To provide a variety of arts and cultural heritage programming opportunities at the Mille Lacs County Fair. A local resident family with success participating in State and National fiddle contests, will assist with the planning and implementation of a fiddle contest and a workshop. A Native American Showcase will allow the Mille Lacs County Fair to broaden its cultural offerings by including an under-represented segment of the county's population in its activities. The showcase will feature Native American dance, song, and drumming.
To upgrade a portable stage. The Cottonwood County Agricultural Society has purchased a new portable stage that is larger in size and accommodates a greater variety of performers. With this upgrade, the Agricultural Society will be able to accommodate 50-60 uses throughout the year at different venues and help to bring a larger, culturally diverse group to performances.
To offer multi-cultural and multi-generational history and music exhibitions. A lumberjack show will highlight the experience of early settlers, and folk-music and a polka performances will promote intergenerational and intercultural amity.
We are going to have a different balloon artist this year. We are inviting a southeast Minnesota resident to perform for our youth. We will also have The Red Letter Band, an inspirational country music band. They perform a variety of classic county hits and have prize giveaways for crowd participation. They provide a nostalgic opportunity to listen to music that all will enjoy.
The Legacy Grant funds will be used to enrich our guests with entertaining learning experiences. Funds will be used for all guests to learn a bit more of our history with a presentation by Rob Fairbanks, a Native American who motivates as he speaks to groups and teaches them of his life on the reservation and his ancestors way of life and how it relates today.
The Educational Heritage Magic Show by Magician Tom Anderson - With period costumes from the 1800's, he will be using magic that would have taken place in the 1800's. Tom is also a balloon artist and will be offering a balloon twisting class. ?Musical performers will also perform at the fair.
The Yellow Medicine County Fair Board is seeking funds to purchase a new portable stage to better serve the needs of our fair performers and demonstrations. Our current stage consists of concrete blocks and old rotting plywood that is not safe for our performers and demonstrations. With a portable stage we are able to move it to other areas of the fairgrounds if needed for performers or demonstration events that might require a stage.
We would like to be able to provide fairgoers a fun experience at seeing horses and ranchers work and run different events with their horses. To see how a blacksmith operates and create iron work. Our magician will create a fun experience for all ages to learn more about agriculture.
Having a chainsaw artist do demonstrations on grounds each day; Building an open sided shelter to protect fairgoers and local performers from the elements as they watch and learn about local cultural heritage such as polka bands, local Native American dances, German bands, Century Farm and senior programs.
We are hoping to continue to promote Minnesota art by bringing items back from prior years, but also improve our arts section for our fair. We would like to bring back our Birch Coulee Working Ranch Rodeo that shows our patrons the older styles of a working ranch such as cattle sorting, roping, and doctoring cattle. This also allows local participants to attend and try the different events it offers. Another popular activity we had was bringing a local blacksmith into our fair to show fairgoers the ways they created different tools in our past.
We will have a totally new experience for one of our afternoon events for the youth at the Fillmore County Fair this year. We plan to bring "Emotion in Motion," a mobile splatter paint experience to our fair. This will be a fully immersive artistic experience, that is easy and fun for youth. When finished they will have an original splatter painting for their walls. We try to incorporate new things each year at the fair to accompany the traditional events that fairgoers expect.
Our Legacy project consists of hiring Monroe Wright III to perform two shows on Friday of fair. He will bring several musicians to accompany him during the scheduled shows. He specializes in the music of the Mills Brothers.
We will be purchasing a staging kit for the 4-H building and multi-use shelter. It will be used for musical entertainment, agricultural, historical, and/or cultural heritage presentations such as Polka bands, German bands, Century Farms and Senior programs.
We will also have a chainsaw artist do demonstrations on the grounds every day of the fair.
The farming of lumber is a huge part of Minnesota history. In fact the towns of Bemidji, Akeley, and Brainerd, Minnesota have each boasted themselves the birth place of the famous Paul Bunyan. It is our goal to remind community members of this rich Minnesotan tradition of tree falling by having a demonstration of lumberjacks (a free event) at the fair this year. At the end of the lumberjack event there will be time for kids to do hands-on learning and training of how our ancestors worked with wood, not only to build homes but to create a living.
RJ Kern's photography shows feature storytelling and agricultural photography and will be coming to our fair this summer. RJ does different shows: Being a National Geographic agricultural photographer; Being a Commemorative Artist for the Minnesota State Fair; The Unchosen Ones: Advice for 4-H Competitors and Life Skills Learned in 4-H; iPhoneography Tips for Your Award-Winning Photography; History of Agricultural Photography 101;
Historical Photography Demonstrations.
The Legacy grant will help support bringing in local artists to do demonstrations and classes on jewelry making, macrame, and hat designing. There will be a class each day of the fair for both young and old where participants get hands-on experience in designing jewelry and creating their own piece to take with them, as well as creating a macrame design like a hanging pot holder or wall-hanging. Lastly a session will focus on hat designing. The hats (usually cowboy style) will be provided by the artist and the participant will be able to add cords, beads, feathers, etc.
To bring a variety of cultural entertainment to the Waseca County Free Fair, including yodeling, Bluegrass, Irish, Alpine, Czechoslovakian, gospel and Americana music, a vaudeville show, and genealogical information from the Minnesota Historical Society.
To offer new arts and cultural heritage programming at the Fillmore County Fair. Funds will be used to install a historical exhibit, host a bluegrass performance, and being a project that documents fairgoers experiences through interviews and photos. The project is meant to bridge the past and the future by helping local community members appreciate local history and share their own story for generations to come.
To expand the awareness of the arts and history of music in America. The fair will host a jug band, polka band, folk singer and yodeler. To enhance the performances, a sound system and portable bleachers will be purchased.
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 enhance Yellow Medicine County Fair's capacity to host arts and cultural heritage events in their Outdoor Heritage Center by purchasing bleacher seating, a stage, and improving the floor to make the area more handicap accessible.
To increase access to arts and cultural heritage programming at the Yellow Medicine County Fair by building an Outdoor Heritage Center. The new center will provide a space for demonstrations, presentations, and interactive activities.
To preserve the 1915 one room schoolhouse on the Redwood County fairgrounds by repairing windows, doors, stucco exterior, and replacement of the cupola on the roof.
To increase Redwood County Fair's capacity to feature diverse arts and cultural heritage performances by expanding a current stage. The stage enhancement will allow room for multiple artists to perform at once, and will offer the audience a better sight-line for performances. Funds will also be used to hire a writer to publish pieces in local newspapers, the fair website, and facebook, to inform the public of the competitive and historical nature of the open class exhibits at the fair.
To offer new arts demonstrations at the Renville County Fair. Programming will include a performance by an educational vocal band, and demonstrations by an artist specializing in Chinese calligraphy.
To bring new arts and cultural heritage programming to the Renville County Fair. Programming included a performance by the Red Tree Singers, a Native American group, and Kid Power, an interactive kids’ program. Funds were also used to commission a local artist to paint a mural depicting local agriculture and history.
To offer new arts and cultural heritage programming at the Waseca County Free Fair. Programming will include a performance by a Minnesota band, a German heritage band, and Homeward Bound Theater.
To offer a new exhibit in the fair’s conservation building on 4-H and paint a mural related to the new exhibit. The Yellow Medicine County Fair has purchased display cases for their new 4-H exhibit. The exhibit consists of 4-H items from the past and present and the mural provides a history of county fairs.
