The Sale of Champions at the Ohio State Fair is 51 years old this year and has had only two auctioneers in its storied history, both of them with ties to Logan County.
Auctioneer Johnny Regula calls the Logan County Fair Livestock Sale on Saturday morning, along with Beth Overs. Regula will be inducted into the Ohio State Fair Hall of Fame for his nearly 40 years of involvement with the Sale of Champions. (EXAMINER PHOTO | REUBEN MEES)
The late Merlin Woodruff, who lived in Kingscreek south of West Liberty, was the auctioneer at the fair’s sale for decades before it officially became known as the SOC in 1968. He continued calling the sale until he gave the gavel to Johnny Regula during the sale in 1991.
Regula, a 4-H boy from Jackson Center, has been associated with the Ohio State Fair since 1979. This year, he is being inducted into the Ohio State Fair Hall of Fame and he was recognized by auctioneer Gary Saylor during Saturday’s livestock auction at the Logan County Fair, which he has been calling for decades.
“It’s an honor but it’s not why I do this,” Regula said after the livestock sale finished about 1 p.m. Saturday.
“I enjoy what I do. It’s an honor. It caught me off guard,”
Read complete story and more 2018 Logan County Fair coverage in Monday’s Examiner.
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