MOUNT GILEAD — Three Morrow County residents were recognized and honored for their yeas of support of the Morrow County Fair during a ceremony held prior to the crowning of the 2021 Junior Fair King and queen.
The tributes were from the Morrow County Fair Board and announced by board president Dave Brown.
Honored were Dixie Shinaberry, Charlie Lynn and Evelyn Long.
• Shinaberry is a Mount Gilead resident.
Brown said, “Dixie can be found volunteering at many events around the county and she is familiar to many around the fairgrounds.”
Shinaberry, who has served as the Morrow County Recorder for over 20 years, received the Ohio Recorder’s Association Golden Quill award for community service and involvement.
In 2017 she originated the Christmas Angels by involving several churches in the county and they decorate and deliver mini-Christmas trees to residents of the county’s nursing homes.
She is also active with the Tomorrow Center Board, Morrow County Gleaners, Morrow County Conservation Club, the Morrow County Republican Women, Morrow County Pork Board and the Morrow County Services for Older Citizens.
• Charlie Lynn, the second honoree, is 89 years old and a 49-year member of the Senior Fair Board, representing Peru Township. He and his wife, Patty, have been married for 62 years and they have three children, Beth Harp, Joyce Zimmer and Randy Lynn.
They also have six grandchildren and six great grandchlldren. The Lynns are proud third generation farmers of LynnDale Farms, raising field crops along with sheep, cattle, goats, hogs, chickens, cats and dogs.
Through the years many youth of the community have been educated on farm life by helping bale 10,000-15,000 bales of hay.
Charlie was a 4-H advisor in Delaware for over 50 years and is a member of the 4-H Hall of Fame there. He has always been a family man and has made sure that his children, grandchildren and other youth in the area have 4-H projects to show at both the Delaware and Morrow County fairs.
• Evelyn Long, the third nominee was born in Marion County where she lived for ten years and while a fourth grade student at Claridon, she and her family moved to her mother’s home farm in Cardington in 1941.
She is a 1950 Cardington High School graduate. Her husband of 49 years, Willis Long, passed away in 2004.
Evelyn began her journalism career as a member of the Marion Star staff in 1978 and joined the Morrow County Sentinel in 1996. Each week her feature called “Reflections” can be read in the Sentinel, a learning column about Morrow County.
One of Evelyn’s favorite subjects to write about is the Morrow County Fair. It doesn’t matter if it is something pertaining to the junior or senior fair, the coverage is always there. For many years her sister, Joanne, was her photographer.
Today, there is always a photographer near by to take pictures of the champion livestock, still projects, flowers, pies or whatever Evelyn feels is newsworthy.
Evelyn was unable to be present for the awards ceremony but later received her award from Mary Weiler, fair board secretary. Each honoree received a beautiful ebony colored engraved plaque.
