If the Crawford County Fair Gala held in Eastman Friday night is any indication, we’re probably headed for another successful fair this summer.
The gala drew a crowd of more than 80 people to the Friendship Hall of the United Methodist Church in Eastman to witness the introduction of the 2015 Fair Ambassador Bridget Achenbach and 2015 Future Fair Ambassador Aubree Larson. In addition to meeting the new Fair Ambassador, the crowd enjoyed a delicious roast beef dinner, while hearing some updates on the fair and those who work so hard every year to put it on. As well as listening to some fine music provided by Tim Bohnenkamp, who sang and accompanied himself on the guitar.
Among the many fair volunteers at the gala were a few selected for special awards like Nola Nagel and Kim Moret, who helped to start the Porky Pig and Farmerbud Dairy shows 10 years ago. Moret and Nagel helped to start the shows, when state guidelines eliminated younger children from showing animals in the regular premium livestock shows. The women were awarded the 2014 Friends of the Fair Award.
Crawford County Board Chairperson Pete Flesch presented a special award for Service to the Crawford County Fair Board to Raymond and Lualla Martin.
In accepting the award, Martin recalled with fondness the many years of working on the fair and urged younger people to make the commitment to become involved with the fair, as he and his wife had done.
The 2014 Fairest of the Fair, Sarah Achenbach, recapped her year representing the fair, appearing in parades, heading an effort to raise money for local food pantries and much more. She also talked about what being the Fairest of the Fair meant to her personally in building her own confidence.
Both the new Fair Ambassador Bridget Achenbach and the future fair ambassador Aubree Larson introduced themselves and talked briefly about the fair.
Bridget is Sarah’s sister, one of six children of Lonnie and Jane Achenbach. She is a first-year student at UW-LaCrosse, who made the Dean’s List in the first semester. She is a graduate of Prairie du Chien High School and a member of the business fraternity at UW-L.
Aubree Larson lives in rural Ferryville and is the 11-year-old daughter of Koren and John Gunderson. She attends sixth grade at DeSoto Middle School. Aubree loves animals and enjoys attending the Crawford County Fair every summer.
The Gala ended with a fundraising dessert auction conducted by Adams Auction Service that provided a bit of humor along the way as well as raising some needed money for the fair.
All in all everyone seemed to agree is was a good send-off to another Crawford County Fair Season.
