Doyle and Karna Ver Ploeg share a long history with county fair

Doyle and Karna Ver Ploeg, of Lynnville, have been attending the Jasper County Fair longer than they have been married. They’ve been married 51 years, but their first introduction to the county fair started when they were both kids in 4-H in the 1960s. Doyle showed hogs while Karna participated in girls club activities.

Of course even after they stopped competing in the fair they found themselves participating in other ways. Up until last year, Doyle had been serving on the fair board since the late 2000s. Karna served as a 4-H leader and extension council. Whether directly or indirectly, they’ve been intrinsically involved in the county fair.

So it comes as no surprise to find out they were both chosen as this year’s grand marshals in the Jasper County Fair Parade. The couple took the news like the humble champs they are. It is an honor to be recognized like this, Karna said, and to be celebrated for their longtime dedication to the fair.

“We’ve been connected to the fair a long time,” Karna said.

Doyle said, “We were both in 4-H in ‘63 and ‘64. Then we got married and our kids were in 4-H. And then I got on the fair board in 2008. So I was on the fair board for, what, 15 years? I was a beef superintendent. I was on the buildings and grounds committee.”

Obviously, both Doyle and Karna were born and raised in Jasper County, just south of Sully. When they think about the county fair, they think of the family atmosphere that is created within all the programs. Karna said it truly does feel like a big family, and it is where a lot of kids grow up around.

“We’ve seen kids this little,” Doyle said, holding his hand a few feet off the ground before extending it higher. “Then they grow up to be this ‘little.’”

Karna added, “Then all of a sudden they’re seniors graduating high school.”

“And then their kids are coming to the fair.”

Eventually some may even become board members or superintendents for the county fair. It’s a cycle the Ver Ploegs are all too familiar with. Like so many others, they see the value the fair brings to youth in the area. Doyle said the fair subtly helps kids later in life by instilling leadership and communication skills.

Responsibility is probably the most learned skill kids encounter at the county fair. It takes a lot of work to raise and show livestock, Doyle said. While the number of farms and farm kids have dwindled since the time Doyle and Karna showed at the fair, it has changed in ways to make it more accessible to all families.

For the Ver Ploegs, it feels good knowing they have a county fair that adapts so well and still maintains its traditions. It’s still helping kids and it’s still providing an enriching and entertaining experience for all Jasper County families. That may be why the Ver Ploegs have stayed involved for so long.

“I think it’s all about the kids, I really do,” Karna said. “If we don’t do it and help them, who will?”

Doyle added, “And it’s fun to work with the other people, I think. You ask yourself sometimes, ‘Why am I doing this?’ I mean it’s 90 degrees out there or more with the 90 percent humidity. ‘What are we doing here?’ But, I don’t know, it’s just fun!”