Fair Foundation honors Jacklins
Photo courtesy of Chris Holloway The North Idaho Fair Foundation board and Jacklin brothers smile for the camera during the Friends of the Fair award ceremony Aug. 26. Left to right: Rick Gosselin, Ann Siebert, Dave Nussear, Don Jacklin, Gayle Stegmann, Doyle Jacklin, Katie Bane and Mary Luann Larson.
Photo courtesy of Chris Holloway Brothers Don, left, and Doyle Jacklin share a smile and a handshake during the Friends of the Fair awards event Aug. 26 at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. The Jacklins, specifically Don, Doyle and their late brother, Duane, were honored with the prestigious Clyde Boatright Award for their many contributions to the fair.
The name "Jacklin" is a prominent one in North Idaho, especially at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds where a spacious building also bears that name.
The Jacklin family's many contributions to the fairgrounds were recognized Aug. 26 during the Friends of the Fair award ceremony. The North Idaho Fair Foundation Board honored the family with the prestigious Clyde Boatright Award.
"We're very proud and pleased we received the award," Doyle Jacklin said Wednesday. "It means a lot to us, and we'll continue to support the fair in the future."
Doyle said the fair is very important to his family, especially to him, his brother, Don, and their brother, Duane, who passed in March. The award was specially dedicated to the three brothers.
“All three of us were supporters of the fair," he said. "And Duane, he was so intregal in the fair."
The Clyde Boatright Award — named for the late Idaho senator who was a longtime fair board member — is given to community leaders "whose generosity has touched all parts of the Inland Northwest through numerous donations and participation on many levels to the betterment of the Kootenai County Fairgrounds, its leaders and members of the community," board member Gayle Stegmann wrote in the award nomination letter.
Since Don, Doyle and Duane purchased and resurrected the $20,000 metal building that has become known as the Jacklin Building on the fair property in 1989, "the Jacklins have donated nearly half a million dollars to the fairgrounds through various maintenance donations for the building including bathrooms, painting and electrical, to advertising in fair programs, purchase of livestock, sponsors of buckles and the like over the years," Stegmann wrote.
“We’ve always felt that was a great thing for us to do as a family so the fair would continue to grow,” Doyle said.
The Fair Foundation also recognized a few others during the ceremony.
The Gem State Stampede Rodeo Committee received the Volunteer Group of the Year Award for its tireless efforts, passion and dedication to bringing world-class competitors and entertainment to sold-out audiences at the fair.
United Crown Pump and Drilling received the Business of the Year Award for helping procure a major sponsor for the arena, helping to found the Silver Buckle Club and strongly supporting the Gem State Stampede and 4-H Livestock Sale.
Fair Foundation immediate past president Katie Bane, who is a current board member and co-chair of the 2018 Cowboy Ball, and Maj. Kim Edmonson, board secretary and past-chair of the Cowboy Ball, also received recognition for their hard work and dedication to the fair.