by Jay Wolf

When the final horse crosses the finish line on Saturday (Oct. 14) night at MGM Northfield Park, the 2023 Ohio county fair and sire stakes season will officially come to an end and with it, one of the greatest road shows will also come to an end, the Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association live coverage of those fairs and special events.

What started on June 12 at the Paulding County Fair has wound its way through 65 additional stops for a total of 132 cards, each and every fair card broadcasted by the OHHA team headlined by Frank Fraas, Susan Schroeder and Matt Clark.

Through its Facebook page and YouTube channel, the OHHA events are broadcast live. If you miss a race or want to watch it again, show replays are available through the OHHA’s HarnessRacingOhio.com page.

The genesis of the fair broadcasts came as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The OHHA saw the need to broadcast qualifiers from Scioto Downs, Northfield Park and the Delaware County Fairgrounds in 2020. What started with a couple of qualifying dates, became a handful of fair dates and now every fair in the Buckeye state receives coverage with loyal fans from all corners of the state, country and world.

“We have viewers from almost every state and countries such as Ireland, Sweden, Canada, Italy and Australia,” said Schroeder. “I am always amazed when we review the stats and viewer locations.”

Over the past couple of years, the OHHA coverage has expanded to the Next Generation Series, Ohio Sire Stakes Final, Buckeye Stallion Series and County Fair Final events.

Putting on live races from so many different locations is difficult.

“Each fairground and track provide unique challenges,” said Clark. “From the construction of the grandstand, to the location of the announcer and most importantly, the reliability of the internet service.”

Internet reliability is a must to operate all of the audio, video and mixing equipment needed to put on a good presentation. It takes two hours to set up and tear down for each card.

While technical and connectivity problems can be a major issue, the OHHA team has seen a wide variety of unexpected issues that had to be overcome; tornado warnings, road construction and closures, ambulance delays, racing accidents and post time changes, to name a few.

“Postponements and cancelations can really mess up our scheduling plans,” said Schroeder. “We have to be able to roll with the flow and make adjustments.”

The dedication of the OHHA crew to bring all of the action was on full display at the Champaign County Fair in mid-August. The Tuesday night card was cut short by a torrential downpour that produced three inches of rain, soaking the equipment. The following afternoon, the show went on via a laptop camera while Clark was drying the essential pieces of electronics and Fraas was delivering necessary parts from the recently completed Attica Independent Fair (a two-hour trip) for the evening card.

Based on their limited full-time staff, the OHHA has to look for additional assistance to shoot and analyze the races, recruiting family members (Jessica Schroeder), Hall of Famers (Roger Huston), veteran announcers (Doug Ballinger) and a prominent owner (Don Tiger).

“We are so grateful for the assistance,” said Fraas. “We have nearly a dozen people to help on the broadcasts. It is great to hear their excitement and expertise.”

The highlight of the OHHA’s fair coverage is their nearly 35-hour marathon over the five-day Little Brown Jug Week at the Delaware County Fair. Along with their race coverage, the OHHA also airs a ‘Trackside Live’ speaker series program that features conversations and interviews with state, regional and national stars.

“It has truly become a labor of love,” said Fraas. “It takes a lot of work, time and talent to put on these events, but we are living our mission to expand and educate our fanbase.”