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July 22, 2009
HARTINGTON — The Cedar County Fair has changed dramatically in the past five years — a direct result of solid leadership by the Cedar County Ag Society.
Rich Newton and Larry Dybdal grew up being involved in the Cedar County Fair. So, it would seem natural for the pair to become even more involved in the annual event as they got older. During their time spent as co-chairs, the fair has grown tremendously.
Newton was Fair Board president by himself for three years and Dybdal was Fair Board president by himself for two. Then, five years ago Dybdal and Newton became co-chairs.
Fritz Steinhoff has been on the committee for five years. He said Dybdal and Newton each have a specialty that makes their partnership succeed. Newton works well with vendors and contracts, Steinhoff said, while Dybdal’s main focus is entertainment.
The co-chairs are successful because they are backed by 17 other board members who have helped them make the county fair what it is today.
When people arrive at the fair they’ll notice they don’t have to pay for parking. In fact the Cedar County Fair is one of the only area fairs that doesn’t charge an admission to park or get on the fair grounds, Newton said. The only charge is for grandstand and rodeo entertainment.
One of the things that helped make this year’s fair a success was the midway. In recent years fair goers have seen the rented blow up equipment or several smaller carnivals used as entertainment.
“This year’s fair has the best Midway I’ve seen in more than five years,” said Ruth Wiebelhaus, Fordyce.
Newton and Dybdal are excited to see interested community members at the fair and said they hope the entertainment and activities will keep them coming back year after year.
