Arts and Cultural Heritage Grant
To increase access to arts, cultural, and MN history programming at the Wilkin County Fair. Programming will include performances by a bluegrass band, dance group, the Red River Theater, and a one room schoolhouse reenactment. Attendees will also be able to read about the history of the fair on signs placed throughout the grounds, and learn about the history and culture of the livestock industry in the Red River Valley by taking a History Walk.
These amounts are appropriated to the commissioner of agriculture for grants to county agricultural societies to enhance arts access and education and to preserve and promote Minnesota's history and cultural heritage as embodied in its county fairs. The grants shall be in addition to the aid distributed to county agricultural societies under Minnesota Statutes, section 38.02. The commissioner shall award grants as follows: (1) $700,000 each year distributed in equal amounts to each of the state's county fairs to enhance arts access and education and to preserve and promote Minnesota's history and cultural heritage;
Survey visitors to the one room schoolhouse.Survey audience after music, dance, theater performances.Leave comment cards for visitors to rate history signs.
Visitors to the one room schoolhouse could rate their experience as excellent, good, fair, or poor. Majority of respondents rated their visit "good," followed by "excellent." One person wrote their visit was "fair" and none said it was "poor."The same system was used to rate the audience's reaction to the music, dance and theater performances. Majority of respondents rated the performances "excellent," followed by "good." None rated the performances "fair" or "poor."Majority of respondents rated the history signs to be "good," followed by "excellent." None rated them "fair" or "poor."The stage allowed the fair to better present local talent; for some visitors, it allowed them to view artists and the arts that they did not know existed in the valley.
Merrill Miranowski
Milan Drewlow
Pat Freese
Stephanie Miranowski
Randy Stach
Bob Westfall
Cliff Barth
Mary Ann Conrad
Carmen Paquin
Ruth Poppel
Robin Jirak
Tim Jirak
Michelle Klosterman
Kris Meindl
Rhondo Weinkauf
Joyce Manning
Heather Budke
Teri Tschakert
Christie Ericksen
Carol Balk
Nancy Grotluschen