On July 20, 2026 EVA of Ohio held an EV Drive & Ride & Drive at the Warren County Fair’s opening day. The fairgrounds are in Lebanon, Ohio, about a half hour’s drive from Cincinnati and Dayton. EVA of Ohio seeks to do education events like this in both rural and urban areas, and Warren County provides an interesting mix. With its agricultural heritage, the Fair draws disproportionately from the rural northeast (Waynesville).
Our Drive & Ride was a featured attraction on the official fair schedule for the day. Children riding the taller amusement park rides got a good view of our operation in the EV parking lot outside the gates.
We gave a total of 68 drives or rides using the dozen EVs in our fleet, which for the first time included a Porsche Macan. Cadillac was well represented with Cadillac Optiq, Lyriq and Escalade IQ. Other EVs included Tesla Model 3 and Y, Chevy Equinox EV, Rivian R1T, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and VW ID.Buzz. The ID.Buzz, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model Y and 3 were the most popular with an average of 10 drives+rides each.
Thanks to Tesla in Oakley for bringing a Model 3 and Y, giving adventurous participants the opportunity to have the car take the test drive while they supervised! Thanks to EVentures Rentals for bringing the ID.Buzz—a real eye-catcher with its two-tone paint job. Thanks to White-Allen Porsche for bringing the Macan and to Jeff Schmitt Cadillac for the loan of their Escalade IQ.
What did volunteers and fairgoers do while not driving EVs? The full variety of agricultural fair activities, from harness racing to admiring the most radiantly clean pigs this side of Charlotte’s Web. I elected to chill with a barn full or alpacas, visit the huge variety of cute bunnies (see the fur ball with ears and nose peeking out) and marvel at a chicken breed with a head like a black-and-white feather duster.
We look forward to engaging with even more fairgoers at next year’s fair!
