County Fair Notebook

Boy donates auction price to charity

A boy raised nearly $7,000 for charity at the Shawano County Fair by agreeing to donate proceeds from his pig auction to groups fighting cancer.

Alec Karcz, 10, who has two grandparents battling cancer, announced that whatever his pig “Muffin” drew at Friday’s auction would be donated in honor of his grandparents.

The pig drew a high bid of $6,960, which translates into $30 a pound — far more than the typical auction price of about $4 a pound for swine. The winning bidder was Farm Crop Insurance.

Karcz, who lives in Bonduel, is a member of Landstand 4-H Club.

No announcement has been made yet about which cancer organizations will receive the donation.

Fair helps couple mark 25 years

Chuck Raasch and Julie Bartz have celebrated 25 years of happy marriage — one county fair at a time.

The couple knew they would raise some eyebrows when they set their wedding date for Sept. 1, 1990, right in the middle of the Shawano County Fair.

Both the bride and groom were county fair regulars, as were many relatives and friends who were invited to the ceremony. Despite some grumbling among their guests, the couple stuck to their wedding date and tied the knot at a Clintonville banquet hall on that Saturday night.

Then the newlyweds visited county fair the next day. And they have made the fair part of their anniversary celebration every year since.

Now living in the town of Waukechon, the grandparents plan to celebrate their 25th anniversary this year with yet another visit to the county fair.

“We always have a good time there,” Bartz said.

Sheriff shows command center to fair crowd

The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department is getting into the spirit of the county fair by showing off the department’s mobile command center at the fair.

The recreational vehicle, on display near the commercial buildign at the fairgrounds, has been converted into a law enforcement center on wheels for crime scenes and other major events.

It includes computer stations, dispatching facilities and other equipment used by the sheriff’s department.

Fair goers can report issues or get assistance at the command center, which also is being staffed part-time by dispatchers handling actual telephone calls during the fair.

Sheriff Adam Bieber said county fair patrons seem to enjoy having the chance to see the special vehicle.