Celebrating 154 Years
Celebrating 154 Years
August 17-23 August 17-23
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The 154th Oceana County Fair Welcome!
On behalf of the Oceana County Agricultural Society, I would like to invite you to the 154th Oceana County Fair! The Best Little Fair in Michigan.
We have been busy getting the grounds ready for this year’s festivities and hope you are pleased with what we have accomplished. Our fencing is in place. Our Kids Kamp is set up. Our security cameras are installed, and our vision for the future is clear. We are committed to the future of our Fair and the youth that are so very anxious to show their animals and crafts.
I was raised in Oceana County and have attended the Fair my entire life. It has been a very important part of my family. Being a part of our Board, and making the improvements we have made has enriched my life beyond words. The smiles on our children’s faces is payment enough for our efforts.
This year, you will be able to join our effort. We are now a membership organization, and you may stop by our booth in the Educational Build-
ing and become a member of the Oceana County Agricultural Society. We are in need of new, young blood - people who have the common goal of advancing agriculture and making the Fairgrounds a beautiful place in our community. Please stop in and join our Fair.
The big news this year is that the Department of Agriculture has awarded us a grant in the amount of $100,000 to build a new bathhouse facility attached to the Commercial Building. Our old restrooms have reached the end of their life cycle,
and we have contracted to begin the building of those after Fair this year. It is a lofty goal we have, as it is a matching grant, and we must spend down our treasury to make this happen. We are also set to take out a mortgage to complete the project. Estimates are currently in the $300,000 range, and we will see this through.
I ask you to stop by the Education Building, join our Society and pick up an invitation to contribute to our new bathhouse project. Your contribution is tax deductible if given through our Foundation Fund, and there will be more information on giving to this much-needed improvement.
In closing, we would like to thank each and every one of you for this opportunity to give back to the place that we love: Oceana County.
Sincerely,
Paul Erickson
Oceana 4-H Horse Camp and Kaitlynn Scott Memorial Horse Show
By Jennifer Payne Oceana 4-H Program Coordinator
The 2025 Oceana 4-H Horse Camp and Kaitlynn Scott Memorial Open Youth Horse Show took place July 10-12. The fairgrounds served as the perfect backdrop for 26 Oceana County 4-H horse members and 10 volunteers in what became a heartfelt weekend of growth, connection and honoring the legacy of a young 4-H member whose spirit still inspires.
“Camp got started on Thursday the way any good horse camp should, with everyone rolling up their sleeves and pitching in. Before anyone could ride or learn a new skill, there was work to be done,” Oceana 4-H Program Coordinator Jennifer Payne said.
“Starting camp this way set the tone that this is a place where everyone helps and where hard work always comes before the blue ribbons.”
The afternoon brought fun through classic games like Simon Says, egg and spoon and Ride a Buck. Farrier Patrick McCarry joined the group for an educational demonstration on hoof care, walking youth through safe handling, trimming and identifying common issues. A hands-on skill station gave participants a chance to test their farrier tool knowledge, with a couple of winners walking away with brand-new lead ropes.
Friday, July 11, began with focused learning led by Mich-
igan 4-H’s State Horse Educator David Lindsay. Through a combination of a showmanship clinic and a Horse Judging 101 session, Lindsay helped participants understand what judges look for in both pattern work and conformation. Youth judged stock horses, ponies, drafts and pleasure horses, sharpening their eyes and building their skills.
The afternoon brought saddles back into the arena for equitation practice, with riders working through patterns and learning common faults and fixes. Friday evening was all about fun, with a scavenger hunt and off-horse games.
Lillian Bennett and her family led a leathercraft project where participants created their own keychains and bracelets.
Friday night’s dinner carried special meaning. In memory of Kaitlynn Scott, a beloved 4-H member lost too soon, her family sponsored pizza for all the camp participants. “Kaitlynn’s presence is still
deeply felt in our program,” Payne said. “Her kindness, her passion for horses and her willingness to help others are qualities we see reflected in so many of our county youth today.”
McCarry Clydesdales provided a mare named Hallie who powered Hintz Farm’s old-fashioned ice cream churn to the delight of everyone in attendance.
