Posted: 8/17/04
The fair is here; Betz to be honored at Demo Derby
Demo Derby to honor its founder Stan Betz would be pleased to see that the demolition derby at the Houston County Fair now bears his name. ìIím sure he would have thought this was good,î Stanís wife, Shirley, said on August 16. Betz died on May 8 of this year at the age of 68. He was instrumental in bringing the demolition derby to the county fair in 1983. He retired in 1998. The derby, which takes place this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in the grandstand, is now called the Stan Betz Memorial Demolition Derby. Itís one of the most popular attractions at the fair. The demo derby had a grassroots beginning, namely the grass on Wiebke Hill on the east end of Caledonia. The lay of the land was a natural amphitheater, and people could sit around like Romans watching their gladiators pummel each other in dented Dodges and banged-up Buicks. It moved out to Vince Scanlanís property in Cork Hollow a couple times too, in a similarly shaped piece of property. ìIt was a fun thing, it was something to look forward to,î Shirley said. She and her kids would sell hot dogs and pop at these events. Betz worked with his brother Gordon, and with Duane ìTankî and Gene Schroeder and Lee Diersen. ìWe even had a corporation for a while,î Tank said on August 16. He recalled that it was fun, but admitted that things could get a little tense. Tempers would flare in the heat of the summer sun and the heat of the derby, when there was disagreement with a judgeís decision. ìNever made much money at it. A lot of hard work,î Tank added. The county fair board gave the group the go-ahead to run a derby at the fairgrounds in 1973. They dug a pit near the fair entrance, between the highway garage and the horse barn. They fenced ìThe Pit,î put logs at the open end, and even drain-tiled it so water would not pool in the bottom. It moved to the grandstand in 1983, which made things a lot easier, Tank said. (The old pit is now part of the fairís parking lot.) Darryl Tessmer was the announcer for many years, Shirley said. ìHe had little jokes and whatever. Then after he decided to retire, Dave Corcoran did it.î She added: ìYou kind of forget over the years. But it was always fun. You get sunburned and all the good stuff.î Stan Betz received a Friend of the Fair award in 1999 from the fair board for his efforts. Jeff Rud ran the demo derby from 1998 to this year, when it was turned over to promoter Orlin Clark. |
Plenty of new things will combine with old favorites at the 2004 Houston County Fair.
It takes place this Wednesday through Sunday, August 18-22 at the fairgrounds in Caledonia. The theme of the fair is ìWhere Town and Country Meet.î
There is no admission charge, except for grandstand events. There is a charge for parking on the fairgrounds, but plenty of free parking is available nearby.
Fair board president Ann Emery spelled out the many new events, including a senior citizensí spelling bee on Thursday at 2 p.m. in the Entertainment Tent.
Thereís the Ugliest Menís Suit Contest on Friday, at 7 p.m. in the corner stage in the Office Building.ìWeíre hoping to get a few more entries for that,î Emery said.
Another interesting new event is called Double Vision ñ The Most and Least Identical Twins, on Thursday at 7 p.m. on the corner stage of the Office Building.
ìFor the polka lover, we have Carl and the Country Dutchmen coming,î Emery said. This will be on Thursday at 4 p.m.
The Tuff Truck contest in the Grandstand on Wednesday at 7 p.m. is new too.
ìI think weíve got a lot of good stuff going on,î Emery said.
One popular thing with children that she mentioned is the Country Cousins Critters Petting Zoo, all day from Friday-Sunday.
Food contests
Contests are abundant at the fair. There are three food contests, all on the corner stage of the Office Building, and all sponsored by very appropriate businesses. They are:
ï Apple Pie Contest, sponsored by Leidelís Apple Stand and Fruit Acres Orchard, Saturday at 11 a.m. Apples must be locally grown, and you must be willing to cough up your recipe.
ï Homemade Cinnamon Roll Contest, sponsored by Caledonia Bakery, Sunday at 1 p.m. No mixes are allowed, and recipes must be presented.
ï Build a Better Burger Contest, sponsored by Houston County Cattlemanís Association, Saturday at 6 p.m. Bring in your secret burger meat and grill it on the spot. This was open just to ìcelebritiesî last year, but this year anyone can enter it.
