A FAMILY AFFAIR
Muckle Fair Museum co-superintendents Alex Vaillancourt and his mother, Nancy Vaillancourt, are setting up the displays for this year’s Steele County Free Fair. Staff photo by Karen M. Jorgensen
It takes a lot of people to put on the Steele County Free Fair each August. Each specific fair department has its own superintendent, and they put in countless hours during the year to see that they offer the best experience for fairgoers.
One of those departments is the Muckle Fair Museum that has been headed up for the past 12 years by Nancy Vaillancourt.
Vaillancourt and her son Alex were busy this week getting the museum ready for the fair’s opening on Aug. 18. Alex was recently named as co-superintendent with his mother.
Vaillancourt said she was asked by then Fair Superintendent Elmer Reseland if she would be interested in working with the museum. It seemed to be a natural fit given her work at the Owatonna Public Library and her interest in history, so she agreed. She also served as branch manager of the Blooming Prairie library.
Besides working with Reseland at the museum, she said, she also worked with Sharon Stark, also a former librarian and long-time administrative assistant and volunteer for the fair.
While Vaillancourt says she has no intentions of retiring as the museum superintendent, she is now joined by her son Alex, who this year was named as the co-superintendent.
Alex, she said, has been helping out at the museum for years and it was just natural for him to be named co-superintendent. That is the way changes often happen at the fair as long-time volunteers move on to lead departments in the organization.
“I’ve helped out for about 14 years,” Alex said.
He said he was really excited when he was appointed co-superintendent and “I thought I would never get the job,” because his mother was the superintendent and he did not know how people would react.
Both Vaillancourts said the time from now to opening night would be an exceptionally busy time as they worked to get all the exhibits ready for visitors.
The Muckle Fair Museum was donated by Stan Muckle, an Owatonna businessman and fair supporter. Over the years the museum has received historical items donated by fair board members, carnival workers, local vendors and community members.
Every year, he said, the museum features a new theme. This year, he said, the themes will be the carnival ride the Tilt-A-Whirl and animals at the fair. The Tilt-A-Whirl was invented in 1926 by the Herbert Sellner in Faribault. The fair has one of the Tilt-a-Whirl cars from a past fair.
For animals, he said, the museum will feature photos of some of the animals that have made appearances at the fair including a Komodo Dragon and the ostriches from the ostrich races.
During fair week both Vaillancourts spend much of the week at the museum. Alex, who works in IT for Rice County, said he will be taking vacation from his job for the week.
History has always been an interest of the Vaillancourts, but Alex said his favorite part of working at the museum has been meeting the visitors who stop by during the week and often want to tell their own memories of the fair.
The museum, like all fair departments, relies on volunteers and anyone who is interested in helping out can call the fair office to ask about volunteer opportunities, Nancy said.