Sunday is the last opportunity for 2008 Mower County Free Fair attendees to see “America’s original farmyard.”

That’s what fair board director John Mueller called the Don Ritland Memorial Children’s Farmyard attraction at dedication ceremonies held last Thursday afternoon.

Watching the ceremonies were Reva Ritland, Don’s widow, who created one of the most popular free attractions at the county fair, her daughters, Janet Jacobsen and Marcia Lunt, plus a large delegation of other relatives and friends.

A special guest was Ella Marie Lausen, the retired long-time fair board office manager, and a friend of Mrs. Ritland’s.

Also witnesses the ceremony were Mower County commissioners and Future Farmers of America alumni from chapters throughout Mower County.

“The Mower County Free Fair has the good fortune to have what is widely regarded to be ‘America’s original farmyard’ and today we would like to dedicate this farmyard to the man that is credited with taking an idea and turning it into what became the model for county fairs across the state and the country,” Mueller said.

According to the fair board director’s research, Mower County Fair Board Director Carl Kehret Jr. provided a dairy calf, pony and colt to the Austin High School Future Farmers of America chapter in 1944 to create a petting zoo at the Mower County Free Fair in August.

Five years later, Don Ritland was hired ag instructor and FFA advisor at AHS.

“In 1950, he saw an opportunity to make the petting zoo project grow,” Mueller said. “He moved it outside and sought a large variety of animals.

“Some were typical to a farmyard and some were not,” he said.

Ritland brought a leopard cub, llama and peacocks as well as more traditional farmyard animals and fowl to the new attraction.

“In particular,” Mueller said, “Don put planning and preparation into timing the births of baby animals, so that the babies and their mothers could be displayed in the farmyard, during the Mower County Fair.

Fair-goers and FFA members through the years, who have supervised the project have many memories of the delightful excitement among children: eggs-hatching new chicks, chicks taking a ride on their very own Ferris wheel and ducks riding boats in a pond.

There were ponies, goats, sheep and calves to pet. Full-grown chickens and ducks to feed,

Rabbits hopping about their cages to admire.

For generations of fair-goers — particularly families with children — the Children’s Farmyard was the first and last stop on a tour of the fairgrounds.

“This year the farmyard has been renovate so that generations to come will be able to have those same grand moments to remember,” Mueller told the crowd.

The Fair Board director read a long list of people and businesses who assisted in the renovation project.

Topping the list were Mower County high school FFA chapters.

Others who helped were members of the Mower County fairgrounds’ groundskeeping crew; individuals performing community service with the Mower County Sentencing To Service crew; Cenex Harvest States; Ulland Bros., Inc.; Mower County Corn and Soybean Growers Association; Pro-Build; Austin Ready Mix; and Stockman’s Supply of Zumbrota.

Peter Marx, Mower County Fair Board director, was singled out for special praise by other fair board directors for his leadership in putting the project together.

“It was all in honor and memory of Don Ritland and vision of the children’s farmyard that from this day forward will be known as the Don Ritland Children’s Farmyard,” Mueller said, pointing to new signage at the entrance to the attraction. It is located in the northwest corner of the fairgrounds between the poultry building and the rabbit building next door.

Reva Ritland was given the honor of serving as grand marshal of Thursday’s Mower County Free Fair parade through the fairgrounds.