When you buy one of the Kiwanis Club’s famed tenderloins at the fair this week, your money is going to more than just the supplies to make your favorite sandwich.
On average, the Kiwanis booth earns a profit of about $10,000 each year by selling pork tenderloins, hamburgers, drinks and snacks. That money goes toward a wide variety of charitable projects, ranging from school supplies for low income families to scholarships for high school graduates heading off to college, volunteer Pam Garner said.
Garner is one of about 60 members of the Franklin club that volunteer to cook and serve food to hundreds of people during the fair this week. On Tuesday morning, that meant Garner was spending her time slicing tomatoes for the sandwiches that fairgoers would want for their lunch and dinner later.
At many of the booths at the Johnson County 4-H and Agricultural Fair, money raised by selling everything from bags of ice to lemon shakeups and breakfast is being collected to go back into serving the community.
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For the Kiwanis Club of Franklin, the fair is by far the biggest fundraiser of the year, Garner said.
The fundraiser is a win-win for everyone, Garner said. Kiwanis members get to serve the community at the fair and then use the money they’ve raised to help the community throughout the rest of the year.
Having local nonprofits involved is vital to keeping keeping the fair vibrant, fair board member Mike Pruitt said.
For early risers, the Shrine Club is running as soon as the fair opens as the only stand at the fair that sells breakfast, club president Greg Cantwell said.
The tradition of serving breakfast and fried cod at the fair goes back at least to the 1960s, Cantwell said.
“No one is alive who cannot recall us being here,” Cantwell said.
The group uses the money earned every year — a profit of around $12,500 — to run the club throughout the year and to donate to the main charity the club works with, Shriners Hospitals for Children.
For the Whiteland FFA, their annual tradition of selling ice at the fair raised about $7,000 last year.
The money the students earn through the fundraiser goes toward trips to state and national conventions, helping students purchase supplies for projects and funding service projects in the community, said Sam Wood, an FFA member volunteering at the fair on Tuesday.
They sell ice to everyone from vendors to 4-H members, helping everyone keep cool in the heat, Wood said.
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Many nonprofit organizations use the Johnson County 4-H and Agricultural Fair as an opportunity to raise money. Here’s a look at several groups and what they sell:
Kiwanis Club of Franklin
What they sell: Pork tenderloins, hamburgers and other food and drinks
2017 profit: $12,000
What the money goes toward: Scholarships for college students, school supplies, presents and clothing for children in poverty, and to other charitable groups the club supports.
Johnson County Shrine Club
What they sell: Fried cod and breakfast items
2017 profit: $12,500
What the money goes toward: Club operations and funding for Shiners Hospitals for Children
Whiteland FAA
What they sell: Bags of ice
2017 profit: $7,000
What the money goes toward: Trips to state and national conventions, supplies for projects and service projects students do in the community
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Today at the fair
9 a.m.: 4-H Swine Showmanship followed by 4-H Gilt Born and Bred Show, 4-H Barrow Swine Show, 4-H Swine Senior Showmanship and Alumni Showmanship, Indoor Arena, north end.
9 a.m.: 4-H Dairy Breeding Show, 4-H Dairy Showmanship, 4-H Dairy Feeder Steer Show, 4-HDairy Feeder Steer Showmanship, Indoor Arena, south end.
10 a.m.: Read, Touch, Taste for children ages 4-7, Heritage Hall.
11:30 a.m.: 4-H and Open Class exhibits open to the public.
3 p.m.: 4-H Born and Raised Heifer Show, Indoor arena, south end.
4 p.m.: to 5 p.m.: Greenwood Christian Academy High School Chapel band, Interstate Warehousing Free Stage.
4 p.m.: 4-H Dairy Steer Show, 4-H Beef Steer Show, 4-H Grand Champion Steer Show, Indoor Arena.
5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Cooking demonstrations, Farm Bureau Building.
5 p.m.: Midway opens.
6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Poor Jack Amusements, Unlimited Ride Bracelet: $22.
6 p.m: 4-H Horse and Pony Contesting Division, Horse arena.
6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Gospel Music in the Christian Music Tent, north of Scott Hall.
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: 90 Proof, interstate Warehousing free stage.
7 p.m.: Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest, kids ages 5-10 with 3 classes, Farm Bureau back lot.
7 p.m.: Monster Truck Show, Grandstands, Admission: $7.
7 p.m.: Horseshoe pitching, west of Fair Office.
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