Saturday’s Kaitlynn Scott Memorial Open Youth Horse Show featured jumping and speed events, with something
new this year: cart and driver classes were added to four speed events.
High point winners for the show were as follows: Walk/ Trot/Canter ages 8-19: Lillian Wasson; Cart and Driver: Zack Hintz; Walk/Trot 19 and under: Lillian Bennett; and Walk/Trot/Canter 20 and up: Shannon Knapp.
“If you’re wondering what 4-H truly is, look no further than weekends like this. It’s the coming together of people who believe in hard work, in giving kids opportunities to grow, and in the simple joy of sharing time with friends,” Payne explained. “It’s honoring the past, embracing the present and building a future rooted in kindness, responsibility and community. That’s the heart of 4-H. And we are always ready to welcome anyone who wants to be part of it.”
If anyone is interested in joining 4-H or becoming a 4-H volunteer, please contact Payne at wassonj3@msu.edu or call the Oceana MSU Extension office at 231-873-2129.
Gate Admission: $5 per person Children under 5 are free Free Parking
Handicap Parking must display Handicap Plate or Placard
Fair Hours are 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Midway and Rides by Elliott’s Amusements
Presale tickets can be purchased at: elliottsamusements.com
Unauthorized animals and/or pets are not allowed on the fairgrounds at any time except in designated areas only, with Fair Board permission, with the exception of leader/ service dogs.
Pre-Fair Activities: Gate $5 per person
Daily
• Free Transportation to and from parking area
• Hundreds of exhibits, trophies and ribbons on display in buildings
• Commercial Building is open from noon to 9 p.m.
• Education Building is open
from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Youth Exhibit Building is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
SunDay, auguSt 17
4 p.m. — Harness Racing Free Grandstand
6 p.m. — Work Bee - 4H/Youth in Barns
MonDay, auguSt 18
Entry Day
Haul in day — Everything but Draft and Light horses (they may if they wish)
8 a.m. to noon — Weigh-in
By 5 p.m. - Youth Exhibit Building Check-in
By 7 p.m. - Adult Exhibit Building Check-in
4 p.m. — Harness Racing Free Grandstand
tuESDay, auguSt 19
8 a.m. – Swine Showmanship, Breeding & 4-H classes (Hog/Lamb/Goat Barn, Small indoor Arena)
9 a.m. – Youth & Educational Building Closed for Judging All entered exhibits in Youth & Educational Buildings
4 p.m. – Sheep Showmanship, Breeding
& 4-H Market classes (Hog/Lamb/Goat Barn, Small Indoor Arena)
4 p.m. — Harness Racing Free Grandstand
Midway opens at 5 p.m.
Ride from 5-11 p.m. with $20 armband Individual ride tickets also available Free Grandstand
WEDnESDay, auguSt 20
SEnior CitizEn Day
Seniors over 60 and veterans admitted free until 6 p.m.
8:30 a.m. - Beef Showmanship, Breeding and 4-H Market classes
Large Arena
9 a.m. - Poultry Showmanship Rabbit and Poultry Barn
3 p.m. - Draft Horse Halter/Ponies, Mules & Cross Classes
Large Arena
6:30 p.m. - Draft Horse driving classes, Large Arena
7 p.m. - Bump-N-Run/Figure 8
Grandstands, Adults - $15 & Kids (12 & under) - $5
Midway opens at 2 p.m.
Schedule of Events Schedule of Events
Ride from 2-11 p.m. with $22 armband
Individual ride tickets also available
thurSDay, auguSt 21
9 a.m. — Dairy Cattle Judging Large Arena
9 a.m. — Goat Showmanship, Breed and 4-H Market classes, Hog/Lamb/Goat Barn
10 a.m.— Rabbit Showmanship, Breed and 4-H Market
Rabbit and Poultry Barn
1 p.m. — Drive a Draft (all welcome), Infield Horse Arena
Midway opens at 2 p.m.
Ride from 2-11 p.m. with $22 armband
Individual ride tickets also available
6:45 p.m. — Presentation of Oceana 4-H Ambassadors Free Grandstand
7 p.m. — 4-H Market Livestock Auction Free Grandstand
FriDay, auguSt 22
9 a.m. — English and Western Riding Classes
Infield Arena
1 p.m. — Draft Riding Classes
Large Arena
1:30 p.m. —Draft Log Pulling
Large Arena
Midway opens at 1 p.m.
