Legacy of service

HARTINGTON — Some things in life just go together - like peanut butter and jelly and, if Clarice Holm has her say, raisins and pie.

Another duo that just go together? Holm and the Cedar County Fair. The Cedar County Ag Society

The Cedar County Ag Society honored the 100-year-old Hartington woman with a plaque for 50 years of “selfless” service to the board last week.

“This is such a surprise. Oh my,” Holm said with a smile. “Well, that went fast.”

The plaque noted, “For over 50 years, you selflessly served Cedar County and the patrons of the Cedar County Fair. You and your generation have shown the courage to persevere through tough times with the vision, work ethic and heart to help build legacy of service and dedication. We are continuously grateful for your contributions.”

Numerous Fair Board members said they think of Holm as their very own grandmother and describe her as “a tough cookie,” and a “strong lady.”

“She was so very active in the whole fair,” said Allen Heine, who's been on the fair board himself for the last 35 years.

“One of my memories is she was involved in the Lutheran food stand and she made the best raisi cream pie. When she brought that everybody was so excited.”

Along with perhaps thousands of pies baked for the fair over the years, Holm also helped to organiz fair quilting and needlework exhibits. For a number of years, Heine remembers working alongside Holm putting up display of student artwork.

“That was a fully day’s job,” he said.

Holm was also the secretary and treasurer of the board in a combined role for about 20 years, and spent four decades as a 4-H leader.

“She still runs into girls she taught in 4-H,” said Holm’s son, Kent, who was at Wednesday's event.

Along with her latest award, Holm was also the first woman in the state to be awarded the Fair Person of the Year Award back in 2004.

“It’s a little bit of a labor of love but we had good people to work with you know and everybody did their part,” Holm said.