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Lending a hand at the 4-H Food Stand

Cities-turned-country manager Becker revives the County Fair staple

By Kevin Mertens - Staff Writer | Jul 9, 2023

Kara Becker, above, recently moved from the Twin Cities area to the Brush Creek area with her family. Now the new manager of the 4-H Food Stand, she already has big plans for the upcoming Faribault County Fair.

Smoked lamb sliders, anyone?

The Faribault County Fair will soon be here and one of the changes people will notice is at the 4-H Food Stand. Specifically, the new menu items which will be offered.

It wasn’t that many months ago there was some question as to whether the 4-H clubs would even operate their food stand this year.

“It was really because of a variety of factors that it looked like it could close,” new food stand manager Kara Becker says. “One of the main questions which needed to be answered was who was going to run the stand.”

Enter Becker.

“I was not gong to let the food stand die,” she comments. “I knew that if we gave it up it would hard to get back.”

So Becker volunteered to be the food stand manager and got to work.

“I sought out ideas and opinions from people who had been in charge of the food stand in the past,” Becker explains. “I wanted to get as much input and information as I could to figure out what works and what doesn’t.”

Becker has only recently become a part of the Faribault County 4-H scene. She and her husband, Matt, along with their three daughters, Mikayla, Madison and Ella, purchased a farm south of Brush Creek and moved there from the metropolitan area of the Twin Cities in 2020.

But, she did have prior experience with 4-H.

“I was from Farmington originally,” Becker shares. “I lived in town but Dakota County had a very big and very active 4-H program.”

While Becker may not have been working with big livestock like many youth in Faribault County, she did show an animal.

“I had my little rabbit, Peter,” she notes. “But my ancestors were farmers and slept in haystacks.”

Her family began getting active in the local 4-H activities in May of 2022.

“We started in the horse program,” she says. “Paul and Karla Carr really helped us. I have always thought 4-H works best when you have an experienced family help walk you through whatever project you are interested in pursuing.”

Becker, who is an occupational therapist by trade, and her husband, who is able to work remotely from their home, have been busy fixing up their acreage while adding a couple of dairy cows, some pigs, chickens and other farm animals to their farm.

“We call our place Golden View Family Farm,” Becker comments. “We are embracing country living.”

Becker details many of the steps which have been taken to improve the experience of dining at the 4-H Food Stand.

“I got my food managers license and I also got experience cooking for big groups while working at Prairie River Camp by Bricelyn,” she explains. “Then our 4-H fundraising committee went and talked to a number of local businesses to see how they might be able to help.”

Faribault County Extension Educator and 4-H youth director, Emily Ovrebo, is pleased with what has been happening.

“Kara and our fundraising committee have been working hard revamping the food stand during the last six months,” Ovrebo mentions. “The new vision of the food stand would not be possible without the leadership from our volunteers and businesses that have given donations in products or money.”

Becker is excited as she talks about how a large number of businesses have come forward to donate food.

“It is going to be a ‘Taste of Faribault County’,” she explains. “The Blue Earth Locker, Country Butcher Shop in Easton and Omega Farms are all donating protein. Goette Farms will be providing the lamb sliders. Hagedorn Corn is providing corn for a meal, the Huntley Cafe is donating cakes, Farmer’s Daughters Kitchen is providing pies and Lost Saint Brewery is providing root beer.”

Other companies providing food include Mrs. Gerry’s Kitchen, Organic Valley and Kemp’s.

“Whole Grain Milling from Welcome is donating chips and the local grocery stores are all helping out,” Becker adds. “We have had incredible community support and businesses continue to come forward to help us out so I am sure I have not listed everybody.”

But, she points out, when people eat at the 4-H Food Stand there will be signs and posters explaining who has donated each meal.

“Another change will be that we are striving not to have extra food which has to be thrown away,” Becker says. “There might be some items we run out of and so when it’s gone, it’s gone.”

Other menu items will include walking tacos, pork sundaes, sloppy joes, BLTs featuring bacon from Omega Farms, hot dogs and Mrs. Gerry’s mac and cheese.

“Breakfast items will include eggs, bacon, and toast,” Becker comments. “We also plan on having muffins and donuts available in the morning and cold-brewed coffee from Cabin Coffee every afternoon.”

Becker and Ovrebo stress the importance of getting young people involved.

“We are teaching our youth that anything is possible if we work together to bring new ideas and energy into something we are working towards with the goal to be a success,” Ovrebo shares.

“Kids need to be taught usable skills,” Becker adds. “4-H is a wonderful organization for fulfilling that need.”

A revamped menu is not the only change taking place at the 4-H Food Stand.

“The place was given a thorough cleaning,” Becker says. “We are also sprucing the place up with a fresh coat of paint.”

In the future, Becker hopes to be able to address the need for some new equipment at the food stand.

“I have high hopes we will have a successful year at the fair and will be able to build off of that and be able to look at other improvements in the future,” Becker comments.

Becker talks about one other special event which is being planned for the 4-H Food Stand this year.

“We heard there was not going to be a Veteran’s Breakfast on Saturday like has been done in the past,” she mentions. “So, we have decided to serve a pancake breakfast on Saturday morning and are hoping we can work something out to honor our veterans that day.”

Ovrebo notes the 4-H Food Stand is responsible for a great deal of the fund-raising the group does for the year.

“We just want to encourage fairgoers to check out the 4-H Food Stand at the Faribault County Fair,” she says. “Those dollars are going straight into the Faribault County 4-H program to fund educational opportunities for the youth of Faribault County.”