CONNOQUENESSING TWP. — The Butler Farm Show is driven by volunteers and many have a long history of service and dedication to the event, which is marking its 60th anniversary, said board member Carol Miller.

"We have several lifetime volunteers,"Miller said. "They come from all over Butler County."

Members of the farm show's board of directors and the advisory board are volunteers. More than 150 people have joined various committees for the 2008 show, including Thelma Fleeger of Butler.

Fleeger has been involved for more than 30 years, since a friend asked her to come along and help.

She has served food a few times, but has enjoyed working with quilts in the arts and crafts building most of all.

"I go in on registration day and help take things in," she said, adding she also helps package the quilts in plastic for display.

Following that preparation work, she stays in the pavilion and oversees the quilts for the rest of the week, chatting with friends and visitors.

"I like to meet the people,"she said. "I've made a lot of friends, so I like to do it."

Since she is retired, Fleeger said she looks forward to the show every year.

"It gives me a week out during the summer to meet a lot of people," she said. "Ithink it's a really nice place and I enjoy going."

The Fleegers have made volunteering a family affair. Mrs. Fleeger's children, Judy Sutton, Joan Fleeger, Karen McAfee, Eugene Fleeger, Rodney Fleeger and his wife, Helen, all help out.

"Basically, we all started it because of my mom and it just pulled more family members in,"said Judy Sutton of Butler, who is the superintendent of the arts and crafts department. "We are a close knit family and we all pitch in when someone needs help."

The volunteer committees are also close knit, Sutton said.

"Through the year, even if you don't see them, you still think of them and their families," Sutton said.

The volunteers enjoy getting together every summer to catch up and improve the display areas, Sutton said. These are actually airplane hangars, but most people don't realize that because of the skill and artistry of volunteers and participants, Sutton said.

"Ijust like to see the finished products," Sutton said. "It's amazing all the talent that is in Butler."

Like the Fleegers, the Henry family of Butler has made the show a summer tradition.

Helen Henry said she has been going to the farm show since her grandchildren, Jaime Emmel, 15, and Will Emmel, 13, were much younger.

"My two grandchildren have been there since they were babies, and they love it,"Henry said.

Henry volunteers in the arts and crafts department, preparing submissions for display and judging, along with her grandchildren and her daughter, Joyce Emmel.

"I just love the crafts," Henry said. "No visit is complete without seeing the crafts."

Henry said she displays her own knitted or crocheted sweaters, blankets and doilies.

Jaime and Will submit their own artwork each year, which includes jewelry, photography and embroidery.

Helen Henry's husband, Leroy, and son-in-law, Scott Emmel, help set up display areas and tear them down when the show ends.

"It's just something that we do together and enjoy,"Helen Henry said of the show.

Delores Williams of Renfrew has been volunteering since 1967. She was the Butler County home economist for the Penn State Cooperative Extension from 1966 to 1992 and served on the board of directors for a few years after retirement.

"Since I've retired, I've kept my involvement with the farm show," she said.

Williams, who works primarily in the farm products department, says volunteerism has always been an important part of the show.

"Ithink it's a good thing when people get involved," she said. "They feel like they're an important part of (the farm show) and they take more pride in it."

The farm show's family oriented programs keep people coming back, Williams said.

"It's a place you can take the whole family and everybody will find something that interests them," she said. "I grew up going to fairs and enjoyed that atmosphere."

People of all ages are willing to lend a hand, Williams said.

"We have volunteers who are 80 and older," she said. "People seem to start with this and they stay."

Younger volunteers often take time off from their jobs to help, Williams said.

"I do think they have quite a few really great young people who are involved in the leadership of the farm show now," she said. "That shows that they are community minded people who feel this is an important festival for the area."

Farm show committees work throughout the year to organize vendors, rides, and exhibitions, improve the buildings and grounds and perform other administrative duties.

The week before the show, volunteers are busy checking on livestock, organizing entries and preparing displays.

<B>WHAT: </B>The 60th annual Butler Farm Show<B>WHEN: </B>A worship service is held at 7 p.m. Sunday. Show runs Monday to Aug. 9; rides open at 4 p.m. Monday and 1 p.m. the rest of the week.<B>WHERE: </B>Butler Farm Show grounds, 627 Evans City Road, Connoquenessing Township<B>COST: </B>$6 on Monday and $7 for the rest of the week, with a $3 fee to enter the arena. Admission includes rides. Parking is free.