Buena Vista County Fair Board Draws 80 to Lake Creek Bingo Fundraiser

Eighty Buena Vista County residents filled Lake Creek for a Bingo fundraiser last weekend, generating early operating funds the fair board will direct toward entertainment deposits, arena rentals and youth awards for 4-H and FFA exhibitors at the July 8-12 fair.

That number stands out: 80 players on a late-March night with the fair still more than three months out. The Buena Vista County Fair board depends on volunteer labor and local fundraising, and spring events like this Bingo night let the board lock in entertainment contracts and livestock show logistics before summer competition for performers and vendors drives costs up. The prize pool for young exhibitors whose 4-H and FFA projects anchor the fair's identity gets built through exactly this kind of early work.

Fourteen board members staffed the event. Katie Nehring, Calli Korner, Emily Launderville, Jen Launderville and Dean Kollasch were joined by Tristan Ahlrichs, Mike Musselman, Dean Phillips, Mike Christen, Dana Christen, Dawn Vanderhoff, JJ Phillips, Andy DeMan and Justin Nehring. Board members Jake Schable, Dylan Reimers and Justin Hocking were also part of the volunteer operation.

The 2026 Buena Vista County Fair opens July 8 and runs through July 12 at Lake Creek. Entry deadlines, sponsorship packages and exhibitor scheduling details will be posted through the Storm Lake Times Pilot and the fair board's social channels as the summer planning calendar takes shape.