County fair starts Friday
By Erica Kingston, BHG Intern
The McLean County Fair is back for its 55th year at the Underwood fairgrounds for a weekend filled with activities for the whole family to enjoy. Kicking off the fair on Friday, 4-H and FFA Achievement Day, is the static judging of the 4-H exhibits. “The youth involvement in agriculture is my favorite part of the fair,” said fair board member Ed Schmidt. “That’s the top things I feel about the fair - getting the youth involved and promoting agriculture.” Schmidt, of Max, has been a fair board member for 56 years, joining at age 24. As a 4-H leader, Schmidt said he felt he should take part in the fair board and joined in 1955. He started out as director and moved to president for many years and just stepped down from treasurer, a position he held for 25 years. Schmidt said the best part of being on the fair board is the growth it has seen.
