When it comes to carnival rides, David Eby has a theory: the bigger and faster, the better.
The 10-year-old from Shelby only needed a quick glance during the 2026 Richland County Fair to pick out his favorite.
“Probably Arabian Nights,” he said. “It goes fast and it goes up and then you go down.”
His parents, Jonah and Dacota Eby, who attended the fair as children, decided that kids day on Aug. 11 was the perfect chance to take David for the first time.
“This is so nice for families to be able to come out here and spend time as a family together,” Dacota said. “My husband rode rides as a kid, so it’s kind of neat that my kids get to ride the rides as well.”
Wristbands during kids day were $10 for unlimited rides 12-4 p.m., half the regular price.
David planned to get in as many rides as he could, especially the fast ones. The boy had his limits, though. He decided one ride, Wipeout, might spin too much for his liking.
“It looks scary,” he said.
‘Kind of a tradition’
Families flooded the midway throughout the day, dodging raindrops at times.
Laura Crisp, who grew up in Mansfield, was there with her grandson, Dillion Byrd, 7 — they live in Massillon.
“This is kind of a tradition now,” Crisp said. “I bring him down to this fair every summer.”
Half-priced rides made the drive worth it.
“That’s a good deal for the kids,” Crisp said.
The boy’s favorite ride was the bumper cars.
“About five times he’s been on it,” Crisp said.
Once the rides were over, they planned to eat dinner and then head to the grandstand.
“He wants to see the wiener dogs race tonight,” Crisp said. “I imagine it’s pretty funny to see.”
‘A killer deal’
A lot of families traveled to Richland County specifically for kids day.
Dan and Angela Shockey live in Cleveland and visited the fair with their seven children.
“Needed a little getaway,” Dan said. “It wasn’t long term; about a week of planning.”
Discounted rides were enough of an excuse to make the trip.
“Figured we’d come out and give the kids something fun,” Dan said.
The savings can add up quickly for families with several children. For the Shockey family, that was about $100 saved.
“We only spent $60 to get in the door and I spent $30 on wristbands,” Dan said. “That was a killer deal.”
Contact Zach Tuggle at 419-564-3508. Follow him on X at @zachtuggle.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Families enjoyed half-priced rides at Richland County Fair kids day
Reporting by Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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By Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal | USA TODAY Network
