Fulton County Ohio Media

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Fulton County, Ohio is Small Town America.  It has a population of just under 43,000 (2020 Census) that resides in one very small city (Wauseon), six villages, three Census-designated places and 11 unincorporated communities.  Situated within America’s heartland, sharing a border with the state of Michigan and a short drive from Indiana, Fulton County is mostly rural with an agricultural-heavy economy.  Many of the families have been here for generations and hold traditional and conservative viewpoints and know the importance and value of hard work.

Each of these communities, regardless of their size, have something special and unique about them. And once a year a group of dedicated volunteers from each community will organize, plan and produce a celebration of their town and invite the whole world to stop in and celebrate that uniqueness along with them.  Nobody does it better than small towns because of the deep and life-long connections that area residents have with each other and the love they share and the pride they feel for their community.  These volunteers, and I need to emphasize they are all unpaid hard-working individuals who have gladly stepped up for the cause, want their community to shine in the best possible light for all the visitors to see and to show the local citizenry what can be achieved with great effort.  These volunteers are role models for the next generation and a gift to their communities.

The Fulton County Fair aside, it’s hard to beat the smaller annual festivals we have.  For example, Archbold has the Route 66 Bash, Delta Has the Chicken Festival, Fayette has the Bull Thistle Festival, Lyons has the Chicken Barbeque, Swanton has the Corn Festival, Metamora has the Parkorama, Pettisville has its Friendship Days and Wauseon has its Homecoming.  The one thing these celebrations have in common is that they employ an all-hands-on-deck philosophy to ensure everyone has a great time and stays safe.  This approach requires a coordinated effort among the festival committees, chambers of commerce, police departments, fire & rescue departments and village services.

Obviously, all this comes at a cost, some of it borne by the taxpayers.  However, more often than not, the municipality recoups those expenses in several ways, some quantifiable, some not.  Many times, festival committees will pay for certain village expenses, donate to or supplement various village funds or help pay for special village projects.  Here is just one example. A number of years ago the Swanton Corn Fest Committee purchased approximately four acres of property inside the village limits hoping to create a paved walking path on the north side of town then donated it to the Village.  While the project never came to fruition, the Village sold the property for just over $31,000, with the expressed understanding the money would be used for Memorial Park expenses.

Overall, a community will benefit in other ways that you cannot put a price tag on.  Several local businesses will have booths on the grounds generating exposure to visitors outside of town.  Community service organizations such as the Lions Club or the Rotary will be selling raffle tickets or running a food booth to help fund their benevolent local projects.  Local churches, school organizations and the American Legion or VFW will do the same.  The money raised by these groups will be injected into and ripple through the local economy, making that town a better place to live and raise a family.

Another economic boost to the town comes by way of visitors stopping to fill their gas tanks or do some grocery shopping as a matter of convenience, before or after the event.  It may be hard to fully quantify, but an increase in local shopping means an increase in local business tax revenue and lessens the tax burden on the village’s residents.

Not only do these great events create long-lasting memories for local citizens, especially the children, they offer an opportunity for all those former residents who have relocated around the country to return, reunite and reminisce with old friends and relatives.  Annual festivals bring out the best in Small Town America and the return on the investment is priceless.

Click on the link to access photos from the 2017 Swanton Corn Festival parade and Memorial Park activities. The photos will show the mix of attendees from all around Northwest Ohio which always determines the financial success of the Corn Fest itself and the economic impact on the Swanton economy. Take a look and see how many familiar faces you can spot and see how they have changed from eight years ago. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.