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Six college scholarship winners received a total of $11,250 from the Friends of the Dixon May Fair in 2018, totaling $186,250 in college scholarships awarded since 2000.  In front (from left) are Cameron Garlick of Dixon, Makala Hagan of Rio Vista, Mackenzie Davi of Dixon,  Rebecca Luedke of Dixon, and Jillian Raycraft of Dixon. In back are Donnie Huffman of Vacaville, president of the Friends of the Fair, and Carrie Hamel of Dixon, scholarship chair. Not pictured is scholarship recipient Halie Pringle of Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Friends of Fair Award $11,250 in College Scholarship: Amount Now Totals $186,250

The Friends of the Fair, the service-oriented and fundraising arm of the Dixon May Fair, has presented a total of $11,250 in college scholarships to six Solano County residents majoring in an agricultural-related field. 

Since its founding in 2000, the Friends have awarded $186,250 in scholarships, including this year’s awards. The organization raises funds primarily through the sale of beverages sold at the Dixon May Fair.

“We’re proud to help our college students,” said Donnie Huffman of Vacaville, president of the Friends of the Fair since 2000, told the crowd gathered at the end-of-the-year barbecue, held Wednesday, May 30 on the Dixon May Fair grounds.  “This was our 19th year at the fair and one of our best years.” At this year’s fair, May 10-13, the gross sales of beverages totaled $164,446. “This is where we get our money for scholarships,” Huffman said. “We also perform building and maintenance projects throughout the year, and award silver belt buckles to the top youth exhibitors—this year we gave away 50 belt buckles.”

Huffman and scholarship chair Carrie Hamel of Dixon, presented the scholarship awards. In the four-year college category, three students received a total of $7500, and in the two-year community college category, three students accepted a total of $3750.  Each also received a Dixon May Fair hat.

Jillian Raycraft of Dixon, a 2015 graduate of Dixon High School and a student at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, a three-year scholarship recipient, again received the top award, the $3000 Ester Armstrong Scholarship. The scholarship memorializes a fair industry veteran who served as interim chief executive officer from 2006 to 2009.

Mackenzie Davi of Dixon, a senior at Dixon High School and soon-to-be student at California State University, Chico, received the newly created $2500 JoAn Giannoni Award. The annual award honors a Dixon resident who served as the long-time scholarship chair and secretary of Friends of the Fair; Giannoni also received the Dixon May Fair’s 2018 Blue Ribbon Award for her service.

Also in the four-year college category, Rebecca Luedke of Dixon, a 2013 graduate of Dixon High School and a student California State University, Chico, won the $2000 award.

Mikalya Hagan of Rio Vista, a senior at Rio Vista High School and a pending student at Solano Community College, won the Jack Hopkins Scholarship of $1,500, the top award in the two-year community college category.

Also in the two-year college category, Halie Pringle of Vacaville, a 2018 graduate Vacaville High School and a pending student at Solano Community College, won the $1250 award. Cameron Garlick of Dixon, a 2017 graduate of Dixon High School and a second-year student at Butte Community, Oroville, won the $1000 award.

Hamel said the applicants were scored on personal, civic and academic experience; academic standing; personal commitment and established goals; leadership potential; civic accomplishments; chosen field in the areas of agriculture. All have experience in either 4-H, FFA or Grange—desired but not mandated. All applicants must be residents of Solano County and attend college in California. Depending on their scores, they can receive multi-year scholarships.

Jillian Raycraft, a 2015 graduate of Dixon High School, and a third-year student at Cal Poly, is studying agricultural production marketing at Cal Poly, plans a career in agriculture finance and policy.  She is a fourth generation of Raycrafts pursuing a career in agriculture. Growing up on the family harm has captured “most of my heart,” she wrote on her application. She learned to drive a tractor, work the crops, tend the irrigation system and rear animals. “As I spent my high school career heavily involved in my local FFA chapter, raising animals and farming my own four acres of field corn and oat hay seasonally, it has only further sparked my interest in pursuing a career in agricultural business,” she said.

“Agriculture is the reason why everyone is alive. It puts food on our table and clothes on our back. It even brings people together.”

MacKenzie Davi, who seeks a career as an agricultural teacher, is an active member of the Vaca Valley 4-H Club, Vacaville and served as a teen leader for multiple years for a swine project. She raises livestock for the Dixon May Fair, Solano County Fair and the California State Fair. ”I want to be able to help excel kids with their projects whether it’s livestock or farming,” Davi wrote in her application. “I’ve had experience with raising and showing swine, cattle, rabbits, poultry and horses.

Rebecca Luedke, who is majoring in animal science at Chico, aims to become an animal nutritionist. “I want to graduate with a degree in animal science and become an animal nutritionist and work in food processing,” she wrote on her application. “I have always had a love for animals ever since I was very young.”

