GREENVILLE — At just 20 years old, Jayden Hicks may be one of the youngest leaders helping guide the Darke County Agricultural Society, but his commitment to the Great Darke County Fair has been years in the making.
Now serving as the Agricultural Society’s 2026 vice president, Hicks is helping lead a fair board he says is working together with renewed cooperation and a shared commitment to making the 170th Great Darke County Fair a success.
That teamwork has been especially important in the days leading up to Friday’s opening. Heavy rains have created challenges across the fairgrounds, slowing the placement of vendors, rides and other equipment.
With the sun finally shining Tuesday, however, Hicks said the familiar sights of fair week were beginning to take shape.
“This is what we’ve needed all week,” Hicks said. “You’ve got vendors moving in. We’re able to start getting vendors and their stock trucks placed, so the water’s starting to recede.”
Carnival rides were also arriving from across the country, bringing another logistical challenge due to the size and weight of the trucks hauling them.
“Those are some big rigs,” Hicks said. “Getting them off the road and then onto some blacktop while the grass still dries, that’s caused a little bit of a setback. But we’re getting there.”
Despite the difficult weather, Hicks said preparations remain on schedule for Friday’s 8 a.m. opening.
“We’re hoping to have everything set up before Friday,” he said. “We’re not really set back too much.”
Hicks said the transformation of the grounds also brings a noticeable change in the energy among those preparing the fair.
“The excitement builds more as we get things set,” Hicks said. “I think our energy gets higher, and everything gets moving a little bit quicker.”
For Hicks, that work represents something many fairgoers may never see — the hundreds of volunteer hours contributed by the 11 members of the fair board throughout the year.
Fair board members are not paid for their service, Hicks said, and many use vacation time from their regular jobs to work at the fairgrounds before and during the nine-day event.
“I think we all have really broad shoulders, and I think we understand that we’re all here for the purpose, and that’s to serve the Ag Society and the fair as a whole,” Hicks said.
He pointed to fellow board member Dean Neff as one example, noting Neff has been away from his regular job while operating equipment and helping prepare the grounds.
Hicks is making a sacrifice of his own. He returned from Columbus to help prepare for the fair and is missing the first week of classes at The Ohio State University.
“We donate our time,” Hicks said. “We do a lot here, and I don’t think everybody sees it. They just come and enjoy it in the end.”
For Hicks, that is part of what makes serving on the board worthwhile.
“I think there’s a lot to say about the character that we all have just by the time that we donate and that we put into this place,” he said.
Hicks also acknowledges the fair board sometimes faces criticism, particularly on social media. Rather than dwelling on it, he encourages residents with questions or concerns to speak directly with board members and attend Agricultural Society meetings.
“They can come to a board meeting anytime,” Hicks said. “There’s public comment time for everybody to talk. They can reach out to any of us. All of our numbers are in the fair books.”
His message to the community is simple: Ask questions before accepting rumors as fact.
“Reach out, ask before you believe the rumors that you hear because a lot of times they’re not true,” Hicks said.
More importantly, Hicks believes the Agricultural Society is headed in a positive direction.
“This fair is in a lot better shape than I’ve seen it in years,” he said. “We’re moving in the right direction.”
Hicks said the current board has developed a strong working relationship, with directors communicating regularly and approaching decisions as a team.
“I’ve never seen a board work as well as this board’s working now,” Hicks said. “We work very cohesively together. All 11 of us talk daily, and I think that really shows the growth of our board in the last couple of years.”
Although Hicks is only in his second year as a director, his education in fair board operations began well before he was elected.
“This is my sixth year coming to board meetings and kind of paying attention to what the board does,” Hicks said.
He spent four years attending meetings before joining the board, watching directors come and go through elections and learning how the Agricultural Society operates.
“I’ve seen four different boards before the boards that I’ve been on, and I’ve been on two very different boards in the last two years,” Hicks said. “I’m super thankful for my time on those boards, and I’m super thankful for the people that put the time in because they do make this fair great.”
Service and agriculture have long been important to Hicks.
A 2024 Greenville High School graduate, Hicks served as an Ohio FFA state officer during his first year on the fair board, balancing the responsibilities of both positions.
“I love serving,” Hicks said. “I don’t really look for money in return because I just love serving. I love being able to offer my leadership to other people because I think that it helps me grow and it helps them grow as well.”
Hicks now attends The Ohio State University, where he plans to graduate in 2028 with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness and applied economics and a minor in law and public policy.
His involvement provides an example of how the younger generation can contribute to the future of county fairs and agricultural organizations.
Hicks encourages other young people to get involved, even if they have no plans to seek a seat on the board someday.
“Come to board meetings, attend committee meetings, things like that,” Hicks said. “Just get involved any way you can.”
He believes seeing the work firsthand provides a much different perspective on what it takes to operate one of Darke County’s largest annual events.
“We work very, very diligently,” Hicks said. “We work very professionally.”
As Friday approaches, the muddy areas are drying, vendors are arriving, rides are rolling through the gates and the grounds are once again beginning to resemble the Great Darke County Fair generations of families have come to know.
Behind that transformation is a group of volunteer directors — some with decades of experience and others, like Hicks, representing a new generation of leadership.
After the difficult weather and long hours of preparation, Hicks is ready to see the gates open.
“I’d love to have everybody out here,” Hicks said. “We start 8 a.m. Friday sharp. That flag will go up, and we’ll cut that ribbon right at 8 a.m.”
Then, after months of planning and a challenging final week of preparation, the work of the fair board will give way to what it has all been for.
“It’s going to be a great nine days of the fair,” Hicks said.
