Becker County Fair opens Wednesday; tractor parade Saturday morning

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – The Becker County Fair kicks-off on Wednesday with its entry day and will run through Saturday, July 29.

Travis Schauer, vice-president of the Becker County Fair Board, said, this year, attendees will need to check out the new bathroom and upgraded facilities at the 4-H kitchen.

“We re-did the 4-H building, there’s new bathrooms in the 4-H building, we re-did the kitchen,” said Schauer. “So we did a whole bunch of new improvements to the kitchen. We poured some concrete in the building. We did a whole bunch of electrical work in our beef barn. So, we’ve done quite a few improvements this year.”

He also said the board has changed some of the times of the livestock shows to avoid the expected heat.

“We moved our livestock shows around a little bit to try an navigate around the heat,” he said. “All the 4-H-ers already know, but, if someone was coming for a specific show, there have been some changes. They may want to contact the fair office or talk with their exhibitor to when to be there to see them show.”

He added that fairgoers will need to plan ahead and stay hydrated if they plan on attending because there really isn’t an air conditioning option on the fairgrounds. He also said they are looking into renting some cooling stations, but haven’t confirmed anything yet.

This will also be a somber occasion for some of the fair organizers, he said, since Becker County Fair Board President Keith Sonnenberg passed away about two months ago.

“We’re missing our president this year and he’s been around here for a long time,” said Schauer. “So everybody’s got a heavy heart around here going through this first year without him. Hopefully, we can do the fair up to his standards.”

One of the highlights of this year’s county fair is the 14th annual tractor parade on Saturday morning.

Tom Mack, an event organizer for the tractor parade, said they had 67 tractors last year, and, this year, with their John Deere theme, he hopes to have even more.

“This year we’re featuring John Deere,” said Mack. “So this year we’ll probably have a lot of John Deere tractors in it. Each year we change the featured tractor … and there is no age as far as how old a tractor is. Just as long as it has rubber tires and can do about 5 miles per hour.”

Anyone interested in joining this year’s Becker County Fair tractor parade can show up to Adkins Equipment, located north of Detroit Lakes on Richwood Road, on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. to register and then enjoy a pancake and sausage breakfast with the other tractor drivers.

The parade will then leave Adkins Equipment at 10:30 a.m. and head down Richwood Road before turning west onto Willow Street. The tractors will travel down Willow Street to Rossman Avenue before finally making their entry into the fairgrounds.

Mack said one of the best things about the tractor parade is how it can show the different eras of these large pieces of farm equipment.

“The tractor that I have is a 1947 (tractor) that may dad had,” said Mack. “And they are bringing out tractors that we grew up with … and it’s nice to see some of the old, smaller farm equipment or tractors that you don’t see being used as much today as it was years ago.”

There will be a short awards ceremony for the drivers under the fair’s Big Tent after the tractors arrive at the fairgrounds.

Fergus Falls man dies in motorcycle crash in Otter Tail County

A Fergus Falls man was killed in a motorcycle crash south of Pelican Rapids on Saturday afternoon.

According to the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office, on July 22 at 3:53 p.m., emergency dispatchers received a report of motorcycle crash at the intersection of County Road 22 and Jewett Lake Road in Otter Tail County.

A preliminary crash report indicates that a 2008 Yamaha motorcycle, ridden by 39-year-old Michael Wayne Korby of Fergus Falls, was southbound on County Road 22 when a northbound FedEx delivery van, driven by 26-year-old Jacob Tyler Walls of West Fargo, attempted to turn west onto Jewett Lake Road, which caused the collision.

Upon the arrival of first responders, Korby was pronounced dead at the scene and Walls did not report any injuries from the crash.

Walls was issued a citation for the crash and the incident remains under an active investigation.

Detroit Lakes man injured in motorcycle crash at Highway 59 and County Road 22 roundabout

A Detroit Lakes man was injured in motorcycle crash at the intersection of Highway 59 and County Road 22 on Friday afternoon.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, on July 21 at 3:08 p.m., emergency dispatchers received a report of a motorcycle crash with possible injuries located at the roundabout intersection just south of Detroit Lakes.

