Fair prep a year-round effort

Starting this weekend, thousands of people will flock to the Johnson County Fairgrounds for rides, food vendors, animals and 4-H activities.

Preparing for the Johnson County 4-H Agricultural Fair is a year-round effort, and takes a lot of work by fair board members and volunteers, said Charlie Rodenhuis, Fair Board Vice-President.

“Fair prep is almost a year-round thing,” Rodenhuis said. “We’re always planning and working.”

The fair board consists of 21 members, each with their own responsibilities and duties. They work to manage hundreds of 4-H projects, track down food vendors, find volunteers and do small maintenance tasks like keeping the grass mowed and putting down mulch for the cattle.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery

Although they typically work all year organizing the fair, two weeks before the fair is when board members and volunteers start to get busy, said Matt Davis, Fair Board President.

“We go up to the last minute,” Davis said.

A lot of work goes into preparing the grounds for fairgoers, Rodenhuis said. Nearly all of that preparation is volunteer-based.

More than 25 carnival rides will run on the midway next week, Davis said. All rides are prepared and managed by Poor Jack Amusements each year.

“They always bring everything they have,” Davis said.

But the main event at the county fair is the 4-H projects, which arrived earlier this week for judging. The board wast tasked with finding more than 85 judges, and has more than 150 volunteers helping. Johnson County 4-H educators compiled a list of possible judges from a database, fair board member Heather Dougherty said.

For Dougherty, who manages 4-H, preparing for the fair is also a year-round effort.

When she’s not hiring judges and organizing 4-H activities, she’s doing training or promotions for 4-H, she said. Projects range from sewing, photography, cooking, models, robotics and much more. If someone makes something that doesn’t fit into a particular category, there is a ‘Do your own thing’ category where they can submit their projects, she said.

More and more tents have been popping up all week, and volunteers are working to put down new gravel at the campgrounds. Every minor detail from picking up trash, to the major ones like finding judges for contests has to be worked out ahead of time.

‘“It takes a lot,” Rodenhuis said. “We’re lucky we’ve got a really good board with a lot of individuals … It’s a family effort and a team effort to get it all done.”

The forecast calls for high temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s, with a small chance of thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service. To beat the heat while out at the fair, take breaks inside where it is cool and stay hydrated, said Joe Skowronek, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

There will be several water-spraying fans located near Scott Hall that fairgoers can use to cool down, according to the fair’s website.

This year, fairgoers won’t see any new food vendors, but they will certainly see some of the same classics from past years, said Brian Young, fair board member.

“We have such a great fair that everybody (who) comes, they typically stay,” Young said. “They want to come back every year because they love our fair.”

Young’s job is to bring vendors and their staple foods like elephant ears and lemon shake-ups to the fair, while still maintaining a variety of food for everyone. He also has to make sure that vendors are organized in a way that makes sense. For example, not putting two vendors who’s staple food is the same next to one another.

“I try to just play that game of having a variety,” Young said.

"Once you get doing it, it’s kind of second nature. I grew up at the fair. You kind of see everything. You know where things go. There’s 20 other people on the fair board and if you don’t know, you can ask them. We work well together."

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

The Johnson County 4-H and Agriculture Fair kicks off this weekend.

Here is a look at some of next week’s highlights:

Johnson County Fair Parade

When: 4 p.m. Saturday

Where: The parade starts at Franklin Community Middle School and winds around downtown Franklin, ending at the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office at 1 Caisson Drive.

Little Miss and Mr. Johnson County

When: 3 p.m. Sunday

Where: Indoor arena at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, 100 Fairground St., Franklin.

Cost: Free

Fair Queen Pageant

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Where: Indoor arena

Cost: Free

Family Night on the Midway

When: 6 to 11 p.m. Monday

Cost: Unlimited ride bracelet is $25.

RT2 (Read Touch Taste) children ages 4-7

When: 10 a.m. Tuesday

Where: Heritage Hall

Cost: Free

Kiddie Day on the Midway

When: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday

Cost: Unlimited ride bracelet is $15

Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League Truck and Tractor Pull

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Grandstands

Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for kids 12 and under.

[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Parade route” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Here is a look at Saturday’s fair parade route:

The parade will start at 4 p.m. at Franklin Community Middle School;

travel east on Banta Street;

turn south on Walnut Street;

travel east on Jefferson Street;

pass the Johnson County courthouse;

turn south on South Home Avenue;

and end at the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office, 1 Caisson Drive.

[sc:pullout-text-end]