Joann Groth of Dakota is another member of the 2022 Hall of Fame who has strong connections to Winona County, the fair and 4-H.
“ My mom has volunteered extensively with 4-H over the years, served as a 4-H club leader for the Pleasant Busy Bees, chaperoned Winona County 4-Hers to the Minnesota State Fair and also volunteered for 4-H by serving as a judge for numerous project areas in other counties… Joann is always an enthusiastic fair attendee and considers county and state fairs to be the highlight of her summers,” says son Glen Groth.
The Groth family includes husband Arlyn and children Glen (Melinda), Margaret (Michael) and Jeffrey (Kelly) and a total of nine grandchildren.
Groth and her husband were both raised in Winona County and early in their marriage lived away from this area. The couple always had the desire to move back and eventually ended up owning and living on the farm that once belonged to Arlyn’s grandmother. The Groth family also owns the farm coming from Joann’s side of the family. Groth is proud to note that both farms are Winona County Century Farms.
Joann’s career focused in education, and she has worked as a pre-school teacher and for more than 25 years served as a substitute teacher for grades K-12 in nearby rural schools. While she is now retired Groth continues to work part-time as a library aide at an area charter school. Over the years she has also completed training through Minnesota Extension to be a food preservation consultant and a similar program to be a Master Gardener. School related volunteering was also a focus to Joann, and has included PTA, Winona School District curriculum committee and FFA leader.