Bruce Hunter Named “Friend of the Fair”

Submitted by Todd Mickley, Whiteside County Fair

Since 1989, the Whiteside County Fair Board has sought to honor those who have made an extra effort to support and make the annual Whiteside County Fair as much fun as possible for all those who participate and attend. In this vein the Whiteside County Fair Board is pleased to announce that the 2023 “Friend of the Fair,” is Bruce “Beav” Hunter. 

He has consistently volunteered his time and various services for the Whiteside County Fair over the course of many years. He has coordinated the wrecker services for our demolition derbies year after year while often bringing two wreckers of his own to assist on the track in getting the demo cars moved as quickly as possible to keep the show moving for our packed grandstand audiences. 

Whenever asked, he has supplied a variety of “out of service” vehicles to our fairgrounds for use in our various thrill shows including this year’s Monster Truck Show. A lesser known contribution, is Beav assisted in the beautification and preservation of our historic round barn, which serves as the symbol and landmark attraction of our fair. In 2013, the roof of the barn was replaced, and prior to that project, it was determined that the spire that sits atop the barn needed a facelift as well. Fair board member Mike Wiersema (whose first job in high school was working with Beav at Hunter’s Body Shop), hand painted the spire and then asked Beav, who graciously accepted, to seal the spire in his body shop to preserve its magnificent beauty for the next decade and beyond. 

Beav has been an integral part of our community as the owner/operator of Hunter’s in Morrison. While their main focus of business was previously in collision repair, they are currently focusing on mechanical services for vehicles, including tires and alignments, as well as local towing in the area.

Beav is grateful for the many customers that Hunter’s has assisted for well over 45 years, and we are grateful to consider him a Friend of the Fair! 

Thank you for supporting the Whiteside County Fair so we can continue on with this important part of our county’s heritage for years to come.  Check out our website for more information about the fair at www.whitesidecountyfair.org .