Manchester, Iowa Hometown Pride Committee
SALUTES the folks that bring us The Delaware County Fair each year:
The Delaware Country Fair Board
and the
Delaware County Extension Office
As a child growing up in my Iowa hometown there were a couple of annual events that you could always count on for education and just good clean fun. One of those events was the annual county fair. That was when the kids in 4H and FFA really got to “strut their stuff”. It was a time when the best bakers in the county came out and showed the rest of us how they had fine tuned their talents. The gardening clubs displayed for judging, the most beautiful of what they love to grow. There was the “Demo Derby”, sulky races, and of course the carnival that came to town with tests of skill for prizes and rides to twist your tummy or give you a thrill.
Somewhere along the way many of these county fairs have become so much less than they were 50 years ago or disappeared entirely. Delaware County is very fortunate to have so many talented teams of people willing to volunteer their time and talents above and beyond what they might be paid for. I’ll bet that some of them plan their vacations to coincide with the conclusion of the fair to catch up on projects at home or just plain sleep.
In July of each year since 1868 the Delaware County Fair takes over the Fair Grounds in full force. Many of us only see the product of the hard work that goes into making it the success and that it is. The stage shows, the races, the tractor parade, and of course the 4-H and FFA exhibits just happen by magic………. I don’t think so.
There are at least two major teams that work in tandem pulling this all together. The Delaware County Fair Board over sees and coordinates the entire event. They work closely with the Delaware County Extension office on the 4-H and FFA youth exhibits held in conjunction with the fair each year to set the schedules, building arrangements, and procedures. There doesn’t seem to be hard lines drawn as to where one begins and the other ends, but more a massive joint effort that the “Hometown Pride Committee” would like to salute this month of September.
Let’s start with the players.
The Delaware County Fair Board: A panel of 15 Directors elected in October, 2 from each district and 6 at large, with Jeanne Domeyer, the Secretary of the Delaware County Fair Board, which makes her the manager. Jeanne has a full time/part time staff of 4 that swells to at least 40 during fair week.
Marcia Hanson of the Delaware County Extension Office and the teams that both man the office as well as the hundreds of volunteers that so tirelessly and faithfully work with the youth in 4-H and FFA of Delaware County. In the office each day you will find Marcia Hanson (County Youth Coordinator), Cheri Hindebrand (Office Assistant), Lori Scovel (County Program Coordinator) and Julie Diesch (Office Assistant/Bookkeeper) and let’s not forget the summer intern, Shana Wall. Add to that the people involved in all of the committees and the different 4-H and FFA organizations all around Delaware County.
As leaders what do these dynamic women have in common?
· Both Jeanne and Marcia were 4-Hers growing up which gives them both some pretty outstanding credentials.
· Both Marcia and Jeanne have a passion for what they are doing that shines like a beacon when allowed to just talk about what they do.
· Both Jeanne and Marcia Hanson sang the praises of the volunteers that put forth the personal effort and commitment to make all of this happen.
· Both give of themselves for the betterment of our community and our county.
How are they different?
· Marcia Hanson has been doing this wonderful work for 15 years
· Jeanne Domeyer has been doing this work for 5 fairs in Delaware County and before that, 4 years with the Dubuque County Fair.
· Jeanne’s focus is the fair, offering something for everyone and promoting tourism to the enrichment of our community and county.
· Marcia’s focus is equipping the youth that participate in the 4-H and FFA programs with life skills through these programs.
Did you know?
· The 4-H program showcases at the fair the work of our 4-Hers in almost 50 different areas ranging from food and nutrition, woodworking and photography through all of the aspects of livestock, horticulture and agronomy. There are over 100 adults, plus 50 youth volunteers that assist with the 4-H and FFA clubs and youth events showcased at the fair.
· There are 18 community clubs throughout Delaware County
o 339 members in grades 4-12 (126 boys, and 213 girls with 229 from farms and 110 from towns)
· 4-H is in the business of teaching “life skills”
· I saw the project book prepared by one 8th grader. This was amazing, a 2 inch ring binder filled to bursting with details on her activities and accomplishments as well as her goals and what she had learned from each activity. Each year there are over 100 of these books that are brought into Marcia and her team for review. I could see what this program was bringing to these kids. Things likes public speaking, goal setting, community involvement, commitment to purpose, the building blocks of a great citizen, team player, leader and an adult that is better prepared for life and how to deal with it.

Imagine these qualities and skills and now look at the two ladies that I have been talking to. Both of these ladies came from the 4-H program!
· Your fair ground has 400 Event Days per year, which would be doubling some of the events for those days. That makes for a very busy place.
· The fair board strives to provide something for everyone as in a Christian Concert and Fight Night and more and yet maintain an agricultural fair atmosphere.
· There are 400 camp sites that are a part of our fair grounds. All of these have water and power. There are shower facilities available as well. These are available all year round with the water being turned off when the temps would freeze the pipes.
· Our fairground hosts 10-12 rallies per year.

These leaders of our community provide the direction through hard work and dedication on their parts but the real horse power behind the entire thing are the volunteers. Ask either of these ladies and they will sing the praises of their staff and volunteers until your ears ring with it.

But I wonder what these ladies feel is the biggest “buzz” in what they do.
Marcia told me, “The kids are so excited about their exhibits, what they have done.”
Jeanne says, “Tough…seeing the fair really come to be and happen.”


Lastly, I asked the ladies about the future, next fair, what is their dream or what excites them about what they dream of or hope for..

Jeanne had a dream list really:
· Larger show arena
· Something special and unique about our fair, about our fair grounds kind of a marque piece that is ours alone
· Better site for the commerce vendors presently housed in the quanset hut
· Increase the grand stand size
· Bring more to the horse portion of the fair which only has horses on the ground for one day of the fair
· With the addition of acres recently acquired, a larger multi-use building.

Marcia’s was more immediate. Marcia is looking toward to the Fair Books for 2010 that come out in January and the changes to the rules and reg’s that go with it. She is all about the youth of our county.

For their Dedication to Purpose, Commitment to Community and Desire to Serve the Hometown Pride Committee takes great pleasure in honoring the leadership and volunteers of the Delaware County Fair Board and the Delaware County Extension Office for all that you gracefully do on our behalf.
One of the Delaware County 4-H Youth Committees: L to R front row: Kathy Hutchinson, Mark Klaren, Patty Conrad. Back row: Marcia Hanson (4-H Program Coordinator) Ann Spearslage, Donna Boss, Jennifer Zumbach, Tammy Eibey.

Cheri Hieldebrand, Lori Scovel, Marcia Hanson (4-H Youth Coordinator), and Julie Diesch.