(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The California State Fair Board of Directors unanimously approved Dr. Lloyd McCabe as the 2019 Ag Progress Award recipient and Kaiser Permanente as the 2019 Golden Bear Award recipient.
"We are pleased to recognize and honor Dr. McCabe and Kaiser Permanente with our distinguished awards. Both have shown long-term commitments to the youth of our great state and to the California State Fair", said Rick Pickering, CA State Fair CEO.
The two prestigious awards annually recognize key individuals and organizations that help make the California State Fair one of the premier fairs in the nation.
Ag Progress
The Ag Progress Award was established in 1994 and is presented to an individual, company, or organization that has demonstrated substantial contributions to the California State Fair in the area of agriculture program development.
Dr. McCabe's contributions to the youth agricultural programs at the California State Fair are immeasurable. He began his very active and long-standing involvement and support of the California State Fair in 1963 as an exhibitor, and has continued on as an FFA Advisor, FFA Task Force Coordinator, Junior Livestock Advisory Committee, and a 20-year member of the Agricultural Advisory Council. In addition, over the years, Dr. McCabe has become very committed to the Friends of the California State Fair Scholarship Program, the Gala, the Sale of Champions, and the Champion Challenge Program.
Dr. McCabe has 43 years of educational experience, which includes 29 years at the Department of Education and 14 years as a high school Agriculture teacher.
Dr. McCabe graduated from CSU Fresno with a B.S. in Agricultural Education. He received a M.S. in Agricultural Sciences from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a Master's of Education Administrative Management from the University of La Verne, and a Doctorate of Education from the University of Southern California.
Dr. McCabe was born and grew up on a farm and has raised sheep his entire life. He has a special affinity for the Suffolk breed. He and his wife have competed very successfully at the county, state, regional and national levels. He is a member of the California Wool Growers Association, California Agricultural Teachers' Association, and the American Association for Agricultural Educators.
Golden Bear
The Golden Bear Award is presented each year to an individual, company, or organization that has demonstrated substantial contributions to the California State Fair.
Kaiser Permanente exemplifies the commitment it has to the community through its partnership with the California State Fair. Kaiser Permanente has formally partnered with the California State Fair for more than a decade.
“We are proud to be a partner of the California State Fair, supporting exhibits like the State Fair Farm,” said Trish Rodriguez, Senior Vice President and Area Manager for Kaiser Permanente in South Sacramento. “We know that if we can teach kids healthy eating and healthy habits from an early age, they are more likely to carry those with them as they grow.”
The health care organization currently sponsors the California State Fair Farm and School Farm Tours. It provides sunscreen for guests throughout the Fair and interactive programs, such as the "plant a seed" program during the CA State Fair.
During the CA State Fair, Kaiser Permanente allows the Fair to use their parking lot across the street on Saturdays and Sundays for guest parking. Kaiser also sponsors a Kaiser Kids Day where they select and bring a group of children to the Fair. During the 2018 Fair, Kaiser sponsored 170 children and parents for Kaiser Kids Day.
Kaiser Permanente began its partnership with the Fair in 2005 when it served as the title partner of the Kids' Park and Kids' Stage from 2005-2008. Kaiser also worked with the CA State Fair to create a "Treasure Map" around the Fair so that guests could walk 10,000 healthy steps. Kaiser was the official Sponsor of "Thriving Seniors" and gave away pedometers to the first several hundred guests on Senior Days.
Dr. Lloyd McCabe and Kaiser Permanente will be publically recognized and honored at the California State Fair Gala hosted by The Friends of the CA State Fair on Thursday, June 27, 2019.
The Friends of the California State Fair Scholarship Program is a collaborative effort between the Friends of the California State Fair, the California Exposition and State Fair, the California State Fair Agricultural Advisory Council, the Ironstone Concours Foundation, Blue Diamond Growers and Western Fairs Association. This program seeks to motivate well-rounded, high academic achievers.
This year, The Friends awarded $51,000 in scholarships. The top $5,000 scholarship went to Davis resident Katherine Bradford who plans on studying agriculture. Bradford and the 24 other scholarship recipients will also be recognized at the CA State Fair Gala on Thursday, June 27. For the complete list of scholarship awardees, click here.
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities for the Gala are available now. Click here to purchase tickets. More information can be found at CAStateFair.org.
About the California State Fair
The California State Fair is an international award-winning fair, receiving top honors at the International Association of Fairs and Expositions out of more than 1,100 fairs world-wide. The California State Fair is dedicated as a place to celebrate the best the state has to offer in agriculture, technology and the diversity of its people, traditions and trends that shape the Golden State's future. We invite you to join us for the 166th California State Fair, July 12-28, 2019.
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