Last year was one of our more successful years in recent history. We worked with the Leaders to become more involved in the community. We continued to stay focused on improving facilities at the fairgrounds with the help of some very generous donations. We also set record numbers for the Demolition Derby during the fair.

Last year we were able to focus on our strategic planning goals and expand our footprint in the community with the help of the 4-H Leaders Association. 4-H participated in Trunk or Treat, helped at Pancake Days, hosted Ag Day at the Sorensen Farm and Safety Day at the fairgrounds. Ag and Safety Days were both attended by students from Austin Elementary School.

2022 also marked the return of Come Create Day which was hosted by the Leaders Association. Lauren and Raven put signs up at local businesses to help promote National 4-H week in October. The Fair Board hosted and sponsored Volunteer Day again last year. The Leaders and Fair Board also worked together to participate in the Dakota Days Parade and the Standstill Parade of Lights. We look forward to continuing to work together to promote 4-H in the community in the future.

We saw some very exciting improvements at the fairgrounds last year all courtesy of community donations . We received a very generous donation of new panels for the Swine and Sheep barn from Sydells, Heine Farms, and the Lynch and Heine Families. With the help of some great volunteers, the barn received a coat of paint to complete the makeover. Troy Gregoire also donated new lights for the open arena that Clay Union Electric helped install. The City of Vermillion also replace the old lights in the inflatables area with some new LED lights. The commissioners replaced the old furnace and air conditioner in the Extension Office which gave us air conditioning for the first time in the 4-H Center!!

The 2022 Clay County Fair schedule included some new events. We held a beer sampling event and Critter Calling on Saturday. The young kids had a lot of fun with Critter Calling. We also hosted Ag Day on a very hot Friday. We covered sixteen topics on the day and each topic was hosted by a local business or organization. We also stepped up our BBQ Competition last year and joined a BBQ Series. This brought a new level of BBQ to the fair and it was a great success. We also welcomed several community organizations to the fair. USD Herpetology brought a small selection of animals for the kids to view and interact with. Phil Breed brought a information about Honey Bees, the Boy Scouts and Boys and Girls Clubs offered activities for the kids, and Rotary hosted a fundraiser.

Last year was a record Demolition Derby for the Clay County Fair. We had 49 cars participate in the Demolition Derby in four classes. We also had over 2,000 people attend the derby which was more that the bleachers could hold. The record attendance also sent the Beer Garden and Food Stand scrambling for more beer and food. No one on the Fair Board can ever remember running out of room to park the derby cars or out of room to sit on the bleachers. It is safe to say the derby is official back!

We appreciate the community’s support continued support through generous donations, community participation, and fair attendance. As our focus turns to 2023, we look forward to another great year.