4-H award banquet introduces Junior Fairboard recognition award
A final design of the new Holmes County fairgrounds should be ready early next year and will include a permanent home for Share-A-Christmas.
Kerry Taylor, Holmes County Agricultural Society president, said Thursday, Oct. 6 at the annual 4-H Volunteer Recognition Banquet that a preliminary layout for the fairground is completed but still needs tweaked before a final plan is in place.
The preliminary design presented by Taylor shows the main fairgrounds area with multiple livestock buildings, a 36,000-square-foot arena and a 60,000-square-foot exposition center. The preliminary design further shows parking lots with a total capacity of 1,600 spaces and a camping area with 200 spaces.
Little of it is set in stone, however, Taylor said.
“We are working on a master plan,” Taylor said. “These are concept designs and we still have to look at a lot of issues, (for example) how to get livestock trailers in, move animals from the barns to the arena. The portion (to be used for fairgrounds) is more conceptual at this point.”
A building that did not appear on the design is a 10,000 to 12,000-square-foot building made possible by a donation from local businessman Bill Baker, who has pledged up to $200,000 for the building, which is to be used primarily for the annual Share-A-Christmas distribution program. However, up to 8,000 feet of the building will also be available for other uses “the other 11 months of the year,” Taylor said.
Taylor said Baker confirmed the donation the morning before the banquet and the building also has yet to be incorporated into the preliminary design.
Taylor said during fair week, the Share-A-Christmas building may be used for 4-H club booth displays, non-livestock projects and expanded local horticultural exhibits.
Taylor said the first fair to be held at the new site will likely be in 2015, a deadline tied to a $750,000 Ohio Public Works Commission grant. The grant carries a stipulation that gives the fair three years to vacate the old site. The grant will be awarded to the Holmes County Park District to purchase the current fairgrounds. The purchase price will then be used to buy the land at the new fairgrounds site, off County Road 301 and state Route 39.
The awards portion of the banquet saw the first recipient of the Junior Fairboard Outstanding Member award. New in 2011, the award, presented this year to Kaitlyn Currence, recognizes junior fairboard members “who go the extra mile,” Holmes County OSU Extension Educator Kate Shumaker said.
“(Kaitlyn is) someone all of the junior fairboard members could rely on to be up-to-date with what is happening, follow through on the tasks assigned to her and do it all in a pleasant and polite manner,” Shumaker said. “She stepped into an officer’s role in the middle of the year and made countless phone calls to find Little International judges.”
The 2011 Friend of 4-H award was presented to Gloria and Eli Yoder, of Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen. Gloria Yoder’s involvement with 4-H goes back to her youth, long before she opened her Mount Hope restaurant. A big supporter of the livestock sale, Yoder purchased in 2011 two lambs, three pigs, a steer, two chicken broiler pens, two rabbit pens and a turkey. All went into her annual 4-H buffet at the restaurant, held every September.
Yoder further served as a 4-H program advisor for 20 years.
The 2011 Partner of 4-H award went to Moore’s Lawn and Garden. The Millersburg business has hosted Livestock Education Day for several years and opened their store grounds to the Beef Committee’s Kirk Stierwalt Clinic after the spring rains flooded the clinic out of the current fairgrounds. Moore’s also provided all ribbons for the 2011 fair.
The 2011 4-H Alumni award was presented to Marcia Troyer. Troyer started 4-H at age 9 with the Millcreek 4-H Club. For 10 years she showed calves, heifers and steers and took miscellaneous projects in cooking, sewing and lawn care.
Troyer took over as advisor for the Doughty Valley 4-H Club 26 years ago. On the 4-H committee, she has held the offices of president, vice president, secretary and co-secretary.
Kerry Taylor, Holmes County Agricultural Society president, said Thursday, Oct. 6 at the annual 4-H Volunteer Recognition Banquet that a preliminary layout for the fairground is completed but still needs tweaked before a final plan is in place.
The preliminary design presented by Taylor shows the main fairgrounds area with multiple livestock buildings, a 36,000-square-foot arena and a 60,000-square-foot exposition center. The preliminary design further shows parking lots with a total capacity of 1,600 spaces and a camping area with 200 spaces.
Little of it is set in stone, however, Taylor said.
“We are working on a master plan,” Taylor said. “These are concept designs and we still have to look at a lot of issues, (for example) how to get livestock trailers in, move animals from the barns to the arena. The portion (to be used for fairgrounds) is more conceptual at this point.”
A building that did not appear on the design is a 10,000 to 12,000-square-foot building made possible by a donation from local businessman Bill Baker, who has pledged up to $200,000 for the building, which is to be used primarily for the annual Share-A-Christmas distribution program. However, up to 8,000 feet of the building will also be available for other uses “the other 11 months of the year,” Taylor said.
Taylor said Baker confirmed the donation the morning before the banquet and the building also has yet to be incorporated into the preliminary design.
Taylor said during fair week, the Share-A-Christmas building may be used for 4-H club booth displays, non-livestock projects and expanded local horticultural exhibits.
Taylor said the first fair to be held at the new site will likely be in 2015, a deadline tied to a $750,000 Ohio Public Works Commission grant. The grant carries a stipulation that gives the fair three years to vacate the old site. The grant will be awarded to the Holmes County Park District to purchase the current fairgrounds. The purchase price will then be used to buy the land at the new fairgrounds site, off County Road 301 and state Route 39.
The awards portion of the banquet saw the first recipient of the Junior Fairboard Outstanding Member award. New in 2011, the award, presented this year to Kaitlyn Currence, recognizes junior fairboard members “who go the extra mile,” Holmes County OSU Extension Educator Kate Shumaker said.
“(Kaitlyn is) someone all of the junior fairboard members could rely on to be up-to-date with what is happening, follow through on the tasks assigned to her and do it all in a pleasant and polite manner,” Shumaker said. “She stepped into an officer’s role in the middle of the year and made countless phone calls to find Little International judges.”
The 2011 Friend of 4-H award was presented to Gloria and Eli Yoder, of Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen. Gloria Yoder’s involvement with 4-H goes back to her youth, long before she opened her Mount Hope restaurant. A big supporter of the livestock sale, Yoder purchased in 2011 two lambs, three pigs, a steer, two chicken broiler pens, two rabbit pens and a turkey. All went into her annual 4-H buffet at the restaurant, held every September.
Yoder further served as a 4-H program advisor for 20 years.
The 2011 Partner of 4-H award went to Moore’s Lawn and Garden. The Millersburg business has hosted Livestock Education Day for several years and opened their store grounds to the Beef Committee’s Kirk Stierwalt Clinic after the spring rains flooded the clinic out of the current fairgrounds. Moore’s also provided all ribbons for the 2011 fair.
The 2011 4-H Alumni award was presented to Marcia Troyer. Troyer started 4-H at age 9 with the Millcreek 4-H Club. For 10 years she showed calves, heifers and steers and took miscellaneous projects in cooking, sewing and lawn care.
Troyer took over as advisor for the Doughty Valley 4-H Club 26 years ago. On the 4-H committee, she has held the offices of president, vice president, secretary and co-secretary.
Published: October 10, 2011
