Special to the Times Vedette
The late Eric Tiernan of Stuart is one of three longtime Hereford breeders to be honored by the Iowa Hereford Breeders Association (IHBA) during the Iowa State Fair.
The barn quilt installed on the Gammon Barn.
In a ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 14, the Iowa Hereford Breeders Association (IHBA) will dedicate a custom-created barn quilt given in memory of Tiernan; Dan McFarland, Fredericksburg; and Ray Sorensen, Fontanelle. The event will take place at 3 p.m. on the west side of the Gammon Barn on the Iowa State Fairgrounds, followed by an ice cream social in the Sheri Avis Horner Pavilion just north of the barn museum.
Designed and created by Freedom Rock artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II, the 8-foot by 8-foot barn quilt was given in memory of the three men by their families, who wished to honor their loved ones at a place that was dear to their hearts. In appreciation, each family was given a signed and numbered canvas replica of the quilt.
Moved to the State Fairgrounds in 1991, the Gammon Barn was the site of the birthplace of Polled Herefords, the first major beef breed of American origin. Its original location near St. Marys/New Virginia, in rural Warren County, was named a National Historic Site in 1984. Today the upper portion of the barn serves as the National Polled Hereford Museum and houses the National Polled Hereford Hall of Fame as well as more than a century’s worth of breed memorabilia.
Eric Tiernan spent many years volunteering at the museum during the Iowa State Fair, where he welcomed visitors and shared information on the displays. The unofficial historian of the Polled Hereford breed, Dan McFarland was instrumental in getting the barn relocated to the State Fairgrounds and oversaw the initial installation of the artifacts now housed in the museum. Ray Sorensen loved Hereford cattle, which he raised well into his later years, and spent a lot of time at the Iowa State Fair.
The Gammon Barn Museum, located north of the Cattle Barn and east of Pioneer Pavilion, is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the Iowa State Fair and at other times by appointment. Admission is free.