Page 14 — Thursday, July 1, 2021 — The Hastings Banner
Barry County Fair will return in full
J-Ad News Service
The Barry County Fair will be back this
year, from July 19 to 24, with all the trimmings
and traditions people have come to expect.
“Right now, we are planning on a full fair,
just like we had planned in 2019,” fair board
President Dennis Redman said. “Everything
we had in 2019 is going to be back,” except
for Farmer John, who retired in 2019.
The numbers of participants in livestock
shows may be down by about 30 percent, he
guessed, due to the investment in the animals,
when the pandemic was raging.
But, given everything that the community
has had to weather in the past year, the fair
will return as a welcome community-widecelebration involving all the activities families
enjoy.
“I believe our attendance is going to be as
good as we’ve ever had,” Redman said.
This fair, which takes place at the Barry
Expo Center, has been around since 1852.
“Our Roots Run Deep,” is the theme of
this year’s fair, as illustrated on the fair book,
which provides all the details for all the
events coming up during fair week.
Midway rides, provided by Elliott’s
Amusements, will start at 3 p.m. Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday; with a noon start on
Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets for rides
may be purchased for $20, which covers the
cost of armband including a coupon for $2.
The Michigan-based Animal Oasis,
running Monday through Saturday, will offer
an interactive, educational experience for all
generations.
The lively Chase’s Racing Pigs, with
show times to be announced, will run three
times daily, Tuesday through Saturday.
The Barnyard Tent will provide live farm
animals to visit throughout the week.
Youth judging will begin Saturday, July
17.
Harness racing at noon in the grandstand
both Saturday and Sunday, July 18, will be
free – as is the West Michigan Championship
Mini Horse Pull at 6 p.m. July 17, and the
Michigan Heavyweight State Championship
Draft Horse Pull at 6 p.m. July 18.
Monday will feature free gate admission
to all with $5 admission to the grandstand.
Tuesday, veterans and seniors will be
admitted all day for a $2.50 admission.
Wednesday is Kids’ Day with a reduced
price of $14 for an armband from noon to 5
p.m. for midway rides.
Thursday is Ladies’ Day, with half-priced
admission through noon for all women. The
small animal livestock auction will begin at 5
p.m.
Friday brings the large animal livestock
sale day in the show arena, with lambs, steers,
hogs and milk, in that order.
Other 7 p.m. events in the grandstand
during fair week – all with $10 admission –
include Unique Motorsports Off-Road Derby
Tuesday; Super Kicker Professional Rodeo
Wednesday; Michigan Truck & Tractor
Pullers Association Tractor Pulls Thursday;
Night of Destruction Demolition Derby
Friday; and SJO Motorcross Saturday.
Friday also features a candlelight garden
walk in the Master Garden at dusk.sports
Rain doesn’t wash away all volleyball at Lake O. Fair
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
“I feel like it feels sunny,” Laurel Steward
said with a smile after sending the first 7 p.m.
match out onto the wet sand on the volleyball
courts at the Lake Odessa Fairgrounds Friday.
As Steward walked back under the tent
where she was keeping her tournament sched-
ule and scoreboard, Ashley Sponhauer was
describing the kind of might it just took to
smack a water-logged volleyball back and
forth across the net for two sets of a pool play
victory.
A group of 11 teams, out of 15 registered
teams, decided they’d rather play in the rain
drops and puddles than postpone any more of
the Lake Odessa Fair Friday. The Saturday
youth and teen tournaments were canceled,
but 11 co-ed adult teams gathered Friday and
then again on Sunday for a second tourna-
ment.
Madison King and Gabe Murley captained
the two teams that won championships during
the 2021 Lake Odessa Fair Co-Ed Sand
Volleyball 4’s Tournaments. King’s team won
Friday night’s championship while Murley’s
team defeated King’s team in a rematch in the
championship round Sunday.
King played with Kalib McKinney, Kate
Kietzman and Logan Blough in winning the
championship Friday evening. King and
McKinney teamed with Dylan Durkee and
Lauren Vasquez to get to Sunday’s champion-
ship match.
Murley’s team, which Steward said is based
out of the Lansing area, also included Ryan
Scott, Hailey Covieo and Sam Basler Sunday.
The fair battled rain storms, thunder storms
and soggy ground throughout the weekend.
Dodgeball was canceled Thursday afternoon/
evening after all the set-up was completed on
the sand volleyball courts.
“We were hoping this morning [to be able
to play], and actually tore down dodgeball to
prepare for it,” Steward said Friday evening.
“We decided we would wait ‘til 1 p.m. or 2p.m. to call it. We talked with a lot of the dif-
ferent teams and everybody said, ‘hey with
the rain, we’re still in.’ So, all right, as long as
there was no lightning then we have the clear.
“By 2 o’clock we had 11 teams that said,
‘we’re in,’ so we made it happen. Everybody
came out and we were getting courts ready
and had a lot of help. Now it is nice and clear,
so now we’re happy.”
The skies weren’t completely clear. It
rained early on in the action Friday, the rain
stalled for a bit between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. and
then more rainfall returned as the celebration
picked up at the beer barn and trivia contest
inside the Fred Morris Building next door to
the volleyball courts. The crowd in the carni-
val and concession area picked up Friday
evening while the weather held off for a bit,
giving youngsters a chance to experience one
of the most impressive selections of rides thefair has ever hosted.
