The Great Geauga County Fair

GEARS organizes a group of volunteers at the Great Geauga County Fair. It’s our biggest volunteer event of the year: In 2022, we had 52 volunteers for a total of 1,367 volunteer hours.

We perform a number of functions at the fair as described below, but it’s also an exercise for us: As part of our emergency- and disaster-preparedness role within the county, we’re able to practice deploying equipment and resources in the field.

What does GEARS do at the fair?

• Dispatch and drive golf carts to help people get around the fairgrounds and to and from the parking lot.
• Staff the sheriff’s office building outside of Gate 1.
• Walk the fairgrounds to provide eyes and ears for the on-duty fire departments and the sheriff’s office.
• Perform other miscellaneous tasks to assist the sheriff’s office.
• Provide surveillance cameras for fair personnel and the Sheriff’s Office to monitor traffic and parking.
• Provide IP telephone service on the fairgrounds.