Entrants and entries must be registered 30 minutes before the beginning of each contest. Call Karyl Diersen for more information at 724-2330.
And more contests
There is also a Whistling Contest on Saturday at 8 p.m. on the corner stage of the Entertainment Tent. A first prize of $25 will be given in each of three categories: musical whistle; attention-getting whistle and bird whistle.
The Freddie Prez Karaoke Contest will take place Friday at 8 p.m. on the corner stage of the Entertainment Tent.
A Dress Your Animal Contest will be held on Sunday at noon at Krech Arena. Judging is based on how the animalís costume matches with the person leading or holding it.
And kidsí contests
There are four contests for children at the fair.
The first one is a spelling bee on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the old school house on History Lane. The contestants have been pre-selected from nine elementary schools in Houston County.
The other three events are all held in the Entertainment Tent. They are:
ï Diaper Derby, Saturday at 10 a.m. There are three age categories for kids under age two.
ï Dress the Potato, Saturday at 1 p.m.
ï Hoola Hoop Contest, Saturday at 2 p.m.
Free entertainment
Free entertainment happens throughout the fair, with a wide variety of acts to enjoy: Wholly Cow Semi, Bits & Pieces, Tumbleweed, Freddie Prez Kids Show, Hooch, Breadman DJ, Karl and the Country Dutchmen, Cedar Valley Bluegrass, Family Four Plus Two, and the Granny Band. See the fair schedule of events in last weekís Caledonia Argus for days and times.
There is an ecumenical church service on Sunday at 11 a.m. featuring Ginni and the Boys, a bluegrass band from Minneapolis. Pastor Jim Arends of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in La Crescent will lead the service. Harriet Stapleton and friends from St. Maryís Church will lead the singing. All are welcome.
Premier Shows is back
The midway is provided by Premier Shows, who missed last year. A number of special promotions are being offered through the fairís run. An unlimited ride ìMega Pass,î is available for $40. Otherwise advance tickets are 25 for $20 or six for $5
A mini-pass wristband can be purchased for $8 to be used on Wednesday only for children ages nine and under.
From 6-8 p.m. Thursday itís ìBuddy Nightî with 2 for 1 rides.
Friday is Wristband Day from 1-5 p.m. with wristbands for $15. On Sunday, wristbands are $12 and may be used from 3-7 p.m.
Kiddie rides take three tickets, and major rides take four.
And donít forget . . .
If all this isnít enough, there is plenty more.
A talent contest takes place at 7 p.m. in the arts tent. Winners will go on to the talent contest at the Minnesota State Fair. There are also cash prizes to be given in three divisions.
Senior Citizens Day is Thursday. Dinner is at 11:30. A program at 1 p.m. will honor Marjorie Sather of Houston and Bob Meisch of Caledonia, who have been chosen 2004 Outstanding Senior Citizens by the Houston County Fair Board. Houston County Century Farms of the Year will be recognized then too. They are: Alfred and Paul Hagen farm, Spring Grove; Harris Stanley Omodt farm, Houston; and David Julius Lehmann farm, La Crescent. The Red Hatters will be part of the senior citizenís program too.
There are several game shows throughout the fair for both kids and adults. Some local trivia questions will be included, courtesy of the Caledonia Chamber of Commerce, which is sponsoring the event. See the fair ad for details.
As always, the open class and 4-H exhibits provide a wonderful opportunity to view the hard work, skill and talent of local youth and adults. From fruit to livestock, needlework to woodwork, the exhibit buildings and barns are overflowing with interesting projects.
Fairgoers will also see colorful and creative planters, courtesy of 4-H clubs who made them as part of a 4-H Planter Contest.
For mor information or questions, call the fair office at 725-3397; or visit the website of www.houstoncounty.fair.com.
Fair board members are Dan Alstad, Duane Beckman, Joan Crawford, Merrill Deters, Ann Emery, Belva Gallagher, Bonnie Geisler, PJ Johnson, Ben Klankowski, Lawrence and Loretta Knutson, Russ Krech, Jodi Krueger, Donna Luttchens, John Miller, Tim Pattrin, Elden Pohlman, Dave Renslo, and Larry Thompson.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com