One more Putnam County Fair: Ready to roll

Monday, July 15, 2013

People are sometimes surprised when I tell them that I never attended a county fair before I moved to Greencastle in 1974. But I'm always quick to remind them that I've more than made up for that over the past 25 years.

I'm sure that they had a county fair in Kenton County in the Greater Cincinnati area of northern Kentucky, and in Hillsborough County, Florida, where I grew up, but I never had the opportunity to attend or be involved in either one. In fact, I had never even heard of the Extension Service until I was a junior at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, when I switched majors from sociology and consumer education to home economics.

After completing both my bachelor's and master's degrees in home economics (as it was called at the time) with an emphasis in family resource management, I was offered an Extension position with the University of Kentucky in Pulaski County, Ky. But since husband Joe's, best job offer was from DePauw University, we made the decision to go north instead.

Since I had agreed to teach a summer school class at UK that summer, Joe headed to Indiana without me. I remember the phone call (back before cell phones -- and people didn't usually talk too long when it was a long-distance call) when Joe tried to describe to me the huge parade that went past our new apartment in the DePauw-owned apartments on Washington Street. He said he thought "every vehicle -- including fire and trash trucks -- in the county must have been in the parade that lasted over two hours and that people started setting their folding chairs up along the sidewalks in front of our apartment before he even left for church that morning!"

I did not get to go to the fair that summer of 1974 but Joe couldn't wait for me to see the parade and go to the fair the following year.

Needless to say, I've been to the Putnam County Fair every year since then. Fifteen years later, after Betty Sendmeyer retired in 1988, I was fortunate to be selected as the consumer and family sciences educator to replace her in the Putnam County Extension Office. Since that time, I've not only attended the fair every single day, but have sometimes felt like I was living there.

Over the past 25 years we've had hot fairs and hotter fairs. Perhaps there was a cool fair one year, but if so, I don't remember. I do remember when Adult Open Class was still in Harris Hall with no air-conditioning and I woke up on the day of the Bakers' Best Contest and heard the announcer on WREB (or was it still WJNZ?) announce that it was going to be over 100 degrees that day! I immediately got up and called our friends at Farm Bureau Insurance and asked if we could move the contest entry and judging to their air-conditioned meeting room. That is the only year that we moved any of our programs off the fairgrounds, but it just wasn't worth risking getting anyone sick that day, including our contest judges, who would need to sample more than 100 baked items.

The Adult Open Class exhibit hall was started in the late 1970s by Betty Sendmeyer and Edith Fry. Edith served as the superintendent for 10 years. She was followed by Marilyn Grove, who served as superintendent for 10 years. Then Geneva Dorris became the superintendent of Adult Open Class the year after the exhibits were moved to the new (air-conditioned) East Auditorium of the Community Building. Dorris served for 12 years until a new superintendent could be found and trained to replace her.

This year we are very pleased to welcome Shelly Tahtinen to the role of Adult Open Class superintendent. Shelly is not only full of enthusiasm and new ideas for the exhibit hall, but she is also the part-time office assistant at the Extension Office; so she is very familiar with the 4-H program too, and will also be working and helping in the 4-H side of the Community Building as well as in the Adult Open Class exhibit hall.

Many things have changed over the years at the Putnam County Fair. The fair board officers and superintendents change from year to year as generations of children grow up and become the parents of 4-H'ers instead of the being the 4-H'er themselves.

Some years are hotter or wetter than others, but the thing that has remained the same year after year is that we still believe we have one of the best county fairs in the state.

Many natives of the county plan their vacations to be able to come home during the week of the fair and most residents wouldn't consider missing it, and having the chance to visit with and catch up with neighbors while checking out the exhibits or watching a show or competition. I'm looking forward to one more fair as the Purdue Extension Educator for Putnam County and hope to see you there.

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Check our website at extension.purdue.edu/putnam to view the most up-to-date info. You can contact the local Purdue Extension Office by calling 653-8411 for more information regarding column topics or to RSVP for upcoming events. It is always best to call first to assure items are ready when you arrive and to RSVP for programs. While many publications are free, some do have a fee. All times listed are Eastern time.

Upcoming Events

July 15 -- 4-H Private Fashion Revue, Consumer Clothing Judging, Fairgrounds, 2 p.m.

July 15 -- 4-H Fashion Revue Public Show, Fairgrounds, 7 p.m.

July 16 -- 4-H and Adult Open Class Enter non-food exhibits, Fairgrounds, 4-7 p.m.

July 17 -- 4-H Project Entry, Fairgrounds, 4-7 p.m.

July 18 -- 4-H Food Project Entry, Fairgrounds, 4-7 p.m.

July 19-26 -- Putnam County Fair.

July 20 -- Adult Open Class food exhibits entered, 9-11 a.m.

July 22 -- Open Judging of Artwork exhibits in Adult Open Class, 7 p.m.

July 24 -- Family Fun Day/AKA Ladies' Day at the Fair, 10 a.m.

July 24 -- Purse Auction in Adult Open Class exhibit hall, approximately 2 p.m.

July 25 -- Bakers' Best Contest (enter 9-11 a.m.) awards and auction, 7 p.m.

Aug. 2-18 -- Indiana State Fair.

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