Premium List 1856 – butler fair – 2017 June 30, July 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Fairgrounds at Prospect, PA Route 422, West of Butler The Fair Opens Officially Friday, June 30, at 9:00 AM GATES OPEN - 11:00 AM DAILY WEEKENDS & JULY 4TH - 9:00 AM GATE ADMISSION - 6 & Under FREE $7.00 Before 4:00 PM $9.00 After 4:00 PM Includes Grandstand, but not Rides CARNIVAL OPENS - 3:00 PM DAILY WEEKENDS & JULY 4TH - 1:00 PM aDVaNCE tiCKEt SaLES June 19 thru June 29 FEATURES 4H & VOCATIONAL EXhIBITS hORSE AND PONY ShOWS hARNESS RACING DEMOLITION DERBYS HORSE PULLING CONTESTS 4 WhEEL DRIVE CONTEST GREAT AMERICAN MIDWAY, INC. FAMILY PROGRAMS FREE ON GroUNDS ENTerTAINMeNT EVerY DAY! These acts will perform at times to be announced every day beginning at 2:00. ALL INCLUDED IN YOUR PAY-ONE-PRICE TICKET. Bar C Ranch Camel Rides First Bite Fish Tank Brad Matchett - Comedy Hypnotist Petting Zoo Dennis Beach (Wood Carver) Rhinestone Roper Marc Dobson (One Man Band) Syrian Clowns In the unlikely event of a “rain-out”, no refunds for gate admission will be given. 1 HISTORY Of THE bUTLER fAIR The first Butler Fair was held in 1856 on a plot of land east of the city near Kearns Crossing. The next year the Fair moved to a site near the present location of the Pullman-Standard plant. Joseph Douthett was the first president of the association and under his direction the Fair prospered until its activities were curtailed by the Civil War. In 1856 the Butler Agricultural and Stock Association was formed with Judge James Braden as president. Eleven years later the Butler Driving and Fair Association replaced the first group with G. J. Cross as president. A tract of some 33 acres was leased and a half-mile race track was developed, along what is now Hansen Avenue. Following the traditional pattern of country fairs, this association presented outstanding exhibitions of livestock and farm products, as well as harness racing featuring well-known drivers and locally owned horses. In 1888 additional acreage was acquired and under the name of the Butler Agricultural Association the Fair was an important annual event for 14 years until 1902. In that year the Standard Steel Car Co. purchased the Fair property and erected a plant for the fabrication of steel railroad cars. Thus, after a period of 45 years, the Butler Fair moved from their established location. The following year the Big Butler Fair continued its activities on a 60-acre tract situated at the top of the hill west of the city. George A. Shaffner directed the development of the new Fair Grounds, complete with cattle sheds, midway, race track and grandstand. By this time Fair Week in Butler County had become the most colorful annual event in the district. The local merchants in the City of Butler closed their stores at least one day during the week and it was a time of summer holiday and home-coming. For the rural areas of the county, the Fair meant basket picnics and family reunions and for the youngsters of both town and country it was an unforgettable week of carnival time. When World War I broke over the nation the policies of the Fair Association changed with the influences that changed the established way of life in America. Automobiles, radio, paved roads and mechanization of farming brought new and different exhibitions and attractions to the Fair Grounds. In 1928 Mr. R. J. Ferguson became the president of the Fair, and under his leadership the dim and discouraging years of the depression were weathered by the Association. World War II continued the difficulties, but on August 15, 1945, the Butler Fair had its most exciting day and a hysterical crowd celebrated the victorious Cease Fire of V-J Day. Following this changeable and uncertain era in the life of the Fair, the Association became a nonprofit organization, with Mr. A. J. Richards, a son-in-law of Mr. Ferguson, as president. By this time, however, the expansion of the Butler area had caught up with the Fair and in 1956 the Fair Grounds on Route 422 was selected by school authorities as the site for a new ultra-modern high school. After considerable confusion and much discouragement, the Butler Fair was reestablished in a new setting on Route 422, eight miles west of butler, adjacent to the Borough of Prospect. Roads were laid out, graded and paved. Buildings were moved from the old location. New, permanent buildings were erected. A new race track was constructed, and so a new Butler Fair Grounds came into existence. The Big Butler Fair continues in the old tradition and is the high point in the summer activities of the people of Western Pennsylvania. Approximately 4,000 exhibitors will attend the Fair with various projects. Mr. Mike Roenigk is the presiding President. 