials throughout the hours of the fair. The midway is open throughout the regular hours of the fair.
On Friday, visitors will enjoy the antique tractors pulls run by the Geauga County Antique Tractor Pullers Association. This sanctioned pull is open to non-members and features a variety of stock and open classes. Weigh in starts 5 p.m. and pulls start at 6 p.m.
On Saturday, the Ox Roast hosts tractor pulls and semi truck pulls. Weigh in is at 5 p.m. and pulls start at 6 p.m.
On Sunday, visitors will want to check out the garden tractor pulls with registration at 11 a.m. and pulls beginning at 11:30 a.m. The Buckeye Pullers Association will put the lawn, modified, pro stock and diesel open tractors to the test.
The Parish Community of St. Joseph's is located at 11045 St. Joseph Blvd. in Mantua Township off of Pioneer Trail.