SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Yesterday at the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) Annual Convention, Heritage Awards sponsored by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance were presented to five exceptional individuals in the field of fair management, according to IAFE President and CEO Marla Calico. The convention is taking place Nov. 28-Dec. 1 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. 

Carol Porter of Haas & Wilkerson Insurance announced and presented the awards to the recipients, who were nominated by their fairs’ staffs and/or board members. The awards recognize the achievements of outstanding fair volunteers. Each winner received a plaque and $1,000, and each fair nominating the winners received $500. The nominees were required to have at least 10 years of fair management experience, could receive no more than $2,500 remuneration annually for serving in the position, and were required to be current members of IAFE.

Awards were presented to Randy Brown, Iowa State Fair, Des Moines; John Keeney, Warren County Agricultural Association/Warren County Fair, Indianola, Iowa; Tom Kissee, Ozark Empire Fair, Springfield, Mo.; Dawn Rowe, Kissimmee Valley Livestock Show and Osceola County Fair, Kissimmee, Fla.; and Marla Stello, La Crosse County Agricultural Society/La Crosse Interstate Fair, West Salem, Wis.

A lifelong advocate of agriculture, Randy Brown of Osceola, Iowa, was asked to run for the Iowa State Fair board in the late 1990s. He has been involved in fair management for the last 40 years, 19 of which he served the South Central District of Iowa on the Iowa State Fair board. 

In addition to his many roles at the State Fair, Brown has also served on numerous community organizations, including the 4th of July celebration committee in Osceola, president of Castaway Disabilities, and chair for Farm Service Agencies in Clarke and Decatur counties. He also served his country during the Vietnam conflict as a Marine and is a lifelong member of the Paralyzed Veteran’s Association.

Brown has attended many IAFE Conventions and Zone 5 meetings and Association of Iowa Fairs meetings. When it comes to the Iowa State Fair, Brown says that its success falls on the youth and the future of agriculture. One of his goals is to make sure the fair is accessible to everyone.

John Keeney has nearly 60 combined years of service as a director or officer of two fair boards: the Warren County Fair Association is the privately held stockholder board that makes decisions about facility needs and year-round rentals, and the Warren County Agricultural Association operates the fair during the one-week event. As a dairy farmer, Keeney’s was responsible for initiating, creating, and chairing the bucket calf show at the fair.

For 18 years, Keeney has attended the annual conventions of the Association of Iowa Fairs. He has brought ideas home to his own fair, where he served as superintendent for three divisions for 35 years: dairy cattle, advanced cattle feeders pen of 3, and bucket calf.

Keeney served on the USDA Farmers Home Administration board for 10 years and has been a lifetime member of the VFW and American Legion. He was a 4-H leader for 16 years and was named to the 4-H Hall of Fame in 2008.

Tom Kissee has been a member of the the Ozark Empire Fair board for about 20 years. His accomplishments include reviving and improving the junior market livestock show. With other board members, he helped create a guaranteed $10,000 for the champion steer. In 2004, thanks in part to Kissee’s vision, the first Gold Buckle Gala was held and the top exhibitors sold their animals for record premium prices. In 2012 when the Ozark Empire Fair faced dire financial circumstances, Kissee and other board members took on a personal loan to keep the fair operating.

In addition to Kissee’s devotion to the fair, he has made significant contributions to the business community in Southwest Missouri. He owns and operates Tom Kissee Real Estate Co. and Tom Kissee Ranch – a 1,300-acre calf/cow operation. He is also co-owner of Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, which has an economic impact of $140 million annually.

Kissee works to promote agriculture through his role as U.S. Congressman Billy Long’s Agriculture Committee, as a Missouri Department of Agriculture advisor, and as a past member of the Greene County Stormwater Task Force.

Dawn Rowe has been involved in the fair industry for 24 years. She started at the Osceola County Fair as a volunteer and quickly began attending meetings of the Florida Federation of Fairs, where she rose through the leadership ranks. She has attended every fair in Florida at least once and has served as a judge for various competitive exhibits at some of them. Her quest to learn from other fairs also extends beyond state lines, as Rowe has organized several national trips for herself and other fair friends.

Rowe has been active in the IAFE, having graduated from the Institute of Fair Management, attended many conventions and other meetings, and served on several committees. 

Within her community, Rowe has been involved with the Red Cross Disaster Committee and Heavenly Hooves and has served as an officer for the KUA Employee Organization Committee and the Osceola County Wagon Train and Trail Ride. 

Marla Stello’s fair experience started at a very young age when she joined the local 4-H club. As she got older, she served as a youth leader advisor and general leader for her 4-H club. 

In 1990, Stello was asked to serve as chair of the La Crosse Interstate Fair’s Centennial Committee. Following that undertaking, she became involved with leadership roles such as the 4-H Leaders Board representative on the fair board and a fair board member. Over the years, Stello’s roles at the fair include planning fair exhibits, scheduling, judging coordination, media advertising, and family entertainment.  Marla has been active in both the IAFE and the Wisconsin Association of Fairs and the IAFE, attending meetings and serving in many leadership roles. She is a graduate of the IAFE’s Institute of Fair Management. 

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