OLD WASHINGTON, Ohio — Seat belts, everyone. At 7 p.m. on Sept. 10, a lineup of massive farm combines followed by four full-sized school buses will crash, smash and rumble across the Guernsey County Fairgrounds in the first-ever school bus and combine demolition derby in the fair’s 178-year history.
“It’s our very first time for either one of those,” said fair board member Casey Raber, who, along with fellow board member and farmer David “Dutch” Hayes, has been pushing for the idea for years. “We’re kind of learning as we go.”
Raber said inspiration came partly from the Fairfield County Fair in Lancaster, which has long hosted a popular combine derby. He and Hayes convinced the Guernsey County Fair Board to test the idea by paying $500 to up to 10 drivers willing to get behind the wheels of their combines and let it rip.
“We’re hoping that draws them in,” Raber said.
Some drivers are seasoned competitors from other Ohio fairs, while others — including Raber himself — are climbing into a derby combine for the first time.
Fairgoers can expect plenty of diesel smoke, roaring engines and sheer spectacle, Raber said, citing a John Deere 6620 and a Massey Ferguson 850 among the lineup of combines.
“They’re just huge, huge machines. You know, diesel, big blow of black smoke … (they) crash into each other, and it’s something to see.”
The event will be run in heats by size, with the remaining drivers able to patch up their machines and return for a feature round.
Adrenaline rush
Sharing the spotlight along with the combines is the school bus demolition derby. The fair board purchased four buses — one for each district in the county — and handed them over to students to decorate. On derby night, students will ride in with their school’s bus before cheering on their driver from a dedicated student section.
David McCormick, another longtime fair board member, has been overseeing preparations for the bus derby.
“Oh, dear. I’ve been involved with demo derby ever since I was 16,” McCormick said. “And I’m 62 now.”
A veteran driver himself, McCormick knows the thrill.
“It’s an adrenaline rush like none other,” he said. These days, he works behind the scenes. “It was kind of a default that I got to do this bus thing,” he said.
The idea came after McCormick spoke with Jeremy Carr, president of the Athens County Fair, who told him about their success.
“It was all for the schools,” McCormick said. “The schools do not have anything involved in it. The board takes care of all of the expenses. And it’s this kind of a bragging rights, school spirit thing.”
McCormick said the buses came from Mike & B Sales Inc. in Newcomerstown, a salvage yard that ships bus parts all over the world. His team has been busy stripping the buses of glass, headlights, taillights and anything else that could fly off and injure a driver.
While drivers are still being finalized, each of the four school districts — Buckeye Trail, Meadowbrook, Cambridge and East Muskingum — will be represented.
“I gave the schools the option that they could supply someone that wanted to drive, or we could find someone that would drive it for them,” McCormick said.
He laughed at the thought of the battles to come, likening the long, unwieldy machines to ocean liners.
“They’re very long, they don’t handle the greatest,” McCormick said. “And once you get them on a little bit of mud, then the slippery part will come out.”
A good show
For McCormick, the best part of any derby is the audience.
“Listening to the crowd’s reaction, that is probably the most rewarding right there,” he said. “The crowd is why we do this, and we want to put on as good a show as possible.”
McCormick himself has fond memories of competing. His favorite derby car to drive was the Chrysler Imperial, which in its day was compared to Rolls-Royce when it came to comfort, style and appointments. On the track, the 1964 model year Imperial, with its all-steel, boxy frame and almost truck-like chassis earned it a reputation as being nearly indestructible.
McCormick recalls winning the feature at the Guernsey County Fair in the late ‘80s. One competitor was his brother, Clarence. Another was Gator Nelson, and Lloyd McGillton, too.
“And I’m the one that came out on top. It was luck, I reckon. See, it’s 10% skill, 90% luck.”
Now, though, he’s focused on making the new bus derby a success. His message to the community is simple: “I encourage them to support their local school. This being a school spirit event … to try to bring the kids out and cheer on their school. And to see something different. Not everybody’s (ever seen) a bus derby or a combine derby. And we’ll be having both in the same evening.”
Raber echoed the hope that the new events will attract both longtime fairgoers and those who haven’t been back in years.
“One guy said he hasn’t been to our county fair; he can’t remember the last time he’s been to our fair, but he said he’s definitely coming this year — because it’s something new and exciting.”
For the full schedule of events at the Guernsey County Fair, visit online.
