Fondness for the Fair: Ron and Ann Rowan chosen as Baker County Fair Family of the Year

Jul. 22—In 1978, Ron Rowan had a choice.

As a student at the University of Idaho, he went to the Idaho extension service looking for a summer internship. There was no shortage of options — he was told he could spend the summer in any of Idaho's 44 counties. He just had to choose one.

But he couldn't. His sights were elsewhere.

"I want to go to Baker City, Oregon," he said at the time.

He was successful in convincing the extension agent in Baker, Gus Markgraf, to let him spend the summer across the state border, even though out-of-state hires were atypical.

Ron spent that summer helping out with the Baker County Fair. He liked it so much he came back the following summer to work on a farm.

"I just liked the area, and that first year I met all the people that were involved with the fair, and I just loved the fair here," Ron said. "There's just so many great people."

Over four decades later, things have come full circle: Ron, who has served as chairman of the Baker County Fair Board for 20 years, and his wife, Ann, were named the Baker County Fair Family of the Year for 2022.

And Markgraf is now the Rowans' neighbor at their 40-acre property on the east side of Baker Valley.

After the couple met and married in Boise, they moved to Baker City in 1997. Ron, whose father was a veterinarian, grew up in Weiser, Idaho, while Ann grew up in Boise. Her parents had a small cattle pasture, but she admits she "had no idea what the country was like" before the couple moved to Baker.

But her love for the fair grew when the couple's children got involved.

Katie, now 33, and Brent, 31, both participated in the 4-H program every year they were eligible until they graduated from high school. It was around the time Katie and Brent started the program that Ron joined the fair board.

"They were super enthusiastic," Ann, a schoolteacher of 41 years, 24 of those in Baker City, said of her children.

They were also successful — each was a champion at the fair, Katie for her lambs and Brent for his steer.

Other times, though, they didn't have such luck.

"They had some really good fairs and other ones they weren't very successful in, which is just like life," Ron said.

The couple agreed that the fair was a large part of character building for their children.

"It's not just learning about the animals, it's learning life skills: persistence, caring for an animal, giving up the animal in the end," Ann said. "It's tough to give up the little pig you've raised."

While his children showed their animals, Ron helped build the infrastructure for such events. Ron guided the fair board through a land swap in which the county acquired the old armory building and renovated it into the current Baker County Events Center.

"That's been a huge project for the fair board to refurbish and make that bunker into a community center," Ron said.

"That's basically all it was, was a bunker," he said with a laugh.

He also helped complete the Cockram Arena, which is dedicated to former fair board member Fred Cockram, whose daughter, Michelle Kasebeg, nominated the Rowans as fair family for 2022.

Dean Defrees, the vice chairman of the fair board, also nominated the family.

"Speaking for myself and the rest of the board we will attest to the fact that Ron has been a champion for the fair, the fairgrounds, the community and Baker County," Defrees said. "Few people realize the amount of volunteer time, with Ann's support, that Ron has put in over the last 20 years."

Ron said he hopes to host more events at the fairgrounds in the future: rodeos, horse shows, concerts, gun shows, trade shows, festival of trees, high school dances, weddings, etc.

"The more it gets used, the better," he said.

As Ron continues his volunteer work as the board's chairman, the couple still hosts fair animals for the 4-H program on their land over a decade after their own children have left the program. Along with a few other families, the Rowans aim to provide opportunities for 4-H participants who might not have a place to keep their animals.

The couple said it's part of "reciprocating" what the fair has provided to the Rowans and the efforts of everyone involved.

"There are a lot of people who haven't been recognized yet that do a lot for the fair," Ann said. "It takes a village to put it on and make it successful."

The Rowans will be recognized at the Baker County Events Center on Tuesday, July 26, during an appreciation dinner and pie auction in support of the 4-H program. The event, hosted by Friends of the Fair, begins at 5:30 and the dinner is at 6:30, followed by the auction. It is recommended that guests bring desserts for the auction.