Saline Community Fair Board Members Win State Awards

Four Saline Community Fair board volunteers received state recognition at the 2020 Michigan Association of Fairs and Expositions (MAFE) annual convention held in January in Grand Rapids. Steve and Nancy Thelen were inducted into the Michigan Association of Fairs and Expositions Hall of Fame; Denise Blumenauer received the Heritage Award; and Leslie Drake was selected as the Volunteer of the Year for all fairs across the state.

The Saline Community Fair is the first fair to receive all three of the awards in the same year. The Hall of Fame is the most prestigious award given by the association and is an opportunity for MAFE to recognize those individuals or couples who have had a significant influence on the fair industry at a local and state level, and have been involved for at least 20 years. Steve and Nancy Thelen have been involved with the Saline Community Fair and the Washtenaw County 4-H Youth Show for many years. Steve has served on the MAFE board since 2012 and served as president of the association for two years.  He chaired the awards and audit committees and served on several other committees. He has also testified in front of both the House and Senate in support of funding for county and local fairs. Nancy worked for Michigan State University Extension for 36 years and was a 4-H leader for many years. She has judged livestock at numerous fairs across the state and has presented workshops and served on several committees for MAFE. Steve and Nancy share a passion for fairs and have visited most of the fairs in Michigan.

Volunteers have always been the backbone of Michigan fairs and festivals and the Heritage Award recognizes those individuals who have had a significant influence for their fair and have offered more than a decade of service to their community. Denise Blumenauer’s love of fairs began at age 5 when she won a pony at the Saline Community Fair. At age 10 she started entering exhibits and has been involved ever since. She has been the Floriculture co-superintendent since 1996 and has served on the fair board since 1999. She provides leadership for many fair activities such as Senior Citizen activities, the car and tractor show, and is the sponsorship and entertainment committee chairperson. She was also involved with the Former Miss Saline Association.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of fairs and the Volunteer of the Year award recognizes a volunteer’s overwhelming commitment in a single year. Leslie Drake received the overall statewide Volunteer of the Year award for her dedication and work on improving the fair website and getting the fair book digital and online. She reviewed every section of the website and made many changes to make it easier for viewers to find the information they were looking for. In addition to this major project, Leslie also serves as recording secretary of the fair board, chairs the sign committee and banquet committee and has been chair of the advertising committee. In 2019 she also co-chaired the first Washtenaw County Master Livestock Showman Contest held at the fair.

MAFE was established in 1865 and is a voice for the Michigan fair and festival industry. MAFE member fairs and festivals serve all 83 Michigan counties.  Fairs are an economic and social asset to their communities and the state.

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