Rain, heat and humidity did not stop the fun at the Brown County 4-H Fair this year.
Crowds still flocked to the fair grounds last week to revel in the summer goodness, from the carnival rides to the grandstands, the local food to the 4-H animal barns.
Visitors to the fairgrounds could enjoy strolling through the 4-H Exhibit Building, viewing the hard work — and dedication — of local individuals in their various crafts.
Community organizations like the Lick Creek Lovebugs, Brown County Democrats, Brown County Republicans and the Brown County 4-H Gang were selling their annual favorite eats.
Some customers may have noticed that prices for certain food items were a bit higher this year.
Diana Haines has worked at the 4-H Gang food vendor booth for years. She coordinates buying the food they sell annually to fairground guests.
This year, the group had to raise their prices due to the rising cost of food across the nation.
Haines said that even though they were affected by inflation, food shortages proved a larger issue.
“It’s hard to find what we normally use,” she said. “We can’t get it.”
Local grocery stores were out of certain food they needed so Haines had someone coming to Brown County from Greenwood stop on their way to pick up the necessities.
With the shortages and rising costs, Haines said it’s affected business somewhat at the 4-H Gang booth. But overall, she said business last week was still “pretty good.”
Over in the grandstand, almost all events went off as scheduled with the exception of the Truck and Tractor Pull on July 27, which was canceled due to the weather.
The fair ended its run on July 30 when the carnival closed at 9 p.m. and the final tires went through the Mud Bog.
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‘Backbone of it all’
This year, for the first time ever, the fair was dedicated to two people who served the event selflessly over the years.
Don Smith and Tom Allen were the honorees this year. Both served on the Brown County 4-H Fair Board until they passed away within the last year.
Allen had been involved with Boy Scouts of America and enjoyed reaching out to kids in the community in that role. He then started volunteering on the fair board, believing there would be more opportunity to reach more people in the community as a member.
He served as the board treasurer for a number of years. As treasurer he made sure there was always money for change in booths and did all the banking. believing there would be more opportunity to reach more people in the community. His tenure ended up being 31 years as treasurer.
He passed away in October last year at 74 years old. He was born in Hagerstown on Sept. 12, 1947. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in architecture.
He was co-founder of the family business, Susan May Allen Architects. His hobbies included woodworking and construction building. “He was loved by all that knew him,” his obituary on Jewell Rittman Funeral Home’s website said.
Allen’s children grew up in 4-H through the years as their father sat on the fair board.
When asked to describe his father’s character, his son Tim said it was a difficult task. He was a faithful believer in God and was honest and up-front.
“He was great,” he said. “He was always willing to help and would drop anything to help anybody. He would go the extra mile to find answers to complex problems.”
Smith was vice president of the board for years, current fair board President Mark Stargell said.
He worked as vice president up until his passing in April of this year. He was 90 years old.
He was born in Nashville on Dec. 10, 1931 and was a 1951 graduate of Nashville High School.
He went on to serve as a corporal with the United States Army during the Korean War and retired as a supervisor of the maintenance department with the Indiana State Board of Health after 33 years of service.
“Donald had a love of life and never stopped moving,” his obituary on Meredith-Clark Funeral Home’s website says.
He held various positions on the Brown County Fair Board and belonged to the Brown County Antique Machinery Association.
“Most of all he loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren,” his obituary continues.
Stargell is Smith’s step son.
“My stepdad got involved with it and that’s why I’m here. Now my boy’s in it,” Stargell said.
He has filled the role as president of the board for eight years now.
In the course of the 24 years Smith served, Stargell said he did a little bit of everything, from general labor to ticket booth sales.
Despite hot summers doing hard labor, their passion for it all kept Allen and Smith involved.
“They both had a passion for kids and liked to volunteer their time,” Stargell said. “They’d gripe and complain, but they liked to do the work.”
Stargell said the fair board decided to do its first-ever dedication in honor of two men who were dedicated to the annual summer event each year.
“They were the backbone of it,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I’m still there.”
