Skip Hitchcock, a resident of Muscatine and long-time fair supporter, has given $5,000 for landscaping infrastructure at the new Muscatine County Fair Event Center. Skip, along with John Hitchcock and Vickie Smith are children of Bud Hitchcock. Bud was an honorary fair board member of the Muscatine County Fair and was a cattle superintendent at the fair for many years.
Bud’s entire family spent a lot of time at the fair and has loved it ever since. They started attending when they were old enough for 4-H and exhibited both cattle and sheep. Vickie participated with static exhibits. The annual fair was the family's vacation for the year and something that they looked forward to each year. They would see people they hadn’t seen since the year before. Even to this day he still has extended family attending the fair each year and participating. Skip himself still exhibits flowers in the horticultural divisions.
“We believe the new event center will help increase traffic at the fair and provide reliable year-round revenue,” said Hitchcock. “We feel the fair must adapt, grow, and improve as the new generations patronize the grounds. The event center will be a wonderful addition to the fair and the county as a whole.”
There are several landscaping projects that individuals can sponsor to ensure beautification and finishing of the new facility.
“This is the second gift we’ve received for outdoor beautification and I am very grateful for the Hitchcock family gift,” said fair manager Kesley Meyers. “Our supporters are excited to see this facility built, but also built well with no shortcuts. The appeal and aesthetics of the outdoor spaces is extremely important.”
If you are interested in sponsoring an area of the project, please contact Kelsey Meyers at the Muscatine County Fair Office or at muscatinecountyfair@gmail.com or at 319-627-2414.