Friends Of Dixon May Fair To Award $15K in College Scholarships

DIXON, CA — The Friends of the Dixon May Fair this year will award $15,000 in college scholarships to Solano County residents majoring in an agricultural-related field in a California college. Applications must be postmarked by 5 p.m. March 1.

The top applicant in the four-year category receives the Ester Armstrong Scholarship Award of $3,000, and the second top applicant receives the JoAn Giannoni Scholarship Award of $2,500. The top applicant in the two-year community college category will be awarded the $1,500 Jack Hopkins Scholarship.

The Friends, the service-oriented and fundraising arm of the Dixon May Fair, raises funds from the sale of beverages at the four-day fair and donates the proceeds for exhibitor awards, building and grounds improvements, and college scholarships. Donnie Huffman of Vacaville heads the all-volunteer organization. Since its founding in 2000, the Friends have awarded $186,250 in scholarships.

Applicants are scored on personal, civic and academic experience; academic standing; personal commitment and established goals; leadership potential; civic accomplishments; chosen field in the areas of agriculture, announced scholarship chair Carrie Hamel. Most applicants have experience in 4-H, FFA or Grange, criteria desired not mandated. All applicants must be Solano County residents and must attend college in California, she emphasized.

Last year, in the four-year college category, three students received a total of $7,500, and in the two-year community college category, the Friends awarded three students a total of $3,750.

Last year’s winners:

— Jillian Raycraft of Dixon, student at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, the $3,000 Ester Armstrong Scholarship, which memorializes a fair industry veteran who served as interim chief executive officer from 2006 to 2009

— Mackenzie Davi of Dixon, a student at California State University, Chico, the $2,500 JoAn Giannoni Award, which honors a longtime officer of the Friends of the Fair..

— Rebecca Luedke of Dixon, a student California State University, Chico, the $2,000 award.

— Mikalya Hagan of Rio Vista, a student at Solano Community College, the Jack Hopkins Scholarship of $1,500, the top award in the two-year community college category.

— Halie Pringle of Vacaville, a student at Solano Community College, the $1,250 award

— Cameron Garlick of Dixon, a student at Butte Community, Oroville, the $1,000 award.

More information on the scholarship application rules is available on the Friends of the Fair site at Friendsofthefair.org. Applications must be on Friends of the Fair forms and include a personal essay and letters of support. They must be mailed to the Friends of the Fair, P.O. Box 242, Dixon, Calif. and postmarked by 5 p.m., March 1. For more information, contact Hamel at 707-678-3186 or cahamel@ucdavis.edu.

The scholarship committee, chaired by Hamel, also includes Tootie Huffman, Kathy Keatley Garvey and Linda Molina of Vacaville and Marty Scrivens of Dixon. Huffman serves a treasurer of the all-volunteer Friends of the Fair and Scrivens as secretary.

— Story contributed by Kathy Keatley Garvey