By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
EL RENO – An El Reno man who served Canadian County for more than 40 years is being honored as the first inductee in the Canadian County Junior Livestock Show Hall of Fame.
Ted Mittlestaedt contributed 43 years of service to the Canadian County Fair Board – first as a member and then for 33 years as the secretary.
“Half of my life has been dedicated to the county,” said Mittlestaedt, who retired July 1, 2019.
“I greatly appreciate this honor of being the first inducted into the Fair Board’s Hall of Fame. It means a whole lot to me.”
Mittlestaedt was inducted, followed by fellow honorees Mac DeVilbiss and Lynda Landrith, during the annual Canadian County Junior Livestock Show on March 5 at the Canadian County Expo & Event Center.
“To say that I was immensely surprised was probably the least I could say … I had no idea!” Mittlestaedt shared at the May 9 Canadian County Fair Board meeting. “All my Oklahoma family was here.”
Canadian County Fair Board Chairman Kelly Beck unveiled the winners, introducing Mittlestaedt as the first inductee.
“He orchestrated monumental changes that enhanced the experiences to all those that visited the Canadian County Fairgrounds and was instrumental in the lives of countless 4-H and FFA youth,” Beck said.
The new Canadian County Junior Livestock Show Hall of Fame is the most prestigious way to honor those who have never wavered in their pursuit of perfection, Beck added.
“This is a lifetime achievement – and it is a high bar to meet,” Canadian County Fair Board Secretary Brad Tipton said. “Ted was a unanimous selection to be the first person inducted.”
HELPING THE GROWTH
Mittlestaedt moved to El Reno in October 1963 after serving four years in the U.S. Air Force. He joined the Canadian County Fair Board in 1976, filling an expired term of a member who resigned before being elected to a new term.
During his time as a fair board member and then as secretary, Mittlestaedt saw the evolution of the county’s annual youth livestock sale and remodeling improvements to the show barn and area.
He is proud for helping expand the Canadian County fairgrounds’ facilities and bringing the Farmhand Olympics, live entertainment and carnival to the county’s annual free fair.
Also during the 2023 youth livestock show, the inaugural Ted Mittlestaedt Youth Scholarship was presented. This award will be given annually to top FFA graduating seniors.
It seemed appropriate that Mittlestaedt was honored at the Canadian County Expo & Event Center, which opened two years after he retired. He was instrumental in advocating for a new fairgrounds’ facility to serve this growing county.
“Ted had a dream of getting an outstanding fairgrounds’ facility befitting this county,” Tipton noted. “We now have that with our Expo Center.”
