To enhance fair visitors' ability to view local artwork at the Freeborn County Fair, by installing track lighting and purchasing new display cases for 2-D and 3-D exhibits in the Creative Arts and Crafts building. Funds will also be used to bring new programming to the fair. Ben Franklin will live at the fair and converse with visitors, bringing with him historically accurate replicas of furniture, clothing, and cookware. Visitors can watch or participate in building a log cabin with turn of the century tools.
To increase access to arts and cultural heritage programming at the Todd County Fair by enhancing a stage, improving the fine arts display area, hosting an array of demonstrations, and featuring an Irish band and theater group.
A - St. Paul Czech Dancers - they have been at our fair before. They are always a favorite within the Czech ethnic area of this county as well as surrounding counties., B - Larry Novotny "The One-Man Band" - Larry has been entertaining crowds for years. He is multi-talented and plays several instruments. With a love and a skill to play old time music and polka music, he is a crowd pleaser., C - Doug Traxler and the Hired Hands - a very well-known local musician specializing in older folk ballads. He is definitely a hit with the demographics at our fair.
Mahnomen County is only 583 square miles in size, but according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the county contains three of the four biomes: Coniferous Forest, Deciduous Forest, and Prairie Grasslands. Some of the land in Mahnomen County is used for farming, but trees are also an important natural resource. The Mahnomen County Agricultural Society would like to provide access to Minnesota's Agricultural, Historical and Cultural Heritage through a Lumberjack show and camp.
La Raza de Mexico will provide Hispanic music. Faribault is home to many Hispanics. This is a way we can share their cultural ways. Wooden Circle demonstrates how items were made by hand.
Legacy funds will help pay for local folk, Americana, country and western musicians or bands. We will seek musicians that perform original music and showcase musicians and bands from local (northern Minnesota) that often don't get the opportunity to perform in front of a large crowd like we have at the county fair mini stage. We will also contract professional sound engineers to produce the sound at the mini stage through all performances
Provide educational demonstrations and displays of Minnesota history, ag and arts with a dog sledding exhibit, farm feud trivia, a butter churning demonstration, and art demonstrations.
We will use this grant to focus on the rich history of agriculture in Minnesota through presentations and displays by photographers Doug Ohman and AJ Kern. We're promoting art in our area and state through the chainsaw art of Curt Ingvoldstad and the hands-on demonstrations of Lisa Douglas. The antique tractor display at our fairgrounds will be a bit more educational with a sign displaying the various types of tractors, along with facts about some that are on display.
This year we are planning to participate in the legacy project by offering some demonstrations to educate the public in farming: a model cow that the public can milk; process of sheep shearing along with use of wool, including a child activity; demonstrations from the local Heritage Club making rope, shelling corn; show a variety of old motors and possible antique machinery items. Glass blower to present two days at our fair and demonstrate the making of fine glass products.
Three projects would be supported with this grant:
1 - East Knoll Heritage Village Demonstrations - Not just a pottery demonstration. With 45 years of pottery experience of small and large pottery, they make pots and entertain the visitors with demonstrations. They use a replica of a wooden foot-powered treadle wheel, the kind used in the USA and Europe before before we had electricity.
2 - Wooden Circle Wood Cutting Demonstrations - they work together with the pottery demonstrations.
3 - A performance of a traditional Mexican Band: La Raza de Mexico.
The grant funds will help pay for local folk, Americana, country and western musicians or bands. We will seek musicians that perform original music and showcase musicians and bands from local (northern Minnesota) that often don't get the opportunity to perform in front of a large crowd. We will also contract professional sound engineers to produce the sound at the mini stage through all performances.
A --- Big Ideas Trailer ---- seeing the possibilities and learning about various trades through electronic interaction and one-on-one conversations with instructors.
B --- Doug Traxler and the Hired Hands ---- a very well known local musician specializing in folk ballads and easy listening tunes.
C --- Larry Novotny "The One Man Band" --- long time entertainer for the local area. He is multi-talented and plays many instruments, from old-time music to polka.
The Mahnomen County Agricultural Society's Legacy project is to purchase a sound system and bleachers for our free stage used for local artists, cultural demonstrations, and other events open to the public.
