FAIRSTAND
Our fairstand has a long history, rich in the tradition of being a mission minded project.It was more or less started informally around 1939 by the Liberty Crusaders in a tent south of where the Floral Hall is. Back then, horse racing and harness racing were the main attractions at the fairgrounds. Egg salad sandwiches were the main seller, and we began the tradition of bringing in a watering trough filled with ice and pop which was the only place at the fair to buy a cold drink. In 1947 the tent was moved to the south end of the grandstand.
In 1965 the Fair Stand was moved to a Semi-permanent structure (it still had a canvas roof) on the north end of the grand stand. That fall the stand burned down in a grass fire. The following year the stand was rebuilt as a permanent building in the same location. In 1969 the building was jacked up and moved to its present location. This move was at the request of the Fair Board to make room for more bleachers due to the increasing popularity of stock car racing. The dining area was added on after the move.Each year we spend roughly 800 volunteer man-hours at the fair stand serving pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, hotdogs, French fries, assorted pies, and cold drinks to earn money to support several mission projects throughout the year.
FOOD PANTRY
In 1977 the ecumenical Voluntary Action Council was established to meet the needs of those less fortunate in the community. This program is supported by area churches, service organizations and concerned citizens in the West Liberty, Atalissa and Nichols area.
Items for Christmas food boxes (about 90 each year) have been sorted and packed in our fellowship hall and distributed to many area families and senior citizens annually since that time. In 1983 the Permanent Food Pantry was established at First Church United. The food pantry is open every Saturday morning and Thursday evening, serving approximately 400 individuals with food each year.
KIDS AGAINST HUNGER