Colfax Commercial Club now accepting applications for J.D. Simons Community Volunteer Award
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Since the 100th anniversary of the Colfax Free Fair coming up June 20 through June 23, the Colfax Commercial Club is planning to award the J.D. Simons Community Volunteer Award on Sunday at the fair.
The Colfax Commercial Club is now accepting applications for the award.
The J.D. Simons Community Volunteer Award is intended to provide recognition to an individual who has made the Colfax community a better place.
The Colfax community includes the village of Colfax as well as the surrounding area.
This will be the fourth annual presentation of the award.
The first recipient was Troy Knutson in 2016; the second recipients were Geri and Ernie Bates in 2017; the third recipient was Ramona Thorson in 2018.
J.D. Simons is recognized as the founder of Colfax in 1864.
Newspaper articles published in the Colfax Messenger prior to and after his death in 1918 indicate that Simons was a kind man, well loved by many, who was a business owner, an entrepreneur, and a proud and a staunch supporter of the Village of Colfax.
Placing and dedicating a gravestone for J.D. Simons at Hill Grove Cemetery next to the final resting place of Mrs. Simons was part of the Colfax Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2014.
To this day, it remains a mystery as to why there was no gravestone at Hill Grove Cemetery for J.D. Simons.
J.D. Simons’ first cabin was located on the shores of Eighteen Mile Creek.
The Colfax Commercial Club plans to present the J.D. Simons Community Volunteer Award on Sunday, June 23, just prior to the performance of In Capable Hands (Steve Russell and Kobi Shaw) at 1 p.m.
Other special events also are planned for the 100th anniversary of the Colfax Free Fair.
Sunday will feature a lefse tasting contest and demonstration of lefse making at 2 p.m.
A “stein hoisting contest” will be featured in the beer tent Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings with prizes for first, second and third place.
Snake Discovery will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday as well.
Other entertainment is planned for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, too, including fireworks Thursday night and Friday night.
Keep an eye on the Colfax Messenger for additional information about this year’s Colfax Free Fair.
The nomination form for the J.D. Simons Community Volunteer Award asks for the name and contact information for the person making the nomination, name and contact information for the person being nominated, a description of the nominee’s service work and impact on the community, and a statement to finish the sentence, “This is the best recipient of this award because …”
Nomination forms can be printed off from the Colfax Commercial Club’s website at www.colfaxcommercialclub.com. Application forms also are available at Colfax Arts & Antique Mall and at the Colfax Messenger.
If you prefer, you can put the information on a sheet of paper about the nominator, nominee and reason for the nomination and submit it that way, too.
Nominations can be dropped off at Colfax Arts & Antique Mall in Colfax, at the Colfax Messenger, 511 East Railroad Avenue, or you can mail the form to the Colfax Commercial Club at P.O. Box 417, Colfax WI 54730.