We will have special music (by a local band and single performer). We also want to build new display racks for the handmade quilts to share the local talent with fairgoers.
This year we'd like to use our Legacy funds to promote the history of Minnesota agriculture through the presentations of Doug Ohman. We're also excited to welcome back chainsaw artist Kurt Ingvaldson to showcase his unique talents. We'll have a spinning demonstration from a local artisan along with music from local jazz and blue grass bands. There are plans to have a local artist repaint our livestock barn signs and we're also looking at creating signs for our antique tractor display to better inform the public about the historical types of tractors.
To increase access to arts and cultural heritage programming at the Mahnomen County Fair by creating a performance space for ACH events. Funds would be used for stage construction, lighting and sound.
To enhance the Creative Arts building on the fairgrounds in order to improve the arts experience for fairgoers. The Freeborn County Fair will replace archaic lighting, add glass display cabinets, add a new display area of pre-school art, and provide musical performances.
To provide arts and heritage programming by local artists. Programming will include story-telling, ethnic music, demonstrations of period culture, lathe turning, spoon carving, and spinning.
To provide exhibits, re-enactments, education displays, workshops and presentations of "Wabasha County in Days By-Gone." Funds will also be used to purchase a sound system to enhance workshops and presentations, enhance the quilt and wall displays in the Open Class Exhibit Building, and bring a youth theater group to perform at the fair.
To present the history of agriculture in Wright County through exhibits of equipment from the past to present, video presentations, and a demonstration of food preparation in the 19th century.
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an invasive insect that has been decimating ash trees throughout the Great Lakes states. It was first discovered in Minnesota in 2009 and is now found in four counties (Hennepin, Houston, Ramsey, and Winona). EAB poses a particularly serious threat to Minnesota because it is home to nearly 1 billion ash trees that occur throughout the state - the second most of any state.
Funding supports an Irrigation Specialist to develop guidance and provide education on irrigation and nitrogenbest management practices (BMPs). In this position, Dr. Vasu Sharma provides direct support to irrigators onissues of irrigation scheduling and soil water monitoring. She is collaborating on the development of new irrigationscheduling tools that help irrigators manage water and nitrogen resources more precisely. These tools help reducenitrogen leaching losses in irrigated cropping systems.
Native to the western United States and Canada, mountain pine beetle is considered the most devastating forest insect in North America. Trees usually die as a result of infestation and an unprecedented outbreak in the west is currently decimating pine forests there. While mountain pine beetle is not presently believed to reside in Minnesota, there are risks posed by an expanding species range resulting from warming climate and the potential for accidental introduction via lumber imports from infested areas.
To provide a variety of programming at the Winona County Fair that preserves and promotes Minnesota's history and cultural heritage. Art demonstrations will feature painting, watercolor, drawing, oils, spinning, weaving, and quilting. Visitors will be able to view antique tractors and learn about their history and restoration process. Children can watch a marionette show and learn about ventriloquism. The fair will feature a bluegrass band and a dog sledding display.
To construct the Arts and Cultural Celebration Center at the Rice County fairgrounds. This heated, year round and handicap accessible building with ADA bathrooms and presentation stage will be home to arts presentations by regional individuals and performances by county arts and theater organizations.
To create an area dedicated to arts, cultural heritage, and MN history exhibits at the Roseau County Fair. The display will rotate annually; for 2012, the Roseau County Historical Society will display pictures and video of the 2002 flood in Roseau County, and displays of old washing machines and saws used by the logging industry.
To increase Wright County Fair's capacity to host more performing arts programming by improving stage sound and lighting. With the enhancements, the fair will be able to provide the public with more diverse programming beyond traditional commercial musical performers, and schedule more programming by allowing evening performances.
To host a children's show about life on the farm through songs and stories, and offer a presentation about, and create a display area of, antique horse drawn machinery used by farmers from the Le Sueur County area.
To educate fairgoers about the early history of the area. The Le Sueur County Fair will create an exhibit on the Native American and early settlers life in the area. The exhibit will include a large tipi, fire pit, artifacts, tools, hides, and more. Funds will also be used to host demonstrations on native and log cabin construction techniques, and drawing and painting activities for children.
