Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Late summer is a busy time for Freeborn County as people get ready for the Freeborn County Fair, which attracts tens of thousands of people each year.

One woman has gone through the hustle and bustle of fair time for over 50 years and is looking forward to continuing her involvement as long as she can.

Imogene Opdahl has lived in Emmons since 1968. She and her husband, Luther Opdahl, have lived in their current home for over 50 years. She enjoys gardening, reading, puzzles and spending time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Opdahl grew up on a farm in Freeborn and was active in 4-H for nine years. Each year, she brought projects in food, food preservation and gardening to the fair as well as showed swine and dairy.

“I was in 4-H as a kid, and I loved it,” Opdahl said. She added she liked the people who worked for the county and how they always encouraged her to do the best she possibly could.

Opdahl returned to participating in 4-H as an adult leader in the Nunda Club when her children were old enough to join 4-H. In addition to being a club leader, Opdahl also chaperoned two 4-H trips to Washington, D.C., and was a cook at 4-H camp, Camp Patterson, for several years.

Fair season was the busiest time of the year for her family. Opdahl said it was like their summer vacation, and they spent the entire week either at the fairgrounds or traveling to the fairgrounds. Because she spent so much time at the fair, she decided to begin volunteering during the time there. This led her to working with the Freeborn County Extension Office in the non livestock building.

Opdahl said one of her favorite memories is when she would take 4-H members who she worked with to Pizza Hut when the fair was over.

Opdahl continues to work with Freeborn County Extension each year the fair rolls around.

“First day of the fair, I usually help the kids get registered so they know where the project area is to be judged, and then the rest of the week I work in the livestock office,” Opdahl said.

Working in the livestock office involves getting ready for each show and recording results when they are done. She also helps organize the livestock auction and gets things lined up for the state fair.

“Every year you learn something,” she said. “The extension crew is wonderful in Freeborn County, and the gals that work there are just fabulous.”

Opdahl also said she enjoys acknowledging the accomplishments of 4-H members and getting to see people she only gets to see during fair time.

“I’ve met some wonderful people, both the kids that I’ve worked with, and now you see them as adults, and they’re bringing their kids to the fair, and some grandkids to the fair,” she said. “They get to be lifetime friends.”

When it is not fair time, Opdahl still has her work cut out for her as an adult helper of Cloverbuds, a 4-H program for kindergarten through second graders. She began working with Cloverbuds in 1998.

Opdahl helps at Cloverbud meetings where members sing songs, play games, do crafts, learn more about different projects and have a snack. Opdahl said she loves the age of children she works with.

“It’s fun to see them, how timid they are and shy when they have to talk to a judge at the fair, when they start out. And how they blossom into wonderful adults,” she said. “It’s just very rewarding.”

She said she looked forward to meeting the new Cloverbud members in January.

In addition to her work with 4-H and the Freeborn County Fair, Opdahl volunteers with the Emmons Community Library and the Red Cross. She has been involved with her church, Emmons Lutheran Church, ever since she moved to the area.

Opdahl enjoys serving her community. Emmons, she said, is a beautiful place to experience a variety of weather and raise a family. The small-town setting has always made her feel safe.

For over 10 years, Opdahl was a member of the Emmons City Council. She describes her time there as an educational experience that was quite challenging but very interesting. Her work, she said, mainly involved keeping the city running smoothly. This year, she made the decision not to pursue a position on the council again.

“This is my first year off of city council for a long time,” she said.

Although Opdahl’s career on the council has come to a close, she has no intention of stopping her volunteer work any time soon, whether it be with 4-H, her church, the library or another organization.

“I believe 4-H is one of the best if not the best organizations youth can be a part of,” she said. “There are many different projects they can work in, from livestock to crafts, baking, sewing, computers — just about anything you can think of.”