GREENVILLE — For Jim Buchy, harness racing at the Great Darke County Fair is more than another grandstand attraction.
It is a tradition he has loved since childhood — one that the Greenville native has spent decades helping preserve and promote across Ohio.
That connection was on display Thursday night when the $40,000 Jim Buchy Trot took center stage on the historic 1-mile track at the Great Darke County Fair.
“We have the best fair, the best county fair, and a big part of that is harness racing,” Buchy said. “I’ve been a fan of the sport since I was 10 years old. My grandfather got me hooked on the sport.”
Buchy, a former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives and former president and owner of Buchy Food Service in Greenville, has deep roots in Darke County agriculture and business.
He grew up in Greenville and worked in his family’s meat-packing business, eventually becoming the fourth generation of the family to own and operate the company.
His career later took him from the family business into public service.
Buchy served 24 years in the Ohio House of Representatives and later served as an assistant director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Throughout his public career, agriculture remained one of his priorities. Buchy worked to help fellow legislators better understand the agricultural industry, supported efforts to improve Ohio’s business climate and backed youth agricultural programs while advocating for continued growth and improvement within the industry.
His contributions to Ohio agriculture were recognized in 2017 when he was inducted into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame.
Harness racing has remained another of Buchy’s lifelong passions.
He has been an advocate for strengthening Ohio’s harness racing industry and helping restore the sport to a prominent position in the state.
For Buchy, however, the sport’s importance begins at places such as the Great Darke County Fair, where generations of families have gathered around the track.
“This harness racing is what county fairs are all about,” Buchy said.
His memories of racing at the Greenville fairgrounds stretch back more than seven decades.
Buchy recalled attending one of the fair’s signature races when it was first held in 1950.
“I was at the first one in 1950,” Buchy said. “It’s phenomenal.”
On Thursday night, another chapter was added to Buchy’s connection with the sport as Caviar Gold captured the $40,000 Jim Buchy Trot.
Driven by Dan Noble, Caviar Gold won the 10th race in 1:55.2 over the Great Darke County Fair’s 1-mile oval.
Hillexotic, driven by Austin Hanners, finished second in 1:56, while Topville Master was third in 1:57.
The race was one of the featured events closing out four days of harness racing at the fair.
Having his name attached to one of the fair’s premier races provides a fitting connection between Buchy’s hometown, his agricultural roots and a sport that has been part of his life since his grandfather introduced him to harness racing as a 10-year-old boy.
More than seven decades later, Buchy can still be found at the Great Darke County Fair watching the horses circle the same Greenville oval that helped make him a lifelong fan.
And for Buchy, harness racing and the county fair remain inseparable.
“This harness racing is what county fairs are all about,” he said.
