In 1924 Fred Adolph, the agricultural teacher in St. Clair went to
the local Grange meetings to start a 4-H potato club.
Only boys were allowed to join.
In 1926 Christine Kennedy (now Welser), seventh grade, joined
a sewing club in grade school.
Rose Kern, her teacher at
Kennedy
School, was her leader.
Projects were judged at school by Mr. Wixon, a state 4-H
leader. Gertrude
Mitchell (now Bloink) won for her sewing and attended 4-H Week at
Michigan State University.
In 1937 The St. Clair County 4-H & Youth Fair was held in Yale, Michigan.
It was decided a larger place was needed the following year.
The
park at Goodells was the logical place.
In 1938 the 4-H Fair moved to
Infirmary Park (now
Goodells
County Park).
There were no buildings, except a pair of outdoor bathrooms.
They tied animals to a long hay rope between the big trees.
Of course this was unsatisfactory so a move was made to build
a permanent home.
In 1939 the 4-H Council was organized in January, at the home of
Ruth Bacon. The
discussion of course was where, what, when and how to promote this
idea to everyone in order to earn the finances to accomplish this
feat. The permission to
build on the County
Park property was granted.
Finances came next.
The 4-H Council and club members sold hot dogs and pop at
every “happening” for five cents each.
In 1942 The Quonset Hut was built.
It had taken three years before the first building took
shape. It was at a 4-H
Council dinner, held at the
Goodells
Church on February 10,
1942 they were treated to a trip through the building before the
meeting. This was the
year 4-H gardens were started to help food, during the war.
In 1945 the 4-H Service Club came into existence and all
members who joined were initiated.
At this time they started working on plans to hire a home
demonstration agent. In
1946, in March, it was decided that another buiding was needed to
house the growing number of animals.
The county 4-H program was growing very rapidly.
The Fair Book was discussed for the first time.
In 1947 Michigan State
University gave approval
for the plans for the second building.
Once again Council sold food at every event possible, such as
the 4-H Fair, the Plowing Match, Cattle Shows, etc.
The Council and many interested men spent many days at
Goodells on the project.
In 1954 Julia Spratt started a club in the
Beach School in Smiths Creek.
Her club was the first club to have both black and white
children. In January of
1963 there was a motion by M. Weir, supported by A. Robbins that the
Agricultural Society make plans to secure $2,500 from the state to
be used for erecting a beef barn and horse stalls.
At the St. Clair County Agricultural Society’s (SCCAS) May 6th
meeting they approved the building of the barn in Goodells to be
completed for the use at the 1963 4-H & Youth Fair.
At a special meeting on June 10th, Howard Smith,
President of the Fair Board, was directed to make arrangements from
the Capac State Savings Bank to secure a loan in the amount of
$2,500.
The beef barn was almost complete in 1964.
Stalls were built on July 28th.
Mr. Fahs wished to give a piano to the Society to be used in
the Community
Building.
The Board agreed to accept the piano if Mr. Melton feels it
could be used. Mr.
McCalla offered to truck the piano to Goodells.
In 1965 the SCCAS contributed $500 towards a roof.
In 1967 there was an announcement that the addition of the Roy Welt
Barn will be built by the end of July at a cost of $3,533.
This will provide 36 stalls.
In 1968 the horse project widened stalls in the horse barn,
with materials that they supplied.
In 1970 a contract was signed for a new horse barn with EMC
Construction Co. to be started in June.
SCCAS paid $7,850.
for the construction and $597 for the electric.
Sand and paint were added at a cost of $583.
The sheep and swine barn was remodeled the same year.
Posts and lumber were needed to build new horse stalls, as
well as make repairs to the show ring.
In 1971 a horse barn was built through the financial efforts of the
SCCAS, 4-H Council and 4-H Service Club.
In 1972 a new exhibit barn was built and an addition to the
sheep and swine barn. In
1979 plan were completed for the Service Club booth.
Throughout the 1980’s various repairs and improvements were made
throughout the park, including electrical upgrades, replacing sinks
in the kitchen, adding box stalls, adding on to Horse Barn #3 and
renovating Horse Barn #4.
In 1988 the SCCAS representatives, Jerry Riddell and Lisa
Carr met with Donald Dodge, county administrator, and was given the
ability to use the fairgrounds for all 4-H related activities,
including charging admissions at the gate during the fair.
In 1989 Fort Gratiot Lions donated 106 portable box stalls, and in
1992 additional sums were allocated from the 4-H Horse Leaders and
Fair Board for horse stalls.
In 1994 St. Clair County passed a
millage to fund parks and recreation in the county, and the Parks
and Recreation Commission began.
In 1996 the fairgrounds was renamed
Goodells County Park.
In 1998 the SCCAS began leasing the
Goodells
County Park
for the fair, and an additional 21 portable box stalls were
purchased. In 2002 the
4-H Service Club building was turned over to Parks and Recreation,
and all necessity for the SCCAS to maintain the facility.
Thank you to Raemi Kunath for putting together most of the history
of the park from minutes of past meetings.
If you have any history to add relating to the fair, or
pictures, please contact the St. Clair County Agricultural Society
at (810) 364-9100 or at P.O. Box 325, Marysville, Michigan
48040, or at
Webmaster.