2 IN HONOR OF MADeLINe MCEAChIN 2017 Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Madeline McEachin was crowned Big But- ler Fair Queen in May of 2016 and won the title of Pennsylvania State Fair Queen in January of 2017. Madeline is the daughter of Paul and Karla McEachin of West Sunbury. A graduate of Butler High School, she attends Penn State Smeal Business School on the main campus and is pursuing a degree in accounting. She has achieved acceptance to an honors frater- nity. As a 2016 honors graduate of Butler High School, Madeline earned numerous accolades and scholarships, including a 4-H scholarship, the Colbee Lovich Scholarship, the Butler County Farm Bureau, Questec and the Elks. She was crowned North Washington Rodeo Queen in 2015. The Fair and 4-H have been a large part of Madeline’s life, and she has served in many capacities in several clubs. She currently serves as the Pennsylvania Sate 4-H Council President. As such, she planned and emceed the opening ceremony of the PA State Farm Show. She was awarded the 2017 American Youth Horse Council Student Leader of the Year Award and Scholar- ship. As she begins her reign as the 2017 PA State Fair Queen, she will promote the agricultural in- dustry and its values and traditions. The Big Butler Fair extends congratulations to Madeline and best wishes for a fun and exciting 2017 fair season as she visits the fairs and farm shows across the Commonwealth. 3 DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF JAMeS D. HopSoN 1/19/32 - 12/3/16 A skilled horseman, a local historian, and longtime friend of the Big Butler Fair, Jim Hop- son passed away in 2016 at the age of 84. His commitment to agriculture and community were evident in his lifelong service to both. Jim joined the Big Butler Fair Board in April of 1987. He served as President of the Fair Board. He also assisted on the following committees: Parking, Animal Regulations & Welfare, Ticket Coordinator, Youth Award Committee, Race Horse Committee, Farm and Home Horticulture, and the Budget and Audit Committee. Jim was instrumen- tal in the planning, construction and success of the milking parlor located on the Fairgrounds. Jim was born in Kansas and rode his horse to a one-room school. As a teenager, he rode in rodeos and moved cattle to Nebraska. Jim graduated from Kansas State University, earned a Master's Degree and worked on a doctorate in Animal Husbandry and Animal Nutrition. He used his knowledge of animal nutrition to develop feeds and started The Red Barn Feed Company. Jim was a dealer for Surge Milking Equipment and also sold bull semen. He came to Butler as farm/ herd manager on the Spang farm. He was sworn into the Sheriff's Posse in May of 1982. He was a charter member of the Penn-Glade Lions Club and was a member of the Penn Township Veter- ans Assoc. American Legion Post 778. He was a Scout Leader and served on the board of Eagle Scout Review. He also worked with the county 4-H Clubs. He will be sadly missed by the Big Butler Fair family, but the legacy of Jim Hopson will always remain. 4 DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF W. GLeNN MoNTgoMerY 10/6/23 - 3/23/17 The Big Butler Fair lost a prominent promoter of the draft horse industry and its long-serving Fair Board member in March of this year when W. Glenn Montgomery passed away at the age of 93. He will be sadly missed by the Fair and the Belgian world of draft horse breeders. Glenn offered ideas and support on numerous committees throughout his Board tenure, and his leadership will be missed. Glenn served as Draft Horse Superintendent for decades and, under his direction, the Big Butler Fair built a draft horse show considered one of the largest in the entire Northeast U.S. He also contributed as a member of the Operating Committee, Animal Regulations, Race Horse Committee, Poultry & Livestock, Building and Grounds, and the Ground Rental Committee. Glenn was born and raised in Sarver and lived all his life in that area of Butler County. He proud- ly served in the U.S. Army in World War II as an MP. Upon his return, he farmed and developed a love and, in fact, obsession with the Belgian draft horse breed. Glenn began making his mark in the horse world “back in the day” where he was known as a serious exhibitor and breeder. He was one of the most respected professionals in the Belgian equine industry. He studied the bloodlines of the breed and worked years to develop a genetic line of stallions that became prize winners in the tri- state area.