GREENVILLE — For generations of Great Darke County Fair visitors, the smell of freshly roasted peanuts has been part of the fair experience.
Zeffrey Davis is helping make sure that tradition continues.
Davis, who now lives in Florida but was raised in Michigan, returns to Darke County each year to operate a peanut stand with family roots at the fair dating to the late 1930s or early 1940s.
But the history of selling peanuts from the location goes back even further.
Darke County Agricultural Society President Marla Werner said a peanut stand has operated at the fair since the early 1920s, giving the location a history spanning more than 100 years.
Davis said his family’s involvement began with his grandmother, June Baker, who operated what became known as June’s Peanuts and June’s Fresh Roasted Peanuts.
“It was my grandmother that started the business,” Davis said.
Through Baker, Davis heard stories about the fair during some of the most significant moments of the 20th century, including the polio epidemic and the end of World War II.
“She can tell me stories about the polio epidemic when they shut down the Darke County Fair and when they ended the war in World War II,” Davis said. “It was such a joyous event here at the fair.”
While generations of fairgoers have passed by the stand, one important piece of equipment has also stood the test of time.
Davis still roasts the peanuts in a roaster that is about 100 years old.
“The roaster is 100 years old,” Davis said.
For Davis, freshness is what separates the peanuts coming out of that century-old roaster from those purchased off a grocery store shelf.
“They’re fresh. That’s what makes a difference,” he said.
Davis said commercially packaged peanuts may spend months being processed, shipped and sitting on store shelves before reaching consumers. At the fair, customers can purchase peanuts that have come out of the roaster only hours earlier.
“People just don’t realize that you’re buying a peanut that you actually can buy right coming out of the roaster or a couple hours old,” Davis said. “It still makes a big difference — a big, big difference in taste.”
The peanuts themselves are also selected specifically for eating.
Davis said he uses Virginia jumbo peanuts, which he described as a gourmet, top-grade peanut grown for direct consumption.
“These are a Virginia jumbo. It’s a gourmet peanut,” Davis said. “It’s what they call the jumbo, and it’s raised for consumption.”
Continuing the tradition requires considerably more time than the nine days the Great Darke County Fair is open.
Davis said he spends about 15 days in Darke County each year because of the preparation required before the fair and the work that follows.
“I enjoy it very much,” Davis said. “I spend 15 days here in Darke County. It’s a nine-day fair, but just the preparation and the long hours can wear on an older person.”
Despite the demanding schedule, Davis said operating the stand remains enjoyable because of the people he meets.
“It’s fun. It can be fun,” he said. “You talk to a lot of people.”
After decades of his family’s involvement and more than a century of peanuts being sold from the location, Davis also recognizes that another generation will eventually be needed to continue the tradition.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Davis said. “If somebody was ever looking, they might get in the peanut business.”
For now, however, Davis continues doing what his grandmother began generations ago — welcoming fairgoers and serving fresh-roasted peanuts while keeping alive one of the Great Darke County Fair’s oldest vendor traditions.