Luedke was a longtime member of the Roving Clovers 4-H Club, Dixon. “I was able to raise many species of animals, from small animals like quail, rabbit and chickens to larger animals like sheep, goats and steers. 4-H really impacted my life and taught me so much, from being in different project groups and working with other people to learning about and working with many different animals.”

“In my future career as an animal nutritionists, I really hope to create new feed for all types of animals,” Luedke wrote. “I think I will focus on large animals like goats and sheep, but I want to be able to create a new and better feed that will help animals. My goal is to have affordable, effective feeds that are accessible to everyone.”

Mikalya Hagan plans a career as a large animal veterinary technician. “All my life I have loved being involved with animals, which has driven me to become a large animal veterinary technician.  A longtime member of the Rio Vista 4-H Club, she joined the youth organization in first grade. “My first animal project was to raise two market goats for the Dixon May Fair.

“I have continued to show animals up until the present. In that time, I have raised honey bees and  have shown market steers, market chickens, roaster ducks, market turkeys and many market and breeding meat goats, exhibiting several champion and reserve champion animals at both the  Dixon May Fair and Solano County Fair. She joined the Rio Vista FFA when she started high school and received several degrees, including the chapter degree and state farmer degree.  She plans to obtain her general education at Solano Community College and then transfer to Cosumnes River College, Sacramento, or Carrington College, Sacramento, for the veterinary technician  program.

Halie Pringle, a senior at Vacaville High School, and a soon-to-be student at Solano Community College, plans a career in agricultural business/soil sciences.  She is active in both 4-H and FFA. “This will be my 13th year in 4-H and my fourth year in FFA,” she wrote in her application. “I have been part of many projects during my 13 years in 4-H. I have participated in dog care and training, poultry, foods and nutrition, meat goats, cake decorating swine, and the orphan kitten project. She is a past president of the Vaca Valley 4-H Club, a junior leader for three years and a teen leader for the past four years.

“4-H has helped me develop my passion for both agriculture and leadership and this is why I have chosen to pursue a career in agricultural business.”

Cameron Garlick, a 2017 graduate of Dion High School and a second year-student at Butte, plans to receive his bachelor’s degree in plant science and seeks a career as a plant crop advisor.  He is an alumnus of 4-H, FFA and Grange. He showed pigs and lambs at the Dion May Fair for eight years.

“Dixon has been a great place to grow u and my participation in sports, 4-H and FFA in this community have had a positive impact on my life,” he wrote in his application. “When I come home on college breaks, I try to give back to my community by volunteering in my mom’s kindergarten classroom at Anderson School.”

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The scholarship committee, chaired by Hamel, also includes Tootie Huffman, Kathy Keatley Garvey and Linda Molina of Vacaville, and Marty Scrivens of Dixon.  Huffman serves a treasurer of the all-volunteer Friends of the Fair, and Scrivens as secretary. 

More information on the scholarship application rules is available on the Friends of the Fair site at http://www.friendsofthefair.org. The deadline to apply each year is March 1. Applicants are encouraged to enter early in the year.

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Kathy Keatley Garvey

UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology

kegarvey@ucdavis.edu 

Or

kathykeatleygarvey@gmail.com 

Website: http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/

Department News:  http://ucanr.edu/blogs/entomology/ 

Bug Squad blog: http://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/index.cfm

Not many organizations can say “We have given away $175,000 in college scholarship funds over the last 17 years.”

The Friends of the Dixon May Fair can.

The Friends of the Fair, the service-oriented and fundraising arm of the Dixon May Fair, just presented a total of $12,500 in scholarships to six Solano County residents majoring in an agricultural-related field. The Friends’ philanthropic contributions now totals $175,000.

“We totally support our college students majoring in ag,” said Donnie Huffman of Vacaville, president of the Friends of Fair. The organization raises funds primarily through the sale of beverages sold at the Dixon May Fair.

He and Carrie Hamel of Dixon, the scholarship committee chair, presented the awards to the winners at a recent end-of-the-year barbecue on the fairgrounds.

Jillian Raycraft of Dixon, a student at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, received the top award, the $3000 Ester Armstrong Scholarship, which memorializes a fair industry veteran who served as interim chief executive officer from 2006 to 2009.

Four students each received $2000 in the four-year college category: Kyle Garlick of Dixon, Chico State University; Jess Bravos of Dixon, University of San Diego; Kyle Esquer of Dixon, Cal Poly; and Dominique Sloper of Vacaville, Cal Poly.

