Sweetheart Supper Fairground Fundraiser is Feb. 8

​          A “Changing Seasons” painting by Jim Hansel is one of a number of items that will be auctioned off at the first annual “Sweetheart Supper” fairgrounds fundraiser slated for Saturday, Feb. 8 at the fairgrounds. Tickets are $40 each for the meal and an evening of fun, auctions, a dance and fellowship. Two guns will also be raffled off as part of the evening activities. Event and raffle tickets are available at Wagon Wheels West at 175 US-6, or from the Poweshiek County Fairgrounds Office at 425 East St. S., both Grinnell. Submitted photo. 

By J.O. Parker
 
           A fundraising event for planned updates to the fairgrounds and a proposed indoor showring is slated for Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Poweshiek County Fairgrounds.
      The first annual PCFA (Poweshiek County Fair Association) Sweetheart Supper features a fun evening of drinks, fellowship, food, auctions and a dance, all for a good cause.
        Tickets are available at $40 each or reserve a table for eight and receive eight free drink tickets.
Evening agenda
Cocktail hour at 5 p.m.
Dinner buffet of prime rib/pork loin at 6 p.m.
Live auction at 7 p.m.
Silent auction closes at 8 p.m.
DJ Cox providing the tunes from 8 – 10 p.m.
Proposed building
        The proposed improvements include a 110-foot by 100-foot indoor showring arena with a 50-foot by 80-foot connecting hallway to the exhibit building. The hallway would include accessible handicap restrooms, new livestock office, meeting room and concession stand. The new indoor arena would be located on the west side of the exhibit building. Plans are to use local contractors on the project.
     “Our old showring building needs some work,” said Scott Sieck, president of the Poweshiek County Fairboard. “We’ve done work on the building over the years. Plus, it is small.” 
Auctions
      Some items already donated to the auctions include four general admission pit tickets to see Megan Moroney at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 9 and four front row seat tickets to see Brooks and Dunn on April 24 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines as part of the duo’s “Neon Moon Tour 2025.”
Other items being auctioned off include:
        “Changing Seasons” painting by Jim Hansel (JJ Nichting Company)
        “Forever Red” painting  by Charles Freitag (JJ Nichting Company)
        Shirts, hats and other gear from Bayer Crop Science (production and foundation)
        Seventeen – 12-foot HW brand corral panels 
        Pit Boss Smoker (Theisens)
        Six bags of Wyffels seed corn (Moon Seed)
        Six units of Wyffels Hybrids W7876 Rib seed corn (Widmer Ag, LLC)
        Two night stay at Sunset Hills Bison Ranch (Circle U Ag)
        Weekend stay at Outback Campground (Blake Jack Construction)
        40 Acres of spraying application (Kriegel Custom Agriculture)
         John Deere decorative yard ornament
        Scentsy gift basket
        30 minutes of grinding service (Superior Hay Grinding)
        $100 meat bundle certificate (Sunset Hills Bison Ranch)
        Five units of I Reckon bull semen (R9 Cattle Company - Steve Russell, Searsboro)
       10 units of LHT To Tier bull semen (Curt and Travis Kriegel, Hartwick)
        Baling services for 50 cornstalk bales (Tyler Hartgers)
        One hour of welding services (Hiltons Welding and Repair
         X9 1000 John Deere Tracked Combine collectable
         Color Experience for You (Jennifer McAlexander)
Gun Raffle
        In addition to the live and silent auctions, two guns will be raffled off – an engraved Henry Rifle .22 American Farmer Tribute Edition and a Savage 350 Legend Axis 11 XP with 3x9 Scope – to the buyer of the winning tickets. Tickets are $20 for the Henry Rifle drawing and $10 for the Savage firearm drawing. Must be 18 years of age to purchase tickets for the gun raffles and a limited number of tickets will be sold. Tickets for both the gun raffles and the Sweetheart Supper can be purchased at Wagon Wheels West at 175 US-6, or from the Poweshiek County Fairgrounds Office at 425 East St. S., both Grinnell. 
       The fairboard is currently seeking additional auction items for both the live and silent auctions. Items may be dropped off at the fairgrounds office or Wagon Wheels West in Grinnell.
         All proceeds go to support the Poweshiek County Fair and the new showring project.
Upcoming events
          Numerous events are held annually at the Poweshiek County Fairgrounds including the Poweshiek County Fair, which will be held July 12 and 15 – 20.