According to Abraham Lincoln, every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. For John Cooper, it’s the Ohio State Fair.
The Ohio State Fair is famously recognized as a showcase and celebration of the best of Ohio. From high-profile entertainers like Johnny Cash and George Jones to Cooper’s very own Abraham Lincoln presentation, the fair offers something for everyone.
John Cooper
Before Cooper became known for donning Lincoln’s stovepipe hat and spade beard around the fairgrounds, he spent his days at the fair playing the French horn.
His adoration of the fair began back in 1965 when John was selected to participate in the Ohio Boys Band, now known as the All-Ohio State Fair Band. At the time, the Ohio Boys Band exclusively recruited male high schoolers to play six to ten shows every day at the fair. However, when Cooper graduated from high school, he graduated from the Boys Band and joined the newly formed Alumni Band in 1968.
“Counting my time playing in the band and serving with the alumni band … That’s 58 years.” Cooper says. “But I would say that other than the two COVID years, I have never missed an Ohio State Fair since 1964.”
The Ohio State Fair was an event for the entire Cooper family, as John regularly brought along his wife and children. Annually, he and his wife, Carolyn, carved out one day as their “complete family day,” for which all of their children would tag along. In fact, every one of his children had visited the fair before their first birthdays, and each had specific days with their father to explore the fair at his side.
“Butterflies always interested me.” says Cindy Bussart, Cooper’s daughter. “We were in The Butterfly House and I was saying, ‘oh, that’s that kind of butterfly or moth,’ and this was before they had all the identifiers up and everything.”
What began with his daughter’s love for insects evolved into their shared love of volunteering for The Butterfly House at the fair every year. Cooper and Cindy joined the Ohio Lepidopterist Society, adding one more fair attraction to Cooper’s annual repertoire.
“As soon as I graduated from college in 1973, I moved to Columbus. I think that was the main reason I wanted to live close, the Ohio State Fair,” he says.
John Cooper
Only a few years later, Cooper purchased his first home in Pickerington, where he still resides 49 years later. Many of his Abraham Lincoln beginnings started right here in the city. He recalls that it all began when he worked for the Defense Supply Center Columbus in the 1980s.
“I had a couple of coworkers who kept telling me that I reminded them of Abraham Lincoln. I’m almost tall enough to be Abraham Lincoln … and I had a beard that was kind of Lincoln style, but also a mustache. My hair was blondish and my beard was sandy… I don’t know how they saw the resemblance,” Cooper says.
An old black frock coat he found at his mother’s house, a handmade cardboard hat, and a few cans of theater spray paint later and Cooper truly resembled Lincoln. His first runs donning the garb were for Halloween and as a guest speaker in his children’s elementary school classes.
In February 2008, Pickerington hosted a bicentennial celebration that marked Cooper’s first official gig as an Abraham Lincoln presenter – which is the preferred term over “impersonator.” In his presidential state, he took the stage and delivered the Gettysburg Address and an informative speech about Ohio’s involvement in the Civil War.
If you’ve been fortunate enough to see John Cooper’s rendition of Lincoln in person, you’ll know that he gave the speech without looking at a single notecard for reference.
Soon after, Cooper began taking on bigger events, such as the Akron-Canton airport’s dedication of direct flight service to Washington, D.C. and, eventually, the Ohio State Fair. He has his sister to thank for that.
As Cooper recalls, she somehow ended up in conversation with Brett Chance, the assistant director of the fair. She asserted that 2009, the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth, was going to create a lot of Lincoln-related buzz and the fair would be missing out without a presenter portraying Honest Abe to meet the demand.
And from that, history was made. Two years later came the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, when John Cooper’s Abraham Lincoln became a recurring character at the fair, beloved by people of all ages and backgrounds. Children who weren’t even sure what presidents really do wanted to take pictures with him, and international visitors would often greet Cooper with praise when he was dressed as their favorite president. Cooper says that no matter who you are, everyone loves Lincoln.
John Cooper
Cooper has been a proud member of The Association of Abraham Lincoln Presenters since 2009. Since then, he has spoken at county fairs, churches, rotary clubs, private birthday parties, schools and even political dinners.
“And when I give a speech, it’s been just like that first time I spoke at the community event. I’ve never used a single note. And people say, ‘Well, how do you memorize all that?’ ... I tell people, I don’t memorize, I just tell stories. If you record what I say, and then I repeat it tomorrow and you record it, you’ll find they’re not identical.” Cooper says.
In August 2023, John was inducted into the Ohio State Fair Hall of Fame by Governor Mike DeWine for his dedicated work with the fair. He is the only Alumni Band member in the Hall of Fame who has not previously been a director or staff member, in addition to being the only member to perform for 58 continuous years.
What began in high school as a spot in the band became a lasting love of the Ohio State Fair for John Cooper. If you happen to visit the fair this summer, don’t hesitate to go up to the tall, friendly president with a big personality and an even bigger hat.
Mary Nader is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
