80-year-old marks 50th consecutive year at fair

(Photo by Kris Todd) With a piece of birthday cake and special cap presented to him by the Clay County Fair's campground manager, Paul Stennes of New Richland, Minn. celebrated his 80th birthday on the Clay County fairgrounds Wednesday, in addition to his 50th successive year attending the local event. [Order this photo]

The Clay County Fair has been "the destination of a lifetime" every year the last five decades for a New Richland, Minn., man and his wife. Paul Stennes, who marked his 80th birthday Wednesday, and Blossom Stennes, who will celebrate her 73rd birthday next Wednesday, are what you can call "diehard" Clay County Fair enthusiasts.

Over the decades, the couple has brought its children -- Roger, Pete, the late Steven, the late Paul Jr., Betty Berg, Brian "Chico" and Beth O'Brien -- to the Spencer fair. They've also recently begun making the annual trek a tradition with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

"I always used to go to our Minnesota State Fair. When they took the machinery out, there was nothing for a farmer to go back to the state fair for. Food stands and that stuff, but that didn't interest me," Paul Stennes said Tuesday morning at his "light pole three" fairgrounds campsite. "Then I heard about the Spencer fair. It's a lot bigger than when I first came down here."

Like her husband, Blossom Stennes acknowledges the fair's growth over the last 50 years.

"It's bigger, a lot bigger," she said. "And, I think it's a pretty good one. There are a lot of things to see here. I like to go in the 4-H (Auditorium) and listen to whatever they have going on there, go through all the buildings and buy presents for Christmas."

When they first began the fair-going tradition, they would stay in a Spencer motel room and place a reservation for the next year's fair as they were departing. That was until the 1970s, when he purchased their first camper. The Stennes family then began parking where the midway is now located.

They eventually parked in the fairgrounds campground area when it came into existence.

Over many years, transportation to and from the Clay County Fair was provided by a school bus he'd turned into a camper. As Stennes proudly reported the diesel 1993 Dodge truck he drove their sixth RV camper -- a 2000 Montana by Keystone fifth wheel -- calculated 12 1/2 miles to-the-gallon while driving to Spencer this year, he suggested they might be in the market for a smaller camper for future fair accommodations.

As the couple visited Tuesday morning at "light pole three," the fair campsite they've held for "many, many years," Wes Fouche of West Des Moines, a first-year Clay County Fair attendee and the Stennes' camping neighbor, was working to pack up his campsite.

"I like the fair, but I have to come back to see what he has to say next year," Fouche said of Stennes. "It's our first year here, but we think this beats the Iowa State Fair by a bunch. More friendly and low-key people -- kind of like back about 30 or 40 years in time. We enjoy the fact there's no alcohol served on the grounds. We think that's a big plus. Plus, it's a great family fair. We saw lots of families this past weekend. So, we'll be back, lord willing and the creek don't rise."

Paul and Blossom Stennes, meanwhile, admit they've followed a routine of sorts while at the fair. He usually arrives the day before in order to get their favored camping spot. And, because she worked early-morning hours at Land O' Lakes for 30 years, they both got into the habit of rising at 4:30 every morning. So, after eating breakfast at 4:45 or 5 a.m., Paul Stennes said, "There's nothing open until 9, so we drink coffee. Then we take off for the fair. Then I go and harass all the people that I know. I'm kind of a harasser. I like to stir people up."

While both acknowledge they sometimes will visit the Chop Shop and order a sandwich during the afternoon, the couple is unlike other fairgoers who crave specific foods available only once a year during the Clay County Fair. Instead, they prefer to eat meals they prepare in their camper.

"It ain't because the food ain't no good up there (on the fairgrounds). It's just the idea. I like to come back and rest," he explained. "And, if I eat up there, I've got to stay up there and keep going. I like to come back here."

Just as it was 50 years ago, Stennes explained Tuesday that machinery displayed on the grounds of the Clay County Fair has been a draw for him to return year after year.

"There's a lot of good equipment here," he said matter-of-factly. "I like to browse around down there and see the new stuff."

The people he's met over the years are another allure for Stennes.

"I know so many people down here that I'm just like a native," he said with a chuckle. "The campground guys around here, it's just like I've known them all my life."

Steve Waller, who serves as the fair's campground manager, presented Stennes with a "Clay County Fair 50 Years + Attendance" cap signed by all the executive fair board members Tuesday. The semi-retired farmer was also sung a rousing version of "Happy Birthday" and presented with a birthday cake by campground workers.

While Tom Mason, who's worked the campground area for the past 11 years, chuckled as he deemed Stennes "a salty old guy," another campground worker fondly stated, "When Paul comes, then it becomes a party."

Clay County Fair tractor pulls have been another highlight for Stennes over the years. The avid International antique tractor collector participated, along with eight other Minnesota gentlemen, in Clay County tractor pulls during the 1970s with an International Harvester 1206. In an attempt to explain his lack of Clay County Fair pull awards, Stennes defended, "Not down here. I did up in Minnesota. There were too many big boys down here; I was just a little guy. But, I still had fun."

The 80-year-old, meanwhile, is eagerly awaiting Friday afternoon's antique tractor pull, as well as the Outlaw truck and tractor pulls scheduled on Saturday and Sunday. Stennes' ex-son-in-law, son and grandson are all planning to watch with him.

Stennes, who ran a garage in New Richland for over 50 years before being coaxed into taking care of the local school district's buses for the next 15 years, "retired" after turning 68. He continued to "farm a few acres."

"I used to do a lot of custom work, about 8,000 acres a year. I had three combines and three tractors, for incorporating chemicals and putting anhydrous on," he explained. "My wife would give me the dickens because I'd have all my boys out there when they were 8 years old. She'd say, 'You can't put them kids on them big tractors.' So, that's the way it was: I didn't listen to her, and the kids made it."

This same sassy attitude has helped Stennes to defend his decision to return to his favorite vacation spot every year over the last 50 years. He recalled an incident nine years ago, when his grandson had notified him that he was planning to marry his fiancee during the Clay County Fair.

"I told him, 'You picked the wrong time, my boy,'" Stennes recalled. "You know where I was: I was at the Spencer fair when he got married. I went to the Spencer fair because that's my priority. So you see what I think of the Spencer fair."

Another time, doctors informed Stennes that his mother, who was suffering with cancer, wasn't expected to live while he visited the Clay County fairgrounds.

"I still went to the Spencer fair," he said. "... So, you see, I am a diehard."

Stennes went on to suggest that regular attendance at the fair tends to "keep a guy young."

"Never been to a doctor in the last 25 years. I don't even got a doctor," he reported. The honorably-discharged Korean War Pfc. with shrapnel still over his left eyebrow added, "My last full physical I had was in 1953, when I came out of the U.S. Marine Corps."

"We brought him down about three years ago because he was sick. But, he insisted that he had to come down here, so Chico and I brought him, hooked him all up and everything, and then we had to go back home," confessed his wife.

When asked what his plans are for upcoming Clay County fairs, Stennes teasingly told several campground workers, "I plan to come down and aggravate you for another 10 years. If God is willing, I'll be here at least another 10 years. I might have to have one of my kids drive me down here, but I'll be here if I'm living."