By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Though the Wood County Fair is just weeks away from starting, the fair board Thursday night approved a plan to add awards for some of the junior fair members who show county-born and raised livestock.
Holly Wensink told the board she has raised enough money to provide awards to the top five junior fair exhibitors who show beef, sheep, and goats that are born and raised in Wood County. The swine department already provides similar awards.
Two years ago, she attended the after-fair recap for the beef department, with a proposal to honor the youth who show county born and raised beef projects.
“I came to that meeting with a mindset, if you are going to have a gripe you need to have a solution,” she said. Her solution would address the junior fair members who see their siblings win trophies and other prizes for similar efforts at raising their animals.
Last year, she and Amanda McDowell collected over $4,000 in sponsorships that paid for awards such as laundry bags, book bags and coolers to 90 youths in the beef and dairy departments, she said.
This year the goal was to expand to the other livestock. When the idea was brought to the livestock committee and the senior fair, Wensink said she was told not this year. She proceeded to raise money for the additional departments for this year.
“We can either run it through the fair or I can give them out after the fair,” she said. “This is a big deal to a lot of these kids who don’t go anywhere else and show. They can go to school with their backpack and show what they won and be proud of it.”
Before the board voted to allow the county born and raised awards to be presented during the fair, President Paul Perry clarified that he never told Wensink no. Instead, he told her she needed to run it through the junior fair committee. Her decision to air the grievance on social media was not appreciated.
“As president, I’m not going to answer for a committee. You come to me with a concern, and I’m going to send you to that committee chairman to address your concerns with them,” he said.
At the time she suggested the additional awards to the committee, they decided “to take a year off and revisit it,” said Director Conni Grames.
One of the major concerns of the committee before moving forward was if the awards would be sustainable after Wensink’s children are done with 4-H.
“Is there going to be somebody to take the torch and continue on?” asked Fair Director Bob Strow. “Once you start this process will it be able to be sustained long term?”
Moving forward, Wensink was encouraged to join the livestock committee, which can include people from outside the fair board. Wensink said she would run the sponsorship money through the fair office.
Fair Foundation update
The Wood County Fair Foundation is working with the Northwestern Ohio Tractor Pullers Association and a national organization to expand use of the Pratt Pavilion on the fairgrounds, according to Strow, who is also a member of the foundation board.
The tractor pullers board, which already contracts to use the two pavilion conference rooms during the National Tractor Pull, are interested in using the large portion of the facility.
“We decided for this year we were going to hold off and then have conversations over the winter to possibly have a joint venture with them,” Strow said.
The other national organization is interested in future rentals of the pavilion during two different months. If it works out, the rentals would be added income for the pavilion.
Currently, the foundation’s assets include $44,421.85 in checking and $264,233.85 in savings, Strow reported.
Fair quilt ready for auction
A quilt using quilt blocks entered in the 2018 or 2019 Wood County Fair Needlework judging has been completed and will be auctioned during this year’s fair.
According to department chairperson Jessica Nagel, the quilt was never finished until this year. “We didn’t know those quilt blocks were in my basement,” she said. “After people were asking questions, we located them and now the quilt blocks are finished and set together.”
The twin-sized quilt will be auctioned during the pie and cheesecake auction at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2 in the Pratt Pavilion conference room.
Patriotic quilt blocks were entered in the 2024 fair needlework competition, Nagel said. The quilt made from those blocks will be raffled. Raffle tickets will be $10 each and are available at the fair office. The red, white, and blue quilt is currently hanging in the fair office.
“Our goal is to sell 150 to 170 tickets to make about $1,500, which would cover all the premiums for the entire department,” she said. The drawing will be at the November annual meeting.
Plans are already in place for a quilt to be completed with blocks entered in this year’s fair.
Also at the meeting:
- The board agreed that free admittance at the fair for Senior Day on Tuesday, July 29 will be for anyone age 60 and older, instead of 65 years old as listed in the fair book.
- Deanne Corken reported that there are at least 27 cheerleading teams registered for the cheerleading competition on July 30 at 6 p.m. She also said plans for the Farm to Market exhibit at the fair will be from noon to 8 p.m. They are still looking for volunteers to staff the exhibit. The board approved providing day passes to the volunteers who help.
- The board approved spending up to $2,500 to provide internet accessibility in three locations on the fairgrounds: 4-H Milkshake Barn, grandstand ticket booth and Pratt Pavilion. At a later date, the board will consider charging a fee to groups that use the internet access in the buildings, similar to charges that are assessed for renting tables and chairs a la carte.
- A rabbit showmanship clinic is planned Thursday, July 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the new rabbit barn, the former champion barn.
- Fourth of July camping at the fairgrounds was successful. There were 35 campers and the kids enjoyed slime, bubbles, foam and water balloon fights, Director Tony Violi reported.
- Fair.com, the organization that sponsored the visit by Ian Hill to promote and advance fairs across the country, will be on the fairgrounds during the fair to get video of Wood County Fair stories. “They are on a cross-country storytelling journey to celebrate the people, passions and legacies behind our nation’s county fairs,” Perry said. “They are looking for stories about multi-generation exhibitors, passionate fair directors, big facility upgrades and volunteers.”
- Director Jessica Nagel reported that additional bleachers will be added to the show ring. A reconfiguration of the swine pens created additional space to improve mobility seating and add 150 seats for spectators.
