July 1 – County Fair Deadline

Washington County 4-H/FFA members, leaders, and parents are reminded of the July 1 fair entry deadline.  Items due July 1 include:

*Online registration due through Fair Entry at http://washingtoncounty.fairentry.com  for

• Livestock/Animal Entries
• Surprise Design Flower Arrangement Classes
• Communication Events (educational presentations, share the fun, Pride of Iowa, working exhibits)

*Club Pride Boards due to Extension Office

*Washington County 4-H Scholarship applications

July 1 – State Fair Deadline

*State Fair livestock entries submitted online through Fair Entry at https://iowastatefair4hlivestock.fairentry.com .

For more information, contact the Washington County Extension Office, 319/653-4811, or check the web at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/washington/county-fair

The Fairfield Arts & Convention Center is proud to announce the return of the FREE Summer Outdoor Concert Series this month. Music lovers can catch some of the best Iowa bands every other Thursday night at 7:30 pm, starting from June 29th. So, save the date, grab your lawn chairs, and get ready to experience the best that summer in Iowa has to offer!

For those who have attended previous concerts, you know that these outdoor events are not to be missed. This year’s lineup features Jonas Magram Jazz on June 29th – one of Fairfield’s very own favorites. The band will serenade the crowd with their unique rendition of American Jazz Standards, made popular by none other than the legendary Sinatra himself. Prepare to be transported to a bygone era of jazz mastery and timeless classics.

On July 13th, in partnership with Classic 96 Live on the Square, we welcome Iowa darling Pieta Brown. Pieta’s unique blend of folk, blues, and country music has garnered her a national following and devoted fans everywhere she goes. Her music is emotional, honest and heartfelt, and she never fails to captivate crowds with her soothing voice and enchanting guitar skills.

July 27th is sure to be a hit with David Huckfelt, who will take the stage with a mix of indie bluegrass and Americana music. An Iowa native, Huckfelt is famous for his work with The Pines, and now brings his solo artistry back to his home state.

Finally, on August 10th, prepare to be blown away by Des Moines-based The Feel Right Band, who will be performing all your favorite songs from Pop, R&B, Soul, and Jazz. Led by Sharane Calister, who was a top 12 contestant on NBC’s The Voice in 2018, this band will have you grooving to their beats all night long.

So, gather your friends and family, bring along some snacks, and enjoy the free summer outdoor concert series at Fairfield Arts & Convention Center. All concerts will be held at 200 N. Main Street, Fairfield, and are scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm. Admission is FREE to all, so bring your lawn chairs, your dancing shoes, and the whole family out to enjoy a night of fantastic live music under the open sky.

The free concert series is sponsored by Iowa State Bank & Trust Co; Farm Bureau Financial Services Agent & Financial Advisor Alex Kessel; Jefferson County Health Center; Gamrath-Doyle Insurance and Century Insurance.

June 22, 2023

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9:00 Tim Liechty, Relocating Belle Babb Mansfield statue from

Iowa Wesleyan University campus to Courthouse lawn

9:30 Caleb Waters, Conservation Monthly Update

10:00 Airport Road Vineyard Alcohol License

10:15 Shelley Van Dorin, Future regionalization of Public Health

Other County Business as time allows

Supervisors Sub-Committee Updates

Marvin Brown SHIIP/SMP Counselor with Henry County Health Center will receive a Governor’s Volunteer Award from Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg during a special recognition ceremony held on July 7^th in Ottumwa.

Marvin will be honored with a 5-year service award by Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP). Since 2018, Marvin has spent more than 1,300 hours providing guidance to individuals, families and caregivers on how to navigate their Medicare and identify plans and resources that work for them.

“Iowans take great pride in their deep and rich commitment for serving others—it’s in our DNA,” Gov. Reynolds said. “Iowa nice is the foundation of our state–you see it everywhere you turn– Iowans volunteering their time to help others and improve their communities and our state. It truly is an honor to be able to recognize these individuals for their meaningful acts of generosity through the Governor’s Volunteer Awards and inspire others to do the same.”

