Lanna Hubbard of Mitchell had no intention of walking away from the job she loved at Morrill Public Schools – working as a para for special education. But when the opportunity came up for her to take over the manager position at the Scotts Bluff County Fairgrounds, she decided to take it. The reason, she said, is that she wanted the challenge of trying to build on the success of the fairgrounds, including the Scotts Bluff County Fair. Over the last 17 years, Hubbard and her team at the fairgrounds have done just that.
JEFF FIELDER Editor
MITCHELL – Lanna Hubbard, of Mitchell, is in her 17th year as the manager of the Scotts Bluff County Fairgrounds in Mitchell. She grew up in the Mitchell/Morrill area, graduating from Morrill High School in 1981. She still lives in the house that she grew up in. She and her husband, Doug, have been married for 41 years. They farm and also raise show lambs. They have four grown children: Kenna Urwiller, Kelsey Kuxhausen, Keelyn Carlson, and Kaden Hubbard. Lanna and her husband also have 11 grandkids. In addition to managing the fairgrounds, Lanna has been serving as a leader in the Panhandle Livestock 4-H Club for more than 25 years. Before taking over the manager position at the Scotts Bluff County Fairgrounds, Lanna spent seven years working as a para for special education at Morrill Public Schools. In this Q&A, Lanna, 59, talks about the 135th Scotts Bluff County Fair, which is set for July 30 through Aug. 6, and she also talks about how she got interested in becoming the fairgrounds manager.
Q: How excited are you about this year’s Scotts Bluff County Fair?
HUBBARD: “To me, it’s amazing to still have this event going on after 135 years. You want every year to be unique and special, and it has been, but this year we’ve built on it even more. Sometimes that’s hard to do because it takes a lot of extra time and more volunteers, but we’re kind of coming off Covid better now, even compared to 2021. Because of Covid, a lot of the grounds and strolling entertainment had really paused for a long time, but now they’re going strong again. Even the concerts are back, which is great, and the carnivals are back in full swing, too. So, I’m really excited about this year’s fair. I’m excited to be back to some sort of normal that we haven’t had for about three years.”
You can read the entire story in the July 2022 issue of Nspire Today! magazine. A one-year subscription (12 issues) is only $20. You may sign up for a subscription by sending $20 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363, or you may pay with a credit card by calling 308-220-8865.
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