4-H plans new Chuckwagon construction

This year will be the second-to-the-last Hill County fair where people can eat at the decades-old 4-H Chuckwagon.

Fundraising for the new building will continue at the fair.

Hill County 4-H announced in 2012 it was working on plans to replace the building, built in the early 1950s, with an addition put on in the 1970s. 4-H owns the building, unlike most groups, which lease their buildings from the county.

Stacey Waid, Hill County 4-H Leader's Council president, said the building has been in need of work for years. The kitchen is made up of outdated equipment and donated odds and ends, and year after year, various 4-H club members have made repairs and painted inside and out to keep it looking fresh.

"This year's repairs include a water heater as well as repairing-replacing a broken water pipe," she added.

The organization plans to demolish the building after the 2015 Great Northern Fair, with the grand opening for the new 50-foot-by-160-foot building with tin sides and roof planned for July 2016.

The Hill County group has held a few fundraisers for the project, and with agreements signed and plans being finalized is holding another during this year's Great Northern Fair, a concert by Oregon rancher and Country and Western singer Joni Harms and her daughter, Olivia, that is set to run after the pig wrestling competition Wednesday, July 16. 4-H members again plan to help with that event, now in its second year at the Great Northern Fair.

The final cost of the new 4-H building has not yet been finalized, and a donation of modern kitchen equipment by Town Pumps has helped offset that cost, but early projections are about a $300,000 bill.

A new, multi-use facility

The new building will be a major upgrade to the old Chuckwagon and will offer multiple uses, in addition to the new upgraded kitchen, and will have public restrooms.

Waid said one end of the building will contain the modern kitchen, "which will be operated in the same cafeteria-style service with 4-H'ers continuing their community service."

The building will be partitioned, with the remaining space to be used for 4-H club exhibits during the fair.

Waid said when opened completely, the space will be used in five 10-foot-wide shooting lanes for 4-H shooting sports practice and competitions.

The building will have a heating and air conditioning system, which will allow clubs to use it year-round for monthly meetings and various project workshops. People also will be able to contact Hill County Extension Office to schedule using the building for a variety of events, Waid said.

Paperwork, donations and fundraisers

The project got a significant boost when Town Pump Corp. donated the kitchen equipment from the former Wendy's building, which the corporation purchased last year. Waid said figuring the exact dollar value to the project has not yet been completed, but it will provide a fully up-to-code kitchen for the new Chuckwagon.

Cody Peterson of American Pride also has offered to donate his time to do demolition, Waid said.

The 4-H Foundation and the county government also have completed an agreement on the lease for the space. The Great Northern Fair Board held a special meeting in May to finalize its recommendation.

The new lease keeps the amount charged to the 4-H at zero percent of proceeds of events, in contrast to most groups which pay a percentage of money raised such as through fair food sales.

In past years, 4-H has kept all of its fair food sales proceeds, part of an agreement acknowledging its ownership of and expenses in running the building.

Waid said the new agreement approved by the Hill County Commission is in effect for five years - meaning the first two years will be while the old building is being torn down and the new Chuckwagon erected - and will be reviewed at the end of the lease.

She said 4-H also is distributing pamphlets describing the project and saying how people can make contributions to the 4-H Chuckwagon Fund, with the fundraising planned to last 18 months.

A concert for the fair and the building

Hill County 4-H is adjusting its schedule and adding an event to this year's fair to help raise money for the effort.

The Joni Harms concert will start after the pig wrestling competition at the Great Northern Fair, with 4-H members again planning to volunteer to help with that event, which is in its second year.

4-H is moving up the start time of its horse show at the fair, also held in the Bigger Better Barn, to 10 a.m. to give more time to have both the pig wrestling and the concert.

"Joni will be set up on a flat bed trailer-stage ready to be pulled in after the pig wrestling event clean up," Waid said. "Since 4-H is a community service organization, the community is given the opportunity to enjoy a night of fine country western music the whole family can enjoy while supporting a worthwhile endeavor."

Harms started recording in the early 1990s, and says she tries to stay true to the "Western" part of Country and Western Music, saying rodeo, cowboys and the ranch life is a common theme in her music. She lists artists like Marty Robins, Patsy Montana, Gene Autry, Emmyou Harris, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard and George Strait as influences on her music.

Tickets cost $10 each, and the fair board approved at its April meeting letting Hill County 4-H keep all of the proceeds to use to pay for its new building.

Tickets can be purchased in advance from 4-H members or at the fair office, Norman's Ranch and Sportswear ,and the Hill County Extension Office on the bottom level of the Hill County Courthouse. Tickets also will be sold at the door before the concert.

Waid said the community has come together in great support for the event, with sponsors including the Allstate Insurance Aageson Agency, Griggs Printing, R & S Scheuerman Inc., The AmericInn, Norman's, Finest Boot Repair, LaSalle Agency, Stromberg's Sinclair, Sharp Financial Service, Holden's Hot Wheels, Havre Laundry, Waddell & Reed, Vic Velk, J.M. Donoven, Hi-Line Audio & Video, KOJM/KPQX and The Havre Daily News.