'Walt's Donut Hut' honors Hillsdale County Fair volunteer's legacy

HILLSDALE — For more than a decade now, visitors to the Hillsdale County Fair have stood in line, patiently waiting to purchase an irresistible treat only available a few times a year.

The Donut Hut opened in 2010 and was the brainchild of long-serving fair volunteer Walter "Walt" Zinser.

Tom Richards, the past president of the Hillsdale County Agricultural Society and current fair board member, recalled when Zinser first approached the fair board about selling doughnuts. Zinser, Rod Beach and Richards traveled to other fairgrounds in northern Ohio to observe their operations and the idea of the Donut Hut was born.

For the past decade, Zinser dedicated his time during fair week to operating the Donut Hut, perfecting Hillsdale County's favorite fall treat and growing his legacy.

Zinser was diagnosed with a terminal illness this summer and his son, John, approached the fair board once again about renaming the Donut Hut in honor of the man who started it all.

"It was a no brainer," Richards said.

Zinser's family was able to bring him to the fairgrounds to see the new "Walt's Donut Hut" sign, installed this summer, before he died on Sept. 8.

And now, his son John, a third-generation volunteer for the Hillsdale County Fair, is keeping Walt's legacy running smoothly.

"It's only been a couple weeks (since he passed)," John said. "When he started a project, he didn't just walk away. He followed through and made sure it was going to be done right. This was his baby. I think it was the thing he was most proud of."

John said that when his father discovered his illness earlier this summer, over the course of many conversations, his father said one of the few things he wanted to make sure was taken care of was the Donut Hut.

"It's been overwhelming … the amount of people that have told us how much (Dad) meant to them," John said. "And we really appreciate that."

All week long, community members, fair board members, and long-time friends of Zinser have approached John expressing their condolences and sharing stories of a man everyone seemed to know.

Zinser's service to the fairgrounds spanned decades before the Donut Hut was established.

As a kid, Zinser tagged along with his own father, John's grandfather, who volunteered to direct traffic and park cars during fair week starting in the mid 1950s.

In 1980, the fair board approached Zinser, John said, to establish a photography department, and he ran that for 30 years.

In 2010, Zinser approached the fair board about establishing the Donut Hut after volunteering in another Donut Hut at a fair in Defiance, Ohio, for three years.

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The proceeds generated from the Donut Hut have been invested into capital improvements to other buildings around the fairgrounds, John said.

As the 173rd Hillsdale County Fair winds down, with thousands of doughnuts already sold, Zinser's legacy and passion continues through John.

"I know he's here with us this week," John said.

— Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: 'Walt's Donut Hut' honors Hillsdale County Fair volunteer's legacy