2011 Montgomery County - Leland & Carolyn Jones

When people in Montgomery County think about the county fair – the name Leland Jones often comes to mind.

Leland and his wife Carolyn have been part of 4-H and the county fair since the early 1960s.  Carolyn was a 4-H member as a teen and when her daughters were old enough they went on to join the same club she had been in, the Loyal Lincoln Lassies/Lincoln Hustlers.  She and Leland became leaders and they both continued in that capacity until both girls were through 4-H.  Leland believed in 4-H as a great way for young people – he was very sorry when the club dissolved because of lack of interest, but very happy that a new club from Lincoln Township was formed just a few years ago – with the same name as before, Lincoln Hustlers.

Carolyn became an extension homemaker in 1976 and she served on that board for 4 years as secretary, vice president and president.  She also served on county council and was a youth committee representative. 

Leland was asked to serve on the county fairboard as a representative from Lincoln Township in the late 1960s but declined at that time, wanting to wait until their daughters were out of 4-H in order to avoid any time conflicts.  He became a fairboard member in 1981 and served his time in many capacities including worker, vice president, president, district and state representative and district president for two terms.  Leland was always very proud to wear his blue county fairboard shirt.

Carolyn worked right along with him, doing static writing for the judges at the fair, helping with the advertising signs and booth rentals and helping him with various things during his two terms as district president. Leland later became a state fair volunteer and donned the red state fair shirt for 14 years at the information booth. He had planned on doing it for a 15th year but illness took away those plans. 

Leland attended lots of ISU programs, was on the extension council, served under many county agents and was a fairboard member until his death, all with Carolyn working right alongside of him.  He was always ready to volunteer somewhere, trying to make the county fair a nice place for youth to enjoy and he trained a granddaughter to help carry on his tradition. 

Leland passed away in December 2010.  At his farm sale this past spring, Carolyn asked the Lincoln Hustlers 4-H Club to serve lunch.  The circle was complete – it all goes back to the youth of tomorrow.  God Bless the 4-H.