Chown Appliance in Nichols Iowa has donated $6,000 for landscaping infrastructure at the new Event Center.
Chown Appliance is owned and operated by Kyle Barnhart of Muscatine Iowa. Kyle grew up attending the fair and was involved in 4-H starting at a very young age where he exhibited photographs. Kyle also spent many hours scrubbing potatoes and helping at the First Church United Food Stand to help make sure their food stand was a success. Kyle comes from a very fair-oriented family, as his father and grandfather were also very involved in the fair as well.
“The fair is a great place to teach people about agriculture and help fill that gap where people may not otherwise have the chance to be exposed to agriculture and learn about the different aspects of it,” said Barnhart. “I also feel the fair is a good place to interact with other people that you may not otherwise usually interact with on a daily basis and is a good place to catch up.”
Like many of the donors, Mr. Barnhart is drawn to the impact of 4-H and FFA programs. He feels the fair is a good place for them to see the results of their efforts and to receive constructive feedback and coaching from experienced professionals and leaders.
Beyond the fair, the Muscatine County Fairgrounds are used year-round for a variety of events.
“Our facilities are utilized 12 months a year,” said Fair Manager, Kelsey Meyers. “We host weddings and family events, rodeos, demo derbies, and many outdoor events. This new facility will be a great addition to the grounds and allow us to expand into larger events like business conferences and regional trade shows. We can also host larger weddings and family events.”
The ability to expand the events at the grounds is another reason Mr. Barnhart is supporting the efforts of the fair board.
“I like to see the facilities used outside of the fair,” said Barnhart. “I think the new Event Center will make the interim events excel, especially with the much more modern features and a beautiful landscape. It will help bring in people to the fair the other 360 days of the year and it will help bring in other people that may not usually attend the fair.”
“The support of Chown Appliance and Mr. Barnhart is wonderful,” said Meyers. “I have many loyal fair supporters that want to see this as a long-term, year-round viable business. I can’t do that without the support of business owners like Mr. Barnhart. I am very grateful for his help.”
To sponsor an area of the project or to make a donation to the project, contact Kelsey Meyers at the Muscatine County Fair Office at 319-627-2414 or muscatinecountyfair@gmail.com.