Tornado

Tornado Damage at the Hardin County Fairgrounds – Updates & Recovery Information

On the evening of March 26, 2026, an EF1 tornado touched down at the Hardin County Fairgrounds, causing significant damage across the grounds. Multiple buildings sustained damage, including the Machinery Building, Poultry & Rabbit Building, Steak Barn, Arts & Crafts Building, Pork Producers Building, Maintenance Shop, Roundhouse, Grandstand, Goshen Barn, and Youth and Ag Center. Several power lines and poles are also down. The fairgrounds is currently closed while insurance assessments are underway. Staff are working remotely and can be reached by phone or email.

The Hardin County Fair Board wants the community to know: the 2026 Hardin County Fair will happen. We will rebuild.

This page will be updated as recovery progresses, cleanup opportunities become available, and information about the fair season is confirmed. Check back here for the latest.

Contribute to the fairgrounds tornado relief fund

We continue to be overwhelmed with the generosity of the Hardin County community as well as the broader fair community. We didn't ever plan on accepting donations for tornado relief, but after so many people have reached out, we felt like we had to offer somewhere for folks to donate to the relief effort.

Hardin County Fair Strong t-shirt

Hardin County Fair Strong Shirt Sale

At the end of March, 2026, our beloved fairgrounds was struck by a tornado. Our 4-H club has decided to sell shirts to raise funds to give to the Fair to help with the rebuilding efforts. Any additional donations will…

Tornado Update | April 3, 2026

A week has passed since an EF-1 tornado struck the Hardin County Fairgrounds. Adjusters from both the CORSA Policy (held by the Hardin County Commissioners on the grounds, buildings, and infrastructure) and the Public Entity Pool of Ohio (PEP) have…

Tornado Update | March 31, 2026

Today, State Representative Ty Matthews, the Hardin County Commissioners, Mayor Lynn Webb, and representatives from Senator Rob McColley & US Senator John Husted’s office toured the destruction on the fairgrounds alongside members of the Hardin County Fair Board and Hardin…