As far as the farm goes, there’s not a lot to say in my opinion. The history is with the family.”

Mainz Farm Owner Aaron Mainz

There’s 100 people more worthy than us but nonetheless we aren’t going to turn it down.”

John Reinardy

The “Save the Depot” campaign is seeking $10,000 for restorations to the depot for repairs and stabilization, as well as to bolster the site’s general operating fund for “educational camps and activities, utilities, wages, security and repairs and preservation supplies – basically, the necessities to make Dakota City Heritage Village a Minnesota treasure,” according to the site’s GiveMN campaign.

“Happy fair week,” was the greeting of the hour as the Dakota County Commissioners held their annual board meeting from the County Fairgrounds.
The meeting, held in the fairground’s beer tent, awarded the 2025 farm family of the year and sesquicentennial plaques as well as showcased some of the hard work from local 4H members.
The 2025 Farm Family of the Year was first presented by the University of Minnesota Extension Services.
The 2025 Farm Family of the Year honor went to the Reinardy farm, located in Hampton Township. The fifth-generation farm is run by brothers Jody and John Reinardy who took over the farm in 2008 with a sixth generation expected to take the reins someday.
“There’s 100 people more worthy than us but nonetheless we aren’t going to turn it down,” quipped John Reinardy.
Charlie Radman, President of the Dakota County Farm Bureau, presented two sesquicentennial, or 150-year plaques, to local farms: the Maher family farm and Mainz family farm.
In 1875 when both these farms began, the State of Minnesota was 18 years old. The town of Rosemount was recently incorporated and local townships battled for where borders would fall.
The first Kentucky Derby took pace in Louisville, Ken. that same year.
At the Mainz farm, owner Aaron Mainz’s focus was not on the farm but on family history: “As far as the farm goes, there’s not a lot to say in my opinion. The history is with the family.”
One such history is that of Mainz’s root beer, which according to Mainz used to be brewed and bottled in Hastings by his ancestors, with only a handful of bottles remaining to this day.
Several 4H members and their projects were highlighted including Anders Agrimson who collected antique grease caps and mounted them on a wheel. Grease caps are the caps of tires that would eventually become hub caps.
According to Erick Agrimson, Anders’ father, the grease caps were found in his own father’s collection which inspired Anders to create a project from collecting and labeling them.
“This took me a lot of time to do,” said Anders, with some 60 hours of research alone for the project.
Dakota County continues to boast the largest 4H population out of any county in the state. This year, the county fair had nearly 4,800 exhibits from 485 local 4H exhibitors.
“So many things happen at county fairs that people have no idea,” said Dakota County Commissioner Mike Slavik before ending the meeting.
As events from reenactments to tractor parades to the numerous 4H contests played out throughout the week, that description was proven correct.
In breeches and show coats, riders looped around the horse arena as Judge Ginnie Larson had contestants of the English pleasure class cantor, reverse and walk.
Larson, clad in a black cowboy hat, similarly paced the arena, setting out cones and sending slips of paper up to the announcer for winners. She’s been judging horses for 35 years and spoke to the subjectivity of judgments: “It’s opinionated: not a clean line,” unlike games which are more objective because of their focus on time.
Other judges like Judge Mike Avesing held rabbits, scrutinizing ear shape, trim and coloration. Avesing spoke to the different breeds of rabbits, how their standards differ, and what to look for in each as he shuffled contestants back and forth in line.
Those contestants held rabbits by the head, covering their eyes to keep them calm, sometimes failing as they hopped from the table and out into the woodchips of the barn.
A laugh went up through the crowd each and every time.
Avesing has been a judge since 1987, and since then, has only missed a single year of judging at the American Rabbit Breeders Association convention.
The Dakota County Fair hosts a sprawling market, featuring everything from local vendors selling 3D printed toys to gutter cleaners to a booth for the Minnesota Republican Party.
In the Red Commercial Building, Darla Beyer, an Independent Contractor with Scentsy, sat in a booth featuring scented melting wax. Beyer has been coming to the fair for the past six years selling Scentsy products and spoke to the community not just of vendors but of customers who come year after year.
“There are regulars for both vendors and customers. I’ve got customers who call me each year,” said Beyer.
Over at the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) “Old Timers” newly built garage, members showcased pictures from races, cars, drivers, and the history surround them throughout the decades.
In years gone by, county fairs would have regular races, usually on the site’s horse track, leaving drivers to contend with rutted dirt, dust and mud, said IMCA president Rob Caho.
The goal of the group is to preserve racing history, especially by growing interest for a new generation.
“Young people aren’t growing up around racetracks anymore,” lamented Caho.
The now-annual coloring contest had children filing into the garage to submit their entry. Last year, the group received more than 1,300 submissions, a number that is expected to be far surpassed this year.
If those numbers translate into younger membership, only time will tell.
At Dakota City, a model village composed of refurbished buildings ranging from a jail to train depot to barbershop to newspaper press. Dakota City is only available to the public during special occasions like the Dakota County Fair where reenactments from the Cannon Old West Society occurred throughout the weekend.
Currently, the site is seeking funds for the train depot, which was originally located in Lakeville. The “Save the Depot” campaign is seeking $10,000 for restorations to the depot for repairs and stabilization, as well as to bolster the site’s general operating fund for “educational camps and activities, utilities, wages, security and repairs and preservation supplies – basically, the necessities to make Dakota City Heritage Village a Minnesota treasure,” according to the site’s GiveMN campaign.