At the Summit County Fair, the first ride this year may be the walk through a metal detector. The Tallmadge fair is adding screening checkpoints, more deputies and brighter parking lots after a teenager was shot in the fairgrounds parking lot last summer, with officials aiming to reassure families and the 4-H members who sleep near the barns.
Visitors at the 2026 fair will pass through checkpoints at every public entrance. According to News 5 Cleveland, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office has increased patrols around the fairgrounds and parking lots, especially overnight, while new lighting has been installed throughout the parking areas.
The fair’s guest-services page says walk-through metal detectors are operating at all public gates, and bags, purses, coolers and packages may be searched. The posted rules prohibit weapons and limit bags to 9 inches by 10 inches by 12 inches or smaller.
Why The Fair Changed Course
Last year’s shooting happened shortly after 11:15 p.m. on July 26, 2025, after the fair had closed for the night. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office said an unknown man fired multiple rounds into an occupied vehicle, striking a 17-year-old boy who was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries…