The fair is all about having fun

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OREGON – Harlan Holm knows a few things about farming. He knows a few things about the Ogle County Fair, too.

Holm, who farms in the Oregon area, has been on the Fair Board for about 24 years. He’s been president of the board for nine years.

So yes, he knows about running the fair. Who better to sit down and answer a few questions about the fair, which runs from Aug. 1-5?

Question: Well, it’s fair time again. Does it ever seem to sneak up on you every year, or are you planning as soon as the last one ends?

Answer: The fair does sneak up on us, even though we start planning as soon as the fair is over and sometimes before.

Q: How many people are involved in the planning of the fair? Is it a pretty smooth operation by now?

A: There are 12 people on the Fair Board. It is a pretty smooth operation. We have been trying to bring in new technology and that creates some tension sometimes, because not everyone understands it – me included – and some want to stay the way it has always been done.

Q: Anything new this year that people can expect?

A: I don’t know if you would consider it new or not. The fairgrounds look different this year because when the fairgrounds were started, we planted a lot of ash trees. The emerald ash bore got in them a couple of years ago and trees were dying. This year we had to remove about 25 trees. The grounds look kind of bare.

Q: The fair is really about 4-H and the kids. Do you think people forget about that, or is it still a big part of the fair in Ogle County?

A: I try to focus on the kids. We, as a fair board, need to focus on the entire fair, but try to keep the kids in mind.

Q: For you, how do you measure the success of the fair?

A: I measure success of the fair by how much fun people are having. It is important that we have the income to support everything, but the fair should be fun for everyone. The kids exhibiting and the public.

Q: After all these years, do you still look forward to the fair?

A: I do look forward to the fair each year. It is a lot of hard work making it happen each year, but fun. We have a great group of volunteers before, during and after the fair. If it wasn’t for the volunteers, the fair would not be possible. I am thankful for all of them.