“What are you making me do?” Larry Browning chuckled as he headed into the grandstand at the Lyon County Fair in Emporia, flanked by excited 4-H’ers and grateful volunteers.
According to a feature story by Ryan Brooks, editor of the Emporia Gazette, Browning, 83, wasn’t expecting any fanfare when he was out volunteering with the 4-H rodeo.
It’s what he does every year, after all. But, regarded as a true pillar of the community, Browning was celebrated for his remarkable 51 years of service to the Lyon County Fair.
“The big thing with Larry is I don’t ever have to call and ask him to do something. Or I don’t have to wonder if he’s gonna show up and help,” said Amy Jenkins, rodeo secretary. “It’s like a guarantee every time we use the arena he’s going to be there.”
Jenkins said Browning always has everything set up in the arena for every rodeo. And, long retired from Kansas Power & Light, he works on the electricity.
“Larry is always there, and you know. It’s nice to have someone you can count on consistently without asking for help.”
Browning said he moved to the Emporia area when he was just six years old from Missouri. In all that time, he’s missed just two years of the Lyon County Fair. One absence was due to a military deployment. Another was spent assisting his granddaughter, who had qualified for the World Quarter Horse Show.
“They got along fine without me,” Browning said.
When asked what kept him coming back year after year, Browning had a simple answer.
“It’s the kids,” he said. “That’s what keeps you going. My great-granddaughter showed at the fair this year. She showed her horse, a heifer and a sheep, and her mother showed and her grandmother, my daughter, showed for several years. That’s what keeps you coming back.”
Jenkins said Browning’s enduring commitment to the Lyon County Fair has left an indelible mark on the community. Not everyone realizes the work he puts in and the impact he’s made.
“I say all the time, things like, ‘Hey, thanks for your help.’ He’s like, ‘Well, I didn’t do much,’” Jenkins said. “And then maybe it’s not as much as what he used to physically be able to do, but it’s still the things that the rest of us don’t have to think about and he does it without even being asked. Larry just does it because it comes naturally.”
Rodeo announcer Carl Lee Stueve said Larry Browning was known for his willingness to help out wherever he was needed.
Browning said he has watched generations of families come through the fair, getting to know the children and grandchildren of some of the 4-H’ers he was working with when he first started volunteering.
“You don’t know all these kids now because they come in at a young age, but you know their parents,” Browning said. “That’s why you’re here, so they can get a fair shake and get to do what they love.”
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