James “Jimmy” Jorgensen leaves lasting impact on Franklin County Fair

When people think of the Franklin County Fair, two attractions often come to mind; handmade ice cream and machine demonstrations at Grandpa’s Farm.

A prominent face behind those two fair staples was James Jorgensen, or Jimmy, to those who knew him, who passed away late last year at the age of 87.

Friends, volunteers, and former fair board members have spent the past two months reflecting on Jorgensen’s life and his contributions and love for the fair and the Franklin County Historical Society. The consensus among them is that Jorgensen was one of the minds that has helped make the fair what it is today.

“There are a lot of people that go out there now to Pleasant Hill and visit Grandpa’s Farm…and they don’t understand the effort Jimmy and so many people did to establish that,” said Jim Showalter.

What people also may not realize is the humble beginning of Jorgensen’s ice cream stand. Now one of the most popular culinary items at the fair, Jorgensen started the stand in the late 80s or early 90s with just a five-gallon ice cream freezer and a small gasoline engine under a tree where the current location now sits. Demand soon required a new location, which led to an old octagon hog barn being placed where it currently sits and converted to accommodate the operation. What started as just a one-man operation has now blossomed into a food stand with lines of patrons looking for a sweet reprieve from the often oppressive heat of fair week.

The operation, which began as just a single hit and miss engine, was soon four machines that could be powered by tractors and required heavy manpower.

“When the ice cream stand got built, all of that was put in just to be able to keep up,” said Ron Sailer. “They could run four at a time and it could be run off of a tractor or electric if need be.”

Marcus Kofoot, whose family now operates the ice cream stand during fair week, said that the ice cream project was just one of several contributions Jorgensen made to the fair. His constant desire to add new attractions reflected his passion for the fair, Kofoot said.

“He was proud of the fair and did whatever he could to help it,” he said. “When he had a passion for something, he would use that passion to help the community.”

The origin of the ice cream stand started as many of Jorgensen’s ideas did. Jorgensen was an enthusiast of all things mechanical and would scour the Midwest – sometimes further – to find rare creations operated by an engine. If he found something he liked, Jorgensen was determined to use it in some way.

Grandpa’s Farm began as a way to display some of the unique finds Jorgensen discovered, said Ron Sailer. Along with Leon Pralle, the two had an urge to not only obtain classic machines, but show audiences of all ages how they work. Soon, threshing and plowing demonstrations became a staple of fair programming.

“They liked to collect old equipment and they needed a place to show it off and share,” said Sailer.

“I would say 50 percent of the equipment that was used those first years (early 90s) was Jimmy’s stuff,” Showalter added. “He had several things we would work on and rebuild.”

One of the main attractions Jorgensen contributed to Grandpa’s Farm was the 17 horsepower thresher. Jorgensen bought the machine with some hesitation, but it soon became a spectacle for audiences every year.

“That was a big deal because there are only a handful of those left in the country,” said Showalter.

Ed Dougan was along for the trip where Jorgensen found the 17-horse power thresher in Nebraska. Ultimately, Dougan convinced Jorgensen to purchase the machine because of its rarity. Dougan said these trips were common, as the two often accompanied each other throughout the country, looking for rarities of farming’s past.

“We went all over the country, Jimmy and me,” he said.

Dougan doesn’t have much trouble recalling the machines they found together and their locations. The countless miles and the money spent, he said, were worth their collective efforts to keep a fading era of farming alive.

“We just like to see things go, like we used to do years ago,” said Dougan. “I don’t know how many hours we spent sitting in a pick up saying ‘We could do this or we could do that.’ Every year, we’d try to add something new.”

Former fair board member Larry Litterer said Jorgensen’s determination to bring historical pieces to the fair, as well as his work with the with the Harriman-Nielsen Historical Farm and the historical preservation society, stemmed from his desire to pay tribute to Franklin County’s past.

“I kind of always thought that Jimmy thought the good old days were behind us and he was trying to show us what the good old days were like,” he said.

“You’d be surprised the number of older people who would come to the fair and say, ‘I’ve never seen that before,’” added Dougan. “It was just common knowledge that’s how things were done years ago.”

While Jorgensen’s vision influenced many features at the fair, not all of his ideas were immediately embraced. Rarely, if ever, however, were Jorgensen’s ideas unsuccessful.

“The thing I was always amazed with is he’d come up with an idea like the ice cream stand and he had a lot of resistance when he put that up,” said Litterer. “He put it up himself and then through a period of time, he got it paid back and then donated.

“He was very generous with his time and money to get stuff like that done,” he added.

Showalter agreed, adding that Jorgensen’s personality and attitude towards new ideas were hard to ignore because of his knack of knowing what would and wouldn’t work.

“Jimmy had the personality that made him a hard man to say ‘No’ to,” Showalter said. “He’d start up a conversation and knew by the end of the conversation that the other foot would drop and he was getting at something. Most of the time what he was thinking was the right thing or the good thing.”

Jorgensen’s absence from the fair will be a noticeable void but his influence on the fair is hard to miss between the ice cream stand, a majority of the attractions on Pleasant Hill and the events at Grandpa’s Farm. His contributions, along with the countless visionaries and volunteers that have come before and after him, are what has made the Franklin County Fair a can’t-miss fair year in and year out.

“What makes the Franklin County Fair good is the guys like Jimmy who got involved, went the extra mile and got others involved,” said Sailer.