A solid future for the fair

When the Greene County Fair opens next week, it will mark the 104th year of annual educational and entertainment activities and displays provided by the venerable organization, centering on farming in all its west central Iowa aspects.

The fair is organized, publicized and operated by a volunteer board of residents from all areas of the county. From its inception in 1913, the Greene County Fair Board has consistently planned for the future. Its current capital building project is the latest example of an organization that takes its obligations seriously.

It’s probably safe to say that, except for the churches of the county, no institution here has received more volunteer hours of work and dedication over the years than the Greene County Fair.

Its sizable board of directors (currently numbering 18) is the defining example of a working board. Besides sitting as a policy-making group, fair board members put in countless hours each year “on the grounds,” performing the many chores required by a successful operation.

The initial few years of the fair were held in the extreme north part of Jefferson, near where St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery is located. The Milwaukee Railroad tracks ran nearby and the original Jefferson airport was also close.

But soon the Greene County Fair Association (the official name of the incorporated organization) moved the exposition to the current grounds in eastern Jefferson, and erected several buildings to house livestock and exhibits, and a grandstand as well.

Funds for the buildings were raised through sale of stock in the organization. Shares of stock in the Fair Association have had a face value of $25 per share for many, many decades.

The buildings on the fairgrounds have served the people of the county well. Considerable time and expense have helped maintain them. But some are well over 75 years old, and have reached their limit of usefulness.

So with its usual foresight, the fair board, through its nonprofit Greene County Fair Foundation, set out on a fundraising project in 2014 to replace the swine, sheep and cattle buildings.

Safety of the county’s young 4-H members and other exhibitors was a prime factor in that decision. New buildings could also be rented out for other purposes when the fair is not underway.

The total cost of the project isn’t yet known, but it will require at least $700,000 based on what’s been done so far.

And what’s been done is impressive.

The first phase of the capital improvement project was to replace the two aged swine barns with a single new 72 foot by 135 foot Morton building. Cost was about $225,000.

The Fair Foundation in the fall of 2014 organized and held a barbecue and auction. Various ag providers, such as seed and chemical companies, co-ops and other organizations, were solicited for auction items, and they came through big time. Then area farmers, targeted through local dealers and agronomists, purchased the inputs and services at the auction.

The auction constituted the primary source of funds for the new swine building. Other money sources were contributions from businesses and individuals, as well as a $30,000 grant from the Greene County Community Foundation for all three phases of the building project.

The new swine building was ready for the 2015 fair, and it was a big hit with Greene County 4-H’ers.

So the Foundation repeated the barbecue and auction last fall for a new sheep barn. A similar size to the swine barn, it replaced the two old sheep buildings. Its new pens are being set up this week, and it will be complete and ready for next week’s fair.

This year’s barbecue and auction, to be held Sept. 6, will be for Phase Three of the project: a new beef barn or barns. Designing for that phase has not yet taken place, but it’s anticipated that next year’s cattle exhibitors will have the benefit of the new facilities.

A multi-year capital campaign the size of what the fair board and its foundation undertook requires an immense amount of planning and execution.

Hats off to the Greene County Fair Association for assuring solid infrastructure for the annual exposition for many years to come.