Ice cream socials, hosts for displays, one-room school and historical chats
~by Chuck Offenburger, Greene County Historical Society
The Greene County Historical Society is increasing its programming this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Greene County Fair.
There will be more “hosts” volunteering in and around the Society’s fairgrounds building, helping visitors understand the antique farm machinery and other displays – most of them about rural life in earlier times.
Nancy and Dale Hanaman of Rippey are hosting ice cream socials each of the three days at 4 pm with their own special mix of homemade ice cream. Marilynn Hoskinson of Jefferson will again play the role of a teacher in the actual one-room schoolhouse, letting people experience that early form of public education. There will be videos running of brief interviews of Greene County people in the popular “Growing Up Greene” series normally featured at the Historical Museum.
Another new feature at the fairgrounds building this year will be moderated “historical conversations” on different aspects of Greene County’s past at 1 and 3 pm each of the three afternoons. Those will be conducted in a ring of chairs in the building, and spectators will be invited to ask questions, too. Chuck Offenburger of Cooper will moderate those hour-long conversations on Friday and Saturday, and Alan Robinson of Grand Junction will be the moderator for Sunday afternoon’s chats. The line-up of topics and guests:
- Friday, 1 pm – “100 Years of the Greene County Farm Bureau,” with county Farm Bureau board members Jim Giese of Cooper and John Beltz of Jefferson and special guest Iowa Farm Bureau president Craig Hill of Milo.
- Friday, 3 pm – “Baseball & other sports in Greene County History,” with Ron Toliver of Churdan and Doug Rieder of Jefferson.
- Saturday, 1 pm – “Pie Baking,” with Dorothy Adamson and Jim Schleisman of Jefferson, and possibly another top local pie baker.
- Saturday, 3 pm – “The National Plowing Competitions in Greene County & Beyond,” with three Greene County natives who were involved- Robert Huber, now of Cedar Falls; Steve King, now of Ogden, and Roger Norgren of Rippey.
- Sunday, 1 pm – “The Lincoln Highway,” with Bob and Joyce Ausberger of Jefferson.
- Sunday, 3 pm – “Eva Leonard, the Greene Countian who starred on Broadway,” with Jerry Roberts of Jefferson who has researched and written plays about her life.
All events are free and open to the public.
