The Woman Yesterday

Virginia Wickstrom ‘Queen of the Fair’ (1940- )

By Abigail Blonigen

Virginia (Olesiak) Wickstrom was born on April 20, 1940, the oldest of 10 children. One of the children passed away in infancy, but the nine others are still living. The Olesiaks also fostered many children in their home.

Virginia’s parents, Ray and Lydia Olesiak, owned a dairy farm in Sawyer, Minnesota, so she grew up around animals of all species. As the oldest child, Wickstrom was her father’s right-hand helper.

“She worked hard on the farm, milking cows, raising young stock, breaking and training horses Ray had picked up to resell, and also helped her mother with the younger children,” said Wickstrom’s daughter, Julie Klejeski.

The family was very involved in 4-H, and Wickstrom started racing horses in her teens. Her sister Gloria also raced, and the rest of the siblings showed cattle and other animals at the fair.

In the late 1950s, Wickstrom was named “Queen of the Fair” in Carlton County, placing third in the horse races with her favorite pony, “Wild Glory.”

Wickstrom married her husband Darrel in 1962, and then they started a dairy farm operation in Barnum. The couple became livestock haulers, buyers and sellers for many years and fostered children in their early years of marriage, just like Wickstrom’s parents.

Together they had four children who were also actively involved on the farm, school sports, 4-H, Western Saddle Clubs of America, FFA, Junior Holstein Association and more, according to Klejeski.

Her kids and grandkids have carried on the tradition, both with horse racing and with their involvement at the Carlton County Fair.

“Farming and horses run deep in the Olesiak bloodlines, along with the passion in 4-H. All of Virginia’s children and grandchildren were and are members of 4-H, and some are becoming adult leaders and volunteers,” said Klejeski.

This year, the Wickstroms were selected as grand marshals at Spring Fever Days in Barnum, which was an honor for the couple.

When asked why she keeps coming back to the fair year after year, Wickstrom said, “Well, because we were a part of this fair forever, since childhood and throughout raising our children, and it’s something everybody waits for all year long.” D