Cameron Garlick of Dixon, who will attend Butte Community College, Oroville, received the Jack Hopkins Scholarship of $1,500, the top award in the community college category. His brother, Kyle, is a previous recipient of the award.

Hamel said the applicants were scored on personal, civic and academic experience; academic standing; personal commitment and established goals; leadership potential; civic accomplishments; chosen field in the areas of agriculture. Most have experience in 4-H, FFA or Grange—desired but not mandated. All applicants must be residents of Solano County and attend college in California.

Jillian Raycraft, a 2015 graduate of Dixon High School, is studying agricultural production marketing at Cal Poly, where she just completed her second year of studies. She is the fourth generation of Raycrafts pursuing a career in agriculture. She said that growing up on the family harm has captured “most of my heart.” She learned to drive a tractor, work the crops, tend the irrigation system and rear animals. “As I spent my high school career heavily involved in my local FFA chapter, raising animals and farming my own four acres of field corn and oat hay seasonally, it has only further sparked my interest in pursuing a career in agricultural business,” she said.

“Being an advocate for the agricultural industry is a major priority of mine” and she is now deciding between a career in lobbying for the industry and production marketing.

Kyle Garlick, a 2012 Dixon High School graduate and a graduate of Butte Community College, is attending Chico State, majoring in agricultural business. He plans to pursue a career in ag insurance. His interest in agriculture began with his membership in the Dixon Ridge 4-H Club. He completed a summer internship as a field tech with Dellavalle Labs, Davis, a business that specializes in agricultural soil testing. He checked fields and orchards of farmers from Stockton to Chico and offered advice on crop and pest management.

Jess Bravos, a 2017 graduate of Dixon High School and a participant in the Dixon May Fair Livestock Showcase, is interested in pursuing a career as a large animal veterinarian or a forensic pathologist. He will be majoring in biology at Cal Poly this fall. He credits his advanced placement biology at Dixon High with inspiring him to learn more about bioogy. “For me, biology is the perfect combination of the wonders of science, and science I can comprehend,” he said. “By using my knowledge of biology, I plan to make the world a healthier and safer place to live.”

Kyle Esquer, a 2017 graduate of Dixon High School, will attend Cal Poly this fall, majoring in bioresource and agricultural engineering. He plans to become an agriculture engineer. An FFA alumnus, he received greenhand, chapter and state degree honors. He showed a lamb last year at the Dixon May Fair. “Being involved in the FFA and enrolled in agriculture classes has shown me that not everyone is fit to be a doctor or lawyer; some need to grow our produce and others need to care for livestock, and thanks to agriculture, I have found my calling: agriculture engineer.” His career “will not only allow me to help farmers and educate people on agriculture, it will broaden my knowledge of the subject and I will finally get to live the life I have always dreamed of.”

Dominque Sloper, a 2017 graduate of Vacaville High School, will be attending Cal Poly this fall, with career plans as an agricultural educator and FFA advisor. She credits the Vacaville FFA with inspiring her career path. “When I joined the Vacaville FFA chapter my freshman year, agriculture was a foreign concept to me. I grew up in the city, and I knew nothing about how the food I ate made it to my table.” Her membership in FFA included enrolling in seven different projects, holding leadership offices at the chapter, sectional and regional level; competing in five different speaking competitions. “The most amazing aspect of being an FFA advisor is the opportunity to teach not only in the classroom, but to give students hands-on experience…I now understand the future of agriculture is in our hands.”

Cameron Garlick, a 2017 graduate of Dixon High School, attended evening classes at Solano Community College while attending high school. An alumnus of 4-H, FFA and Grange, he showed and lambs at the Dixon May Fair for the past eight years. He plans to pursue a career as a plant crop advisor. “After graduation from Butte Community College, I plan to attend a four-year university to obtain a bachelor of science degree in plant science,” he said.

Carrie Hamel, serving her first year as the scholarship committee chair, is a long-time member of the committee, which also includes Tootie Huffman, Kathy Keatley Garvey and Linda Molina of Vacaville, and Marty Scrivens of Dixon.

More information on the scholarship application rules is available on the Friends of the Fair site at http://www.friendsofthefair.org. The deadline to apply each year is March 1.

Dixon resident JoAn Giannoni was surprised and speechless when she read the letter addressed to her from the board of directors, Friends of the Dixon May Fair.

“We will never be able to measure your dedication to Friends of the Dixon May Fair so the scholarship committee came up with an idea,” she read.

The idea, which is now a reality: The Friends of the Fair has launched an annual college scholarship bearing her name.

The JoAnn Giannoni $2500 Scholarship Award will be presented annually to a Solano County resident majoring in agriculture in a four-year California college or university. This means that the Friends’ treasure chest has now expanded from $12,500 to $15,000 per year for annual college scholarships.

