Fair, opens today, offers food, finds, fun

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, August 10, 1999

The 1999 Mower County Fair offers some things tried and true, plus some things new.

Tuesday, August 10, 1999

The 1999 Mower County Fair offers some things tried and true, plus some things new.

Email newsletter signup

For instance, a two-headed rattlesnake, but more about that later.

The County Fair officially opened at noon today with ribbon-cutting ceremonies hosted by the Fair Board. The Mower County Board of Commissioners broke away from their regular meeting to attend, so did other dignitaries, including a Color Guard from the Lyle American Legion Post to raise the flag and the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors.

Then, the fun begins and continues through Sunday.

This year’s fair-goers will have plenty of food and other concession vendors to choose. There are 40 outside vendors on the fairground and the Plager Building is full of commercial exhibitors.

"We’re in a growing situation," said Daryl Boehm, rural Racine and president of the Fair Board. "We’re suffering growing pains all over the fairgrounds."

According to Boehm, a new Food Court debuts this week in the area near the Austin High School FFA sweet corn stand. "We’re locating vendors there for the convenience of fair-goers," he said. "There are six or seven new vendors here this summer."

Boehm likes the layout of the fairgrounds in southwest Austin. "The forefathers really knew what they were doing, when they designed the fairgrounds," he said. "With the historical center and grandstands on one end, the carnival midway, Fair Square and food stands in the middle and the Plager Building and other livestock buildings plus the Crane Pavilion, it’s an ideal layout for a county fair."

Boehm said the Fair Board has responded to fair-goers concerns about adequate lighting after-dark. "Everett Rush and this grounds-keeping crew have done an excellent job in preparing the fairgrounds and one of the big improvements people will see is the lighting," Boehm said. "There’s more of it and it’s more powerful and will illuminate a greater area than the old lighting did.

Once again, Cedar Valley Services janitorial service will take care of daily maintenance of the fairgrounds and its facilities.

The grass has been cut to just the right level by Dan Crabtree and the Mower County Sheriff’s Deputies Mounted Posse and Austin-Mower County Police Auxiliary are ready to protect and serve fair-goers for the next six days.

Both Boehm and Richard Grass, LeRoy and another Fair Board member, have their work cut out for them this week to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

But when Saturday morning arrives, expect to see them at one of the Mower County Fair’s most successful and popular events: the 4-H market livestock ribbon auction.

This is the silver anniversary of the ribbon auction, which has become a model event for other counties to emulate as they seek to raise money for 4-H programming.

"It helps all of the 4-Hers," Boehm said. "I couldn’t see a thing to change about it. Every kid gets a chance to auction their ribbons. Not just the blue ribbons and champion ribbons, but every ribbon earned by a livestock project exhibitor. In turn, some of the money goes into the 4-H fun to benefit every 4-Her, whether they have a livestock project or not."

Grass agreed. "Every 4-Her can share with every other 4-Her. The livestock ribbons raise money that helps every 4-Her in Mower County," Grass said.

"I think the reason it is a success is that businesses have supported it so loyally through the years," he said. "All of the businesses at the auction have been super in their support of the auction."

"Plus," Grass added, "it’s a very well-run and organized event. The Mower County Extension Service and all the other adult volunteers make it run smoothly for the kids."