Wayne Co. ag society honors friends

WOOSTER, Ohio – The Wayne County Agricultural Society named Donald and Iola Elliott, Louise McCoy, Mary Taylor, Carol Gerber and Harry Mykrantz as their 2003 Outstanding Volunteers during their annual appreciation dinner on Aug. 24 at the Grange Dining Hall at the Wayne County Fairgrounds.

The Elliotts. The Elliotts were recognized for their work in the Grange Dining Hall.

Over the past 50-plus years, they have been involved in all aspects of preparing and serving food to thousands of exhibitors and visitors, including serving as superintendents of the dining hall.

They have also assisted with the displays presented by the county granges in the Grange Rotunda.

In addition to their work at the fair, the Elliotts have served the grange on the state level, as officers and later state master and first lady for four years.

At the county level, they are active in both Union Grange and Pomona Grange as well as serving as Medina County Grange deputies.

The Elliotts have four children, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Louise McCoy. As the owner of McCoy Insurance for more than 40 years, Louise McCoy has been a long-time supporter of the Wayne County Junior Livestock Auction.

McCoy, a Wayne county resident since marrying her late husband James in 1937, served as a 4-H adviser for the Madisonburg Merry Janes for 25 years and has been an active member of the Grange for 65 years.

During that time she was a volunteer in the Grange Dining Hall and served as manager for 35 years.

Although her husband passed away in 1956, McCoy continued to be active in not only the Wayne County Agricultural Society, but she also actively supported the couple’s four children and grandchildren in their participation in the Wayne County Junior Fair.      

Carol Gerber. Carol (Bowman) Gerber’s involvement in the horse and pony division of the Wayne County Fair began when she was showing Hackney ponies in the 1950s.

Later, when first her father, Hilton and later her mother, Jane Bowman served on the fair board, Gerber began clerking various events in the division.

She clerks the open contest division, keeps the official book for the hitch show, assists the announcer and ringman during the show, and records the results from the draft horse and pony halter classes.

She is also a former 4-H adviser. She and her husband, Bill, have two children and four grandchildren.

Mary Taylor. Mary Taylor became involved with the Grange Dining Hall in 1950 when her husband Bill Taylor, Dennis Arnold and O.L. Weygandt made the decision that the Granges of Wayne County would assume the responsibility of providing meals for countless fair exhibitors and visitors.

Up until her retirement in 2002 at the age of 94, Taylor worked in the dining hall cooking ham, meatloaf and green beans, up until four years ago when she became a greeter at the door of the dining hall.

Harry Mykrantz. Harry Mykrantz has been exhibiting registered Jerseys at the Wayne County Fair since 1936.

A lifelong resident of Wayne county, Mykrantz served on the Wayne County Fair Board for 48 years and as a director of the former Wooster Equity for 36 years. He also served two terms as a director of the American Jersey Cattle Association.

Mykrantz and his wife Ann were the parents of five children. He and his present wife, Rachel have been married five years this September. They have ten grandchildren.

Also during the banquet, the agricultural society honored long-time fair manager Pete Armstrong by naming the brick building housing the Red Cross, the Sheriff’s office and a meeting room for the fair board by naming the building after him.