“It’s such an honor,” Gianonni said Friday, Jan. 26.] “I have no words. I am speechless. I’m going to write them right back and thank them for such a wonderful honor.”

Giannoni, a founding member of the organization, served as secretary and scholarship chairman from its beginnings in 2000 to 2017. The Friends, the service-oriented and fundraising arm of the Dixon May Fair, raises funds from the sale of beverages at the four-day fair and donates the proceeds for exhibitor awards, building and grounds improvements, and college scholarships. The all-volunteer organization is headed by president Donnie Huffman of Vacaville.

“I’ve seen so many changes initiated and completed by the Friends of the Fair,” Giannoni said. “They do a wonderful job.”

In its letter, the board wrote: “We are so thankful and proud of all the fine work you did as our secretary and as chairman of the scholarship committee and our members this seems only fitting that a scholarship is named for you.”

Giannoni retired in 2017 as scholarship chair and secretary—serving 17 years simultaneously in each position–but continues to serve. “I can still pour beer,” she quipped, “and I assist with the ATM machine (maintained by the Friends at the Dixon May Fair).”

A resident of Dixon for more than 50 years, Giannoni retired in 1997 as the management service officer for the UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, concluding a 30-year UC Davis career.

Last summer, the Friends surprised her at their end-of-the-year barbecue on the fairgrounds with an engraved silver belt buckle and bracelet. She was serving barbecued beans to the crowd when she was called to the stage. Huffman and his wife, Tootie, treasurer of Friends, praised her for all she’s done.

Born JoAn Gnos in Thornton, San Joaquin County, and married twice and widowed twice, Giannoni now spends much of her time traveling and visiting her eight grandchildren (six boys and two girls) who reside in a total of five states: California, Texas, Kansas, Nevada and Tennessee. She especially enjoys attending the music concerts of grandson and country music star Jon Pardi of Nashville, a singer, songwriter and record producer from Dixon who has performed multiple times at the Dixon May Fair while she was serving beverages.

“He didn’t get his musical talent from me,” she said. “But my older sister, Marie (now deceased), was a singer.”

Over the last 17 years, the Friends of the Dixon May Fair has awarded $175,000 in college scholarships encompassing four-year and two-year college categories. Carrie Hamel, finance officer for UC Davis Public Health Sciences, who has chaired the committee since 2017, says the deadline to apply for the annual scholarships is March 1.

“We totally support our college students majoring in ag,” said Donnie Huffman of Vacaville, president of the Friends of Fair, who launched the scholarships. Agricultural fields can include everything from horticulture to entomology to veterinary medicine.

Applicants are scored on personal, civic and academic experience; academic standing; personal commitment and established goals; leadership potential; civic accomplishments; chosen field in the areas of agriculture, Hamel said. Most applicants have experience in 4-H, FFA or Grange—desired not mandated. All applicants must be residents of Solano County and attend college in California.

The top applicant in the four-year category receives the Ester Armstrong Scholarship Award of $3000, and the second top applicant will now receive the JoAn Giannoni Scholarship Award of $2500. The top applicant in the two-year community college category is awarded the $1500 Jack Hopkins Scholarship.

Last year the Friends awarded six scholarships. Jillian Raycraft of Dixon, a student at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, received the top award, the $3000 Ester Armstrong Scholarship, which memorializes a fair industry veteran who served as interim chief executive officer from 2006 to 2009.

Four students each received $2000 in the four-year college category: Kyle Garlick of Dixon, Chico State University; Jess Bravos of Dixon, University of San Diego; Kyle Esquer of Dixon, Cal Poly; and Dominique Sloper of Vacaville, Cal Poly.

Cameron Garlick of Dixon, a student at Butte Community College, Oroville, received the Jack Hopkins Scholarship of $1500, the top award in the community college category. His brother, Kyle, is a previous recipient of the award.

More information on the scholarship application rules is available on the Friends of the Fair site at http://www.friendsofthefair.org. The deadline to apply each year is 5 p.m. March 1. Applications must be on Friends of the Fair forms and include a personal essay and letters of support. They must be mailed to the Friends of the Fair, P.O. Box 242, Dixon, Calif. For more information, contact Hamel at cahamel@ucdavis.edu.

Top qualifier in either Category 1a or 2a will be awarded the “Ester Armstrong Scholarship Award “ of $3000.00 and the “JoAn Giannoni Scholarship Award of $2500.00 will be awarded to the second highest qualifier. Top qualifier in either Category 1b or 2b will be awarded the “Jack Hopkins Scholarship Award” of $1500.00

https://friendsofthefair.org/home/scholarship-info/

Welcome to Friends of the Dixon May Fair!