GREENVILLE — The president of the The Darke County Cattlemen’s Association Brad Wilcox, of Arcanum, was grateful Monday night at the Darke County Fairgrounds.
“On behalf of the Darke County Cattlemen’s Association, we want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your generous donations in getting this project done,” he said.
Wilcox was referring to the new Wash Rack and Tie Out projects. According to Wilcox, the original Racks were built in 1957, and they were falling apart and becoming unsafe.
“We took it upon ourselves to go out and solicit the money and replace it,” Wilcox said. “In a short time, we solicited more than $20,000 to do this project.”
The money came in from sponsors, The Darke County Cattlemen’s Association and a lot of help from Darke County Fairboard member Cindy Riffle, Wilcox said. Riffle is the superintendent over the Beef Cattle Department and fairboard member Jim Zumbrink is superintendent over the Dairy Department. They both helped out with the Wash Rack project, Riffle said. When donations came in so quickly to help with the project, Riffle said she was not surprised.
“When it comes to safety and taking care of our kids and their animals, the community pitches in,” Riffle said. “The boards were broken, the faucets were coming apart and leaking, the tie-out posts were rotting and the gates were falling down. Now it is very stable and much larger. It is amazing how people come together for something that is needed for the safety of the kids and the animals.”
According to Wilcox, the projects included pouring new concrete, installing new water and drain lines, installing 12 new hydrants and new garden hose, replacing the old fence and installing new tie rails. The Darke County Cattlemen’s Association Treasurer Rod Godown said for the past three years, the project was presented to the fairboard.
“They said there wasn’t enough money and asked if we could fund it,” Godown said. “Each member of the Cattlemen’s Association took five or six people and started asking for donations, and within two weeks, we had the money.”
That money came from the following sponsors: Harry Stephens Grant; Don and Helen Hanes Memorial Fund; Dennis Sebring Memorial; The Darke County Cattlemen’s Association; CF Poeppelman, Inc.; Second National Bank; Beck’s Superior Hybrids, Inc.; SISCO; Greenville National Bank; Flaig Lumber; Fullenkamp’s Frenchtown Trailer Sales; Ansonia Lumber; Wilbur Ellis; Hunt Farms; Rowe Nutrition, LLC; Crop Production Services; Livestock in General; Merchants Bank of Indiana; Watson’s Hay and Straw; North Star Hardware and Implement; White’s Show Supplies; Carl Hunt Custom Butchering; Flory Family Farms; Premier Crop Insurance; Darke County Beef Club; Greenville Federal; Hollinger Excavating; Mar Creek Materials; AKA Construction; Fryman-Kuck General Contractors; Applegate; A Perfect Enterprise; Ace Hardware; Rural King; Lefeld Welding and Supplies; Emrick Welding; Cindy and Scott Riffle/Stewart Seeds; Brad Wilcox Family; Rob Godown Family; RJ Machine and Tool; Andy Byram Family; Jason and Heather Manning Family; Grow Excavating; Myers Excavating; Fusion Metal Fabrication and Buckeye Metal and More.