Kristen Griffith, SHIIP-SMP Director, shares “SHIIP-SMP Counselors are some of the best volunteers and people you could ever work with. They care deeply about their community members, and consistently go above and beyond to provide unbiased and trustworthy information helping individuals and their families navigate the complexity of Medicare.”

Kirsten Heerdt, volunteer coordinator and SHIIP site coordinator at Henry County Health Center, also shared her congratulations. “We are very fortunate to have Marvin share his time and talents with us. Over the last five years, he has helped hundreds of people feel more at ease while learning the world of Medicare.”

More than 500 awards are being presented this year during five ceremonies across Iowa. It is estimated that more than 150 communities in Iowa were served by this year’s honorees.

Coordinated by Volunteer Iowa, the Governor’s Volunteer Award program—now in its 39^th year—provides an easy way for Iowa nonprofits, charitable organizations, and government entities to honor their volunteers with a prestigious, state-level award. A complete list of award recipients and an electronic copy of this news release are available at volunteeriowa.org.

Iowa 4-H’ers have been “learning by doing” since 1902. One of the long standing traditions of 4-H has been to teach young people skills of animal husbandry, livestock nutrition and production practices that will raise quality animals that go into the food system. The 15,000 Iowa 4-H’ers enrolled in livestock projects produce about 17 million pounds of meat. Add to that the poultry and dairy projects. That is a lot of pork chops, steaks, milk and eggs.

4-H and FFA members are also part of the “local food system.” The term “food system” refers to all the processes involved in providing us with food: growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consuming, and disposal. Local food systems provide additional ecological and economic benefits like reduced trucking costs and jobs for labor and processing.

The benefits of a local food system are vividly demonstrated at our county fairs each year. At the Washington County Fair, 4-H members have the option to sell their market animals at the end of the fair week to local buyers at a live auction on the fair grounds. In addition to receiving sometimes top dollar for their animals, youth get to shake the hand of the person who bought their animal and create an instant connection from farm to fork.

Washington County 4-H/FFA members sell over 250 head of livestock at the County Fair Auction traditionally that are purchased by local businesses and personal buyers. Majority of these animals sold are processed at local meat lockers or taken to other local auctions. Additional dollars are invested to pay the processing costs and trucking fees as well.  The County Fair Livestock Auction is a local food investment as the money goes to local youth and business over and over again throughout the process.

The 4-H pledge resonates through the local food system. Head, Heart, Hands, Health. Local food systems offer opportunities to support the livelihoods and well-being of people in the community. Consumers can know where their food comes from, how it was made, and meet the people who raised it. Local food systems inspire people to connect, to cooperate, and to care. What a great legacy for our youth!

The 2023 Washington County Fair Livestock Auction will be Friday, July 21 at 8:30 a.m. in the main show ring at the Washington County Fairgrounds.  Animals being sold that have been raised and cared for by Washington County 4-H and FFA members.  Market livestock being sold include market sheep, goats, cattle, chickens and rabbits.  All those interested in buying local meats and supporting Washington County youth and their livestock projects are welcome.  Contact Amy at the Washington County Extension Office, 319-653-4811, with any questions.

Governor Reynolds and the Department of Management’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) announced a new broadband grant opportunity for internet service providers. $148,960,000 is available through Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grant Program with funding from the Capital Projects Fund (CPF) administered by the US Department of Treasury.

“Iowans deserve access to reliable, fast broadband,” said Governor Reynolds. “Reliable internet connections are needed to live, work, and raise a family. This investment in infrastructure gets us one step closer to providing easy internet access to all Iowans. ”

This round of grant funds will be used to incentivize broadband infrastructure build out in the newly established Broadband Intervention Zones (BIZ). Through feedback from 55 public meetings in Iowa communities, 96 BIZ zones were created across the state. These are areas deemed to be in the most need for broadband infrastructure expansion.

This will be the eighth Notice of Funds Available for the State of Iowa. Through seven previous grant opportunities, $352,850,022 in state and federal funding was awarded to bring broadband service to 109,126 homes, schools and businesses in Iowa. The total new broadband investment between public and private money is $791,203,995.

For more information on the latest round of broadband grant funding head over to https://ocio.iowa.gov/broadband, or email ociogrants@iowa.gov.