Ride from 1-11 p.m. with $25 armband
Individual ride tickets also available
2 p.m. — Heavyweight Horse Pulling Free Grandstand
4 p.m. — Cow Trail Classes/Costume Class
Large Arena
7 p.m. — Tom Oomen Memorial West Michigan Pullers Tractor Pull Grandstand Admission: Adults - $10 Children 12 & under - $5
Tractor Pull Events:
6500# Light Limited Super Stock tractors
6200# Modified Gas Trucks
9300# Super Farm Tractor
8000# Hot Diesel Trucks
8200# Street Diesel Trucks
8200# Pro Street Diesel Trucks
12000# Field Farm Tractors
SaturDay, auguSt 23
Final Day oF Fair
10 a.m. — Grand Slam Showmanship
Rabbit and Poultry Barn
(Starting with small animals and working to larger animals in the Large Arena)
10 a.m. — Horse Games
Infield Arena
Midway opens at 1 p.m.
Ride from noon-11 p.m. with $25 armband
Individual ride tickets also available
1 p.m. — Ag Olympics - Large Arena
All kids 19 years and under are invited to participate
5 p.m. — 4-H Small Market & Junior Market Auctions
Large Arena
6 p.m. — Demolition Derby
Adults - $20
Children 12 & Under - $10
COUNTY FAIR •
Oceana County Fair Memories Abound
By: Sharon Hallack The Oceana Echo Community Contributor
Lois Satterlee, New EraThe year was 1964, and I was 13 years old when a group of us girls went to the Oceana County Fair. We spent time checking out the animals and 4-H items, but mostly we were there for the rides (and boys). A friend and I went on a ride called the Paratrooper and there was a nice-looking ride attendant that we chatted with. He must have thought we were okay too because he gave us a handful of free ride tickets. We rode many times, talking with him in line. It was time to meet the rest of our friends to see if everyone was ready to go home yet. I said that I wasn’t ready yet because I had tickets left, but none of the others wanted to ride. My cousin said she might know someone who would go, a guy she dated once. She found him, and he seemed happy to ride with me. We rode, we dated and we married. Fast forward 59 years....I was telling our family about submitting my fair memories to The Oceana Echo and I read them our story. I thought they had all heard it before, but they hadn’t. When I finished, our grandson had a big smile on his face and told how he met his wife at the fair too! He even had a picture of them in the grandstand the night they met. The Oceana Echo gave
us an afternoon of getting to know each other even better.
Paul Inglis, Shelby - Do folks remember when the American Legion sold raffle tickets at the Oceana County Fair for the purpose of giving away a new automobile? My grandfather bought a raffle ticket for what I assume was a dollar at the 1938 Oceana County Fair and won the drawing for a 1938 Nash Rambler. On the day after he claimed his winning vehicle, his son (my dad) drove it through downtown Shelby at a high rate of speed and rolled it over in front of what is now Deb’s Cafe. I was told the vehicle was seriously damaged, and some of his friends said it was a total loss, but I could never verify the extent of damage to the vehicle nor what the consequences of my dad’s actions were. I do know that my dad did not spend too much time at the Oceana County Fair in the ensuing years. He left school at age 17 and took a job as a Coca-Cola truck driver in Muskegon before joining the US Army during World War II.
My younger brother Fred and younger cousins, David and Tom Inglis, were placed in charge of our family farm when we were in our early teens, while our dads worked at DuPont in Montague and Continental Motors in Muskegon, respectively. One of the rewards for our efforts was
the promise of going to the Oceana County Fair on Friday and Saturday to spend all of our hard-earned money on the arcade games; visit the animal barns to see what our school friends raised through the county 4-H program; eat pulled taffy and french fries; and, above all, watch the horse pulling contest and demolition derby.
In 1972, I met my wife-tobe, Cheri, at a party held by a former high school classmate of mine and could not get her out of my mind. I pursued her relentlessly, but she already had a boyfriend, and I could not get a date with her. Not long after she turned me down for a date to attend a Detroit Tiger baseball game, I received a letter from her expressing her regrets for not accepting my offer. I immediately contacted her and asked her to go to the Oceana County Fair with me the following Sunday (the County Fair ran through Sunday at that time). She agreed; thus, we had our first date at the Oceana County Fair.