A preliminary crash report indicates that a 2023 Subaru Outback, driven by 65-year-old Annette Kay Kienitz of Detroit Lakes, was northbound on Highway 59 and collided with a 2002 Honda VF750 motorcycle, ridden by 40-year-old Casey Dean Bennett of Detroit Lakes, which was eastbound on County Road 22.

Bennett was not wearing a helmet and the time of the crash and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Essentia Health St. Mary’s in Detroit Lakes for treatment of unknown injuries.

Kienitz was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash and did not report any injuries.

Law enforcement believes alcohol did not play a factor into the crash.

Carriers guest coach football camp in Montana at the request of life-long friends

Football has always been a way of life for the Carrier family. Three generations of Carrier men have suited up for the Detroit Lakes Football team. While the strength of a team is built on the field, it’s forged by what happens off of it. With more on that story, here’s Zeke Fuhrman.

Matt Carrier and his son, Mason, recently were guest coaches at the Heads Up Hearts Strong Cale Emmons Memorial Football camp in Broadus, Montana July 15-16. The Carrier connection with the Emmons family began in 2010 when the two families met at Cincinatti Children’s Hospital while Matt and his wife Kelly’s daughter Ashtyn was undergoing a bone marrow transplant. That’s where they met Brett and Kimber Emmons and their children Cale, Caty, Kensi, Karlee and Kenna. Kenna was also undergoing a bone marrow transplant as she battled Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome and Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome.

Unfortunately, eight-year-old Kenna passed away. While experiencing the highs and lows of watching their children fight for their lives, the Carrier and Emmons families became close.

Cale, age 15, and Caty, age 13, were killed in that accident on their way to school in March of 2022. Kensi and Karlee survived the crash. Cale was a leader of the Broadus Hawks football team and would have been a senior this year…just like Mason will be for the Lakers. Brett Emmons is a long-time coach in Broadus and began the Heads Up Hearts Strong Cale Emmons Memorial Football camp in memory and honor of his son.

Broadus is a small Montana town near the south east corner of the state with a population of 427 people. They play eight-man football in Broadus, and between the varsity and middle school team, had about 15 players show up to the camp. 

Entering his senior season for Detroit Lakes, Mason is currently the third-ranked high school football prospect in the state of Minnesota and, last summer, became the first member of PJ Fleck’s 2024 recruiting class at the University of Minnesota. Mason’s older brother, Ethan, is a freshman defensive back for the Gophers this season.

For Mason, one of the incredible parts of the trip was networking with other high school athletes and forming relationships that go past football.

Sen. Tina Smith co-sponsoring bill aimed at recruiting younger farmers

The agriculture industry is facing an aging workforce. Farmers under the age of 35 now make up only 9 percent of farmers and ranchers.  To better prepare the next generation Senator Tina Smith is co-sponsoring a bill to establish a work-based agriculture training program that would help encourage more people to get into farming. 

“Grants to community or technical colleges or other organizations that are supporting people getting into farming and agriculture to get the hands-on training they need,” said Smith. “I am really excited about this. It’s something that is supported by the Farm Bureau and the Farmers Union and it’s great to do this bipartisan work with Representative Finstad.” 

The average age of farmers in Minnesota and around the country is somewhere in the late 50s to early 60s. Smith says agriculture is the backbone of Minnesota’s diverse economy. With food shortages, supply chain snags, and a tight labor market around the world, it’s vital we support and grow our farming sector here at home.

Cases of Legionnaires’ disease still under investigation in Grand Rapids

The Minnesota Department of Health continues to investigate the cause of a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in the Grand Rapids area.

Agency spokeswoman Trisha Robinson says most people who are exposed to Legionella bacteria do not develop Legionnaires’ disease. 

However, people who would be at increased risk for infection, or severe illness, are those who are 50 and older and current or former smokers. 

Additionally, people who may have chronic health conditions such as lung, kidney, or liver disease, diabetes, cancer, and other conditions or medications that might compromise their immune system are also at greater risk.

Past outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease have been linked to various environmental water sources such as cooling towers, building plumbing systems, hot tubs, and decorative fountains.

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