Friends of the Fair Make a Difference

By Brianna Boyd
Special to Dixon Patch

Giving, committed, selfless, hard workers – Donnie Huffman could easily give praise for hours to the Friends of the Dixon May Fair, a group he helped start more than 10 years ago.

In just 11 years, the Friends of the Dixon May Fair, comprised of over 100 volunteers from Dixon and Solano County, has given away over $100,000 in college scholarships to area youth, donated over $900,000 to improve the fairgrounds, contributes funds annually to FFA and 4-H clubs throughout the county, and started a Fourth of July event the community has grown to love.           

This year will mark the 12th Dixon May Fair that members have volunteered to sell beer and wine at the event. The group also sells alcohol at other events on the fairgrounds, including Lambtown and the Fourth of July celebration. In the first 11 years, the group made over $1.2 million in sales, with all proceeds going back to the community and fairgrounds.

“The volunteers we have in our organization are tremendous,” said Huffman, the president of the Friends of the Dixon May Fair. “I can’t talk about them enough. Look at the time they spend. They give and they give, and every time I ask, they give more. It’s just really paying back. There are not enough awards that can be made that I can give to the Friends of the Dixon May Fair. They’re just an incredible bunch of people.”

The thousands of people who will visit the fairgrounds in May for the 136th annual Dixon May Fair can see firsthand all the work the group has put in over the years. They re-built the courtyard as one of their first projects. They put in $50,000 in new asphalt, and they built the wine pavilion and the Leber Garden Stage. The $250,000 RV Park was also a project for Friends of the Dixon May Fair. Over the years, they have planted about 140 trees on the fairgrounds.  They also regularly fund maintenance of the property, including the new fencing, lawn and irrigation equipment installed in 2010.

The Friends’ most recent project is nearly complete. By the time the first pigs are brought on to the fairgrounds for the May 4-8 event, there will be a brand new swine pavilion in place in the livestock area.

In prior years, the swine pavilion was a rented tent with portable stalls, used only during the May Fair.

“This new one will generally be used during the May Fair, but there will also be other opportunities to use it throughout the year,” Huffman explained. “We’re hoping to have other animal shows at the fairgrounds throughout the year. This will be available to anyone who wants to use it.”

The idea for a permanent swine pavilion first came up in 2009. The Friends of the Dixon May Fair voted to move forward on the project and the group presented the idea to the building and grounds committee. Once it was officially approved, the group began looking for a design to use.

Construction on the swine pavilion began in December. Labor has been all volunteers, with about 90 percent of workers belonging to the Friends of the Dixon May Fair. Huffman said the group has greatly appreciated the support from the construction industry. CBC Buildings donated the 30 ft by 60 ft structure and Solano Construction, owned by Glen DeFrez of Winters, volunteered to help members install the building.

The building is now up and the stalls are in place. The rain is slowing the project somewhat, Huffman admits, but stressed it will be complete by the end of this month so preparations can begin in April for the fair.

“Our volunteers are just the greatest people in the world,” he said. “When we get it done, we’ll get it done, but because we rely on so many volunteers and donations, it’s hard to say exactly when it will be done.”

Either way, the group is very excited to see a permanent swine building in place for people – and the pigs – to use.

“I can’t even explain to you how excited we are knowing we will have a stationary, beautiful swine pavilion,” he said. “It’s actually the first building to be built on those fairgrounds in probably close to 50 years. The other buildings date back to the 20s and 60s. The last building to be built was the goat barn.”

Huffman’s own history with the Dixon May Fair dates back to 1956, when he was a sophomore at Fairfield’s Armijo High School showing Angus steer in the market. In the late 60s and into the early 70s, he volunteered with a friend to build the original swine pins.

In 2000, Huffman, then a member of the Friends of the Solano County Fair was approached by then May Fair CEO Mike Green, who wanted to see a Friends of the Dixon May Fair formed. Huffman and several other members of the Friends of the Solano County Fair split their time between the two groups for several years, before devoting their full attention to Dixon in 2003.

Besides the Dixon May Fair, the group started the annual Fourth of July Celebration, which Huffman describes as the group’s “baby”. This Independence Day will mark the fourth year of the celebration, which includes free family fun and games during the day, and a demolition derby in the evening prior to the fireworks show.

Service clubs and youth groups are invited to participate in the Fourth of July celebration free of charge. They sell drinks and food and organize games, with all proceeds going directly to their organizations. Altogether, over 2,000 children have benefited from this event.

“It’s been a struggle, but it’s worth every hour we put in,” Huffman said. “This is a way we can give back to the youth and community by sponsoring these different activities.”

For more information, visit www.friendsofthefair.org or contact Huffman at (707) 372-8683 or secretary JoAn Giannoni at 678-5618.