Diana Clark, Shelby - Our family has enjoyed attending the Oceana County Fair for the past 60 years. Our four children loved us taking them through the animal barns two or three times each year. By 1977 they were all old enough to appreciate seeing the 4-H youth exhibits. We marveled at the talent and variety and the ribbons attached to each green
entry card. We learned the youths were paid premiums!
That fall I was appointed by the kids to be their 4-H leader for: Wheels & Wings, five boys building airplanes, trucks and cars from model kits; Canning Cousins, five cousins learning to homecan Oceana County produce; and Pins & Needles, an after-school group of seven girls learning to sew straight seams on a sewing machine.
In 1978, I helped the 4-H kids fill out their premium sheets and entry cards. I drove the farm truck on entry day with six 4-H’ers and five fragile plastic models; seven identical rectangular dolls, seven pin cushions, seven hot pads, seven draft-dodger dogs; and 100 canning jars of preserved foods. (Some of the jars were my adult fair entries.)
On a humid and hot fair release day, we five (plus one cousin) arrived with the truck, and we had to take the fair shuttle back and forth from the exhibit buildings to the truck parked in the West fairgrounds parking lot. The Western sky kept getting darker and darker with threatening rain clouds. Before we got home to Shelby, the four kids riding in the truck bed got soaking wet with a warm rain. We still laugh about it to this day. Our lives were enriched by 4-H for years afterwards.
Bill Hegg, Hart - When I
Fair Memories continued on page 12
Fair Memories
was between 10 and 12, I went to the fair and had a horse to take care of. Day and night I was at the fair, feeding, watering and spending the night with her. Sleeping at the fair was the highlight of the week!
Beth Snider Butler, Hart - I truly have fond memories of the Oceana County Fair from my childhood. I was in a 4-H Club with other kids from Golden Community School. One of my leaders was Maureen Wiegand, and my sewing 4-H leader was Pat Fuehring. I would get my vegetable and sewing projects entered in the fair every year and also remember giving “live” demonstrations such as “How to Set a Proper Table”! Except for a very few attempts at Thanksgiving, I probably have never used my own “advice” since!
The highlight for me was spending one of the days riding the carnival rides with my childhood, and forever friend, Monica (Wittkamp) Snider. We screamed and laughed and told our secrets as we prepared to die on the Loop-O-Plane, and then when we didn’t, we lined up to take our chances on the Zipper! I still have the same feeling of 70s nostalgia when I walk through the Main Gate, sometimes even giving my entrance ticket and a hug to Monica herself!
I loved taking my kids and helping them create wonderful memories through 4-H and the familiarity of the same old OC Fair. Now I make sure to take my grandkids for an afternoon of rides, games and especially lots of the “gut rot,” as my Mom, Tink (Wilma Beadle) Riley, would call the “fare” at the fair.
Of course my most enduring memory of all is continuing the legacy of saying to my children and grandchildren, as my Dad, John Riley, would say if I ever complained about the equity of life - “Fair is a week in August and
that’s the only fair you will ever know.” Oh the wisdom and simple gifts of life I learned and shared, and continue to do so at my Oceana County Fair.
Denise (Slocum) Pagura, Dublin, Ohio/Hart - I remember the kids that raised an animal that was sold to be slaughtered. The kids got really close to their animals throughout the year. Kind of like when we had the cattle at our house when I was a young kid and I went down to feed the cows with my dad, and I had one calf that was so friendly. It would come up and rub its head on me, and I called him “Mooch.”
He loved it when I rubbed his ears and petted him. He had another little friend that was the same age, but that one was too afraid to come over and let me rub and pet him.
It was a very sad day, with lots of tears and emotion and wailing when the kids had to help load their animals up. It was heartbreaking, and I tried to console my friends that I had made at the fair. I can remember being very grateful that I had a horse and not a cow or a pig.
Back to “Mooch.” My dad thought it would be really funny when we were eating beef one night to say, “Oh, I’ll tell you what really tastes good.” Well, he and my mother experienced the same emotion, crying, wailing, and my refusing to eat beef for the rest of the year.