The SJO Motocross that was planned for
Friday night was canceled early in the after-
noon. The Derby Night of Destruction and thefireworks show have been postponed to Labor
Day weekend, and will be held at the Lake
Odessa Fairgrounds Sept. 4.Ashley Sponhauer laughs as she
passes the ball during the Lake Odessa
Fair Adult Co-Ed Sand Volleyball
Tournament Friday evening. (Photo by
Brett Bremer)
Rachel Haskin lunges over the wet sand to pass the volleyball as Maradith
O’Gorman looks on from the other side of the net during pool play at the Lake Odessa
Fair Adult Co-Ed Sand Volleyball Tournament Friday evening. (Photo by Brett Bremer)David Sponhauer knocks an attack over the block of Glen Simon during their pool
play match at the Lake Odessa Fair Adult Co-Ed Sand Volleyball Tournament Friday
evening. (Photo by Brett Bremer)Happy 4
th
of July
223 W. Mill Street
Hastings MI
269-945-
Just a Reminder With the
4th of July falling on Sunday
Our routes will
NOT be
Delayed that week
All of us here at
Les’s Sanitary
Service
hope you have a
Safe Holiday!Hastings schools OK
$26.44 million budget
Benjamin Simon
Staff Writer
The Hastings Area Schools Board of
Education approved the 2021-22 budget
Monday, with a caveat that potentially big
changes still could take place during the year.
Assistant Superintendent of Operations
Tim Berlin presented the upcoming year’s
budget during the meeting at Hastings Middle
School. The district expects to receive an
increase of $164 per student, bringing its total
per-pupil revenue from $8,111 to $8,275.
The increase comes as school officials are
forecasting a decrease of about 25 students
during the 2020-21 school year.
Despite the drop in student numbers, the
budget is calling for $26.44 million in revenue,
with $20.95 million coming from the state,
$3.7 million from the local government, $1.
million from the federal government, along
with $265,000 from other financial sources.
Since 2007, revenues for the district have
exceeded $26 million in only one other year- and that was the past school year. Berlin
attributed the jump to increased state aid and
COVID-related funding.
But, the district’s fiscal situation can change
quickly.
At the beginning of the 2020-21 fiscal year,
for example, the school district projected
$23.18 million in revenue. In its final budget
revision, which also was approved Monday,
as well, reported $27.37 million in revenue, a
noticeable increase.
The preliminary estimates for the 2021-
school budget could shift dramatically again.
With this in mind, Berlin said the school
district budgeted “conservatively” for the
2021-22 fiscal year.
The district is waiting for the Michigan
Senate to finalize the state budget. If the
current proposed budget passes, every school
district in the state would receive $8,700 per
pupil –– an increase from what Hastings is set
to collect – and one that could generate about
$1 million more for the district, Berlin said.
That change could significantly impact the
budget, he added.
“All schools would then get the same
amount,” Berlin said after the meeting. “Right
now, there are some schools, especially on the
east side, that get over $10,000 per student.
So, we’re wondering if the Senate is going to
be willing to go along with that because that
would then mean a cut for some of those
schools that are getting larger amounts. But if
it does go through, it would definitely help
our district.”
Berlin also pointed to the fact that the bond
proposal, which will go to the voters Aug. 3,
could have a substantial effect on the overall
budget, as well.
Another uncertainty is the Elementary and
Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
–– a COVID-19-related relief fund. Although
Hastings Area Schools already received its
first payment, estimated around $250,000, the
district is set to receive two more ESSER
increments throughout the school year. Berlin
said he is unsure of the exact amount or when
the money will come in, but he expects the
remaining increments will total a few million
dollars. The funds would go toward classroom
technology, such as SMART Boards.
The school district’s increase in revenue,
however, has been offset by its effort to
recover from pandemic-related cuts in 2020.
That included the hiring of a new assistant
principal at the high school, a dean of students
at the middle school and a marketing employee
in the administration office. It also reissued an
additional $100,000 for curriculum supplies
–– funds the district had previously slashed.
As a result, the district expects to finish the
2021-22 year with about $55,149 in excess
revenue over expenditures, with a projected
end-of-year fund balance of $3.3 million.
In other news from the meeting:- The district reported that it still has about
$343,000 left over from the 2015 bond. Berlin
said they intend to use the funds by the end of
the 2021-22 school year to finance new high
school cafeteria furniture and doors. - Superintendent Matt Goebel expressed
optimism about the upcoming school year:
“We will not be requiring – and have not been
requiring – masks within the second session
here of summer school since last Tuesday. So
those are certainly options for students at this
time, and I’m very optimistic that that’s going
to continue. We’ll also be reconvening just
like we did last August with a back-to-school
task force, which will include parents, local
health care professionals, teachers,
administrators, bus drivers, paraprofessionals - all of those people that we can come back to
so that we’re all on the same page and,
hopefully, kicking off to a great school year - and that’s what my hope is.”
- During the public comment section of the
meeting, Angie Webb asked for an update on
the “issue with the pride flag being hung in
classrooms.” Board Trustee Brad Tolles
indicated that the board would consider a
proposed resolution in late August or early
September. He added, “The policy committee
is doing some work on the flag policy. We’ve
asked legal [counsel] for an opinion, and
Superintendent Goebel has gone to other
districts to get their policies. So, we’re kind of
putting together some information. We’re
setting up some meetings with the LGBTQ
community to get some more feedback from
them as to really what their ultimate outcomes
are, what they were hoping for.” - The school board received donations
Monday, including $70,000 from the Baum
Family Foundation to cancel the costs of pay-
to-participate athletics, $3,000 from an
anonymous donor for the summer food
program, $1,280 from Co-Dee Stamping for
new tennis bags, $3,181 from the Hastings
Education Enrichment Foundation for various
districtwide materials and activities, $3,
from the Barry Community Foundation for
STEM Specials in the elementary schools and
$999 from the Barry Community Foundation
for drones in a middle school classroom.