Sunday July 16, 2023
Longtime Lewiston area resident Rita Baer has spent much of her life volunteering in her community, and for that reason she has been named to the Winona County Fair Hall of Fame in 2023.
“ I love being a part of the Winona County Fair. I have only missed a few since I have lived here. It is my greatest joy to be a volunteer. It is rewarding to help and my hope is to continue as long as I am able and to hear the words Well Done Good and Faithful Servant,” says Baer.
Rita married he husband Roger Baer in 1963 and they celebrated 58 years together before he died in 2022. The couple raised 2 children, David and Rebecca, and there are 8 grandchildren in the Baer family. Roger and Rita were also the King and Queen of the Winona County Fair in 2009.
A graduate of Kansas State University in Dietetics and Institutional Management, Baer’s career lead her to a job at Mayo Clinic in charge of food production, and later as a consulting dietitian in area nursing homes.
Rita has lived on the family farm for 60 years and really loves the rural life. Over the years she assisted her husband with the crops and cattle, and she also gardened. She took a Master Gardener course through the University of Minnesota. At the fair she serves as an exhibit superintendent, at church helps with Sunday School and the holiday bazaar and in the community serves as an election judge.
“Ever since I was a little girl I was involved in 4-H, church and the community… I love to volunteer. Winona County is a good place to be, scenic and a great place to live,” commented Baer.