Loretta Harjes, Hart - My first experience going to the Oceana Fair was in 1967 when I helped in the first aid station. Back then there was no 911 or EMTs. Luckily there were no serious problems during my shift.
Mort (Maureen) Wiegand, Mears - I remember entering a 4-H sewing project every year; one year it was an apron, one year a skirt. My last one was a suit I had made. I remember all the fun on Fridays for Kids Day. My friends and I looked forward to that day all year. We
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would meet up and spend the day together. My favorite ride of all time was the Merry-Go-Round. I couldn’t ride the big whirly-gigs. I’d get sicker than a dog. We always got taffy and cotton candy.
Carl Wiegand, Mears - At 88 years old, I have a lot of fair memories! My earliest memory of the fairgrounds was driving by and seeing the POW (Prisoner of War) camp set up there during WWII. I would have been fairly young.
Then when I was 16 years old, I helped build the 4-H Youth Exhibit Building. I earned my Lifetime Membership (in the Agricultural Society) for helping do that. There used to be a timber frame barn where the horse barn is now. One day there were some high winds, and I looked up in the rafters and saw one of the mortise joints coming apart. A beam had already come down and was resting on another brace. I contacted the fair president at the time and told them about how dangerous it would be having people and animals in there. As a result, the barn was closed that year and taken down by the next fair. I also remember the year the former Educational Exhibit Building blew down and collapsed. I helped with rebuilding that as well. I am looking forward to the new bath facilities that will be built after this year’s fair. I remember updating the electricity in the current ones. I remember putting new wiring in the Grandstand one year, replacing the old “knob and tube” wiring.
One year when Mary Hamner was president, she put me in charge of the stock car races. Those were a pretty big deal. Years ago we used to have wrestling. First the big guys would come out and wrestle, followed by midget wrestling.
Thank you to those who shared their fair memories - we wish everyone a wonderful 154th Oceana County Fair!
2025 O pen e ntry I nf O rmat IO n
By: Stacia Erickson The Oceana Echo Community Contributor
“May my children and I enter things in the Fair without being part of 4-H?”
The answer to that question is yes! The Oceana County Fair is private property and not a 4-H Fair. The Oceana Agricultural Society (OAS) tries its best to accommodate all their guests, including but not limited to 4-H.
Children and adults may enter items as “open” participants, not as 4-H, and the Oceana County Fair board welcomes and encourages everyone to enter. Children and adults can bring their entries to the adult or youth exhibit buildings on entry
day, this year on Monday, Aug. 18, fill out the entry sheet and individual cards for animals to apples and (almost) everything in between!
Fair books with numbers and categories, for all entrants, both open and 4-H, will be available on entry day at the educational and adult exhibit buildings.
There are specific requirements for entries, so it is important to check before bringing your entry. It is also a good idea to bring a few extra samples, just in case you need more than one or something happens to a portion of your entry. There is also a small entry fee for adults for each item.
All exhibitors are responsible for the care and maintenance of their animals
while at the Fair until being released on the last day. All exhibitors who fail to keep their animal and stall in neat condition to the satisfaction of the Superintendents will be asked to remove their exhibit/project from the Fair and will forfeit all premiums.
This includes the final stall cleanup in which the stall is left in the condition in which it was first assigned.
Fair book example, adult open entry; DEPARTMENT
B
— HORTICULTURE, Superintendent: Lindsey Merten, entry fee $.25 each class.
1. Only one entry per class, per exhibitor.
2. All exhibits must be grown by the exhibitor.
3. Consult Bulletin 397 available at the MSU Extension Office (and online) on
how to prepare vegetables for exhibit.
4. Number of items required for the class are noted in parentheses.
5. All vegetables should be free of insects and disease as well as damage. All vegetables should be fresh, clean, trimmed and uniform in size, shape, color, maturity and type.
6. Entries should be presented on a white, 9-inch or 10-inch paper plate.
Entries must be created or grown by the individual who enters them in the Fair. Folks are encouraged to call the office prior to visiting to make certain it is open and staff is on hand. The telephone number to call is (231) 873-2565, Monday through Friday.
