Kathy Darnell’s backyard shade garden includes a pond. It’s just one of five gardens that will be featured in the Faith Lutheran Women’s Garden Tour.
For many Minnesotans, it's been too long since the last fair. But that will all change for locals in about 40 days when the McLeod County Fair kicks off for the first time in two years.
For McLeod County fairgoers, the festivities will bring back familiar sights and sounds — but also something new.
"I had many people tell me they had no idea where the 4-H building was," said Randy Jurgenson, whose children have been members of the Lynn Hustlers 4-H club for several years.
For Jurgenson, who spent several years serving food to fairgoers at the 4-H Cafe at the McLeod County Fairground, learning people weren't sure where 4-H was centered was a surprise.
"To me 4-H is the essence of the county fair," he said. "Kids bring their projects, their animals, and so people not knowing where the 4-H building is, that's kind of a shame."
So he decided to do something about it. Inspiration came from the giant H for Hutchinson in front of Hutchinson High School. He conceived of a similar design for a 4-H statue.
He wanted to see the statue made out of steel for longevity, but worried such a material would be prohibitively expensive. Someone suggested he reach out to a scrap metal recycling service in St. Cloud, and so he did and learned it would not be as expensive as he feared. Local 4-H clubs donated the money, and the recycling service fabricated the statue's components. The next step was finding a welder. This time, the welding club at Ridgewater College was suggested.
"I talked to the welding instructor. They were more than happy to help. They have different projects and like to have fun with it," Jurgenson said. "They had it done in less than a week."
The Lynn Hustlers helped raise money to donate to the Ridgewater club, which also sanded off the statue's sharp edges in order to make it safer in a public place.
McLeod County 4-H program coordinator Darcy Cole signed off on a green color, and the county paid for the powder coating. Fairgrounds staff were then able to prop up the statue in front of the 4-H Cafe. It replaces a wooden dog statue, which was previously moved in front of the dog building of the Heart of Minnesota Animal Shelter.
Visitors to the McLeod County Fair last year might have spotted the new addition, but the festivities were put on hold due to COVID-19. For many, this year's Aug. 19-22 fair will be the first viewing.
"This one will last (many) years," said Becky Lang, Lynn Hustlers club leader. "You can see the 4-H Cafe right there on the corner. The project turned out really well."
The design, size, shape and materials were chosen to accommodate visitors who might want to climb on the statue and have their picture taken with it.
"Now people can't miss (the 4-H building)," Jurgenson said.
Kathy Darnell holds a bouquet of lilies, from her rural Hutchinson gardens.
