Community comes together to organize, enjoy Fair
— Trisha Benton
Randolph Times
RANDOLPH — The Randolph Community Fair is an opportunity for the town to come together and showcase their community pride.
It’s just plain fun, too, with more than a dozen different activities planned Friday through Sunday.
The Community Fair has been an annual event, well, forever ... according to the collective minds around town.
Reaching Out Around Randolph (ROAR) took over organizing the community fair when the Community Club disbanded in 2018.
“We discussed it and the majority of members agreed that this is something we did not want to see die,” said ROAR President Sandy Owens. “Small towns need something they celebrate ... some summer gathering event, and this is what Randolph does.”
She said even though ROAR spearheads the event, many groups and individuals organize different events throughout the weekend.
Dennis Bazata has overseen the annual livestock show in conjunction with the fair for the last 42 years and he said the event has been running since at least the 1930s.
He said he “inherited” the show when he became the ag instructor at Randolph High School.
Watching youth compete and the quality of the livestock at the show, fuels his energy to put on the show each year.
“It’s a fun event to put on,” he said. “I figure I’ve been doing it for so long, I’ll just keep going as long as I can.”
Randolph’s livestock show is seen as a practice or progress show for youth to hone their showmanship skills before competing at the county fair.
Youth from about 6 years old to 20 will be showing beef, swine, sheep and goats. Registration is not required but based on past shows, Bazata expects about 70 animals overall from Pierce, Cedar and Wayne counties.
The show is unique in that participants do not pay an entry fee and the show’s sponsors are able to cover all expenses including premiums for the winners.
Like the livestock show, some of the fair’s events have been mainstays over the years, for example, free swimming at the pool Saturday afternoon and the community barbecue Sunday night. First State Bank has sponsored the barbecue, making it free, for the past several years, Owens said.
The Lied Randolph Public Library hosts a Family Fun Night to kick off the Fair each year. This year’s entertainment will feature Wildlife Encounters on Friday night. The Randolph FFA will also have a farmer obstacle course for kids, and food will be available at the high school.
Saturday’s events start with a run/walk at the city park, followed by the livestock show and the Senior Center luncheon. The co-ed sand volleyball tournament Saturday afternoon is a few years’ new and replaced a co-ed softball tournament that has been held in the past, Owens said.
Saturday’s entertainment will end with a block party and street dance downtown with a DJ providing music.
Randolph’s fire department uses their Sunday morning omelet breakfast as a fundraiser each year. An ecumenical church service will be held at the baseball field Sunday morning for the first time during the Fair this year.
Classic cars and tractors will be on display and judged in the Randolph FFA Booster Car & Tractor Show Sunday afternoon, followed by a parade. For the past three years, Jared Korth has lined up cars for the event.
“Being in the small town of Randolph, it is harder to get people to show off their nice classics,” said Korth, “When we can get cars in, it is so worth it since the proceeds help fund the Randolph FFA Chapter.”
Something that’s not new to the community, but is new to the Fair weekend is the Randolph Alumni Banquet. Sandra Kuhlman, the secretary of the Alumni Association, is excited for the date change and is hopeful for this year.
“Hopefully, with the fair and people coming home, we can have a bigger turnout,” said Kulman, “If we don’t get the numbers, this will probably be our last year doing the Alumni Banquet.”
Owens said it’s a great feeling to see the town coming together, helping, and contributing to the success of the Fair each year.
“There’s a lot of different groups involved and splitting the work makes it easier,” she said. “Everybody pitches in and does their part.”
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