History

• The City of Fairfax was founded in 1882 by the President of the railroad, Mr. Ryder.
• Fairfax is located in Renville County near the Minnesota River valley on Highways 19 and 4. Fort Ridgely State Park is also near Fairfax.
• The original name given to the new town by Railroad President Ryder was “Cairo” — but another town already had that name. It was renamed Fairfax after the county seat in Virginia where Ryder lived.
• Fairfax is near the sites of key battles in the 1862 Sioux Uprising. These include the Fort Ridgely and Birch Coulee battlefields.
• A famous Fairfax native is Dana Kiecker, who pitched for the Boston Red Sox. In 1990 he was the starting pitcher in game 2 of the American League Championship series.
• Another famous baseball player from Fairfax is Charles “Lefty” Johnson, who had a legendary career with many Minnesota teams from the 1930′s to the 50′s.

Businesses

• The City of Fairfax shares a school district with the communities of Gibbon and Winthrop, to form GFW. Their mascot is the Thunderbird. The middle school is located in Fairfax.
• Fairfax is home to the main office of South Central Grain and Energy, the organization formerly known as South Central Co-Op. South Central merged with United Grain and Energy in 2006. They also have offices in Franklin, Gibbon, Hector, and Cosmos.
• Fairfax is home to an assisted living facility. The Fairfax Community Home receives high marks for quality in statewide surveys of nursing homes.
• Fairfax has a business that makes beach cleaners. They are called Harley Incorporated.

Festivals & Events

• The City of Fairfax celebrated its 125th Birthday in 2007. Events at the Quasquicentennial celebration included a medallion hunt, a Queen Pageant, street dances, baseball tournaments, a cemetery walk, a parade, numerous kid’s games, a bike rally on the city’s recreational trail, arts and crafts shows, a classic car cruise-in, bingo games, an all-class reunion, and lots of food.
• A Home-Based Business Expo typically takes place in Fairfax in October. The event includes Fall and Christmas shopping ideas from Fairfax area vendors.
• The Fairfax Jaycees “Summer Celebration” takes place every June. The festival includes sports tournaments, lots of food, kids games, the crowning of a new Miss Fairfax, and much more.

People 

•  The City of Fairfax has a population of approximately 1,300 people. The Mayor is Doug Pomplun.
• Fairfax has its own recreational trail. The paved trail runs along Highway 4 from Fairfax to Fort Ridgely.
• The Fairfax Girl Scouts made improvements to the Fairfax swimming pool in the Spring of 2010. The girls painted and decorated the pool’s locker rooms, painted the benches and the floor, added a non-slip surface, replaced the locks on the toilet stalls, and replaced the shower curtains.
• Work got underway on the construction of a new water tower in Fairfax in March of 2012. The new $717,000 tower will hold 150,000 gallons, and replaces the city’s 110-year-old 100,000-gallon tower a block away. The project has been in the planning stages for several years. The work should take about 18 months.
• Two Fairfax residents were named Renville County Dairy Princesses in 2012. Crowned in March were Jessica Albrecht, the daughter of Kirby and Ann Albrecht of Fairfax and Jenna Albrecht, the daughter of Randy and Darla Albrecht of Fairfax. Dairy Princesses are the ambassadors of the dairy industry, promoting the benefits of eating dairy products such as milk and cheese.
• The City of Fairfax officially opened the doors on its new city hall in April of 2012. The new facility is located in the old 1st National Bank building on 1st Street Southeast in Fairfax, and cost around $300,000. The building was built around the old vault from the former bank when it was learned the vault couldn’t be removed. The city now uses it for storage of important files and other items. The first Fairfax City Council meeting in the new city hall took place on May 8th.
• A new Miss Fairfax was crowned as part of the Jaycees Summer Celebration in June of 2012. Crowned Miss Fairfax was Ashley Timm, the daughter of Rob and Carol Timm. Named Fairfax Princess and Miss Congeniality was Angie Munoz, the daughter of Angel and Blanca Munoz, and Keely Case, the daughter of Tony and Jamie Case was named Little Miss Fairfax.
• The new Fairfax Public Library celebrated its Grand Opening on September 8, 2012. It was constructed at the site of the former Weir Hotel on the corner of 1st Street and 1st Avenue in Fairfax at a cost of $500,000.
• The City of Fairfax went tobacco-free in October of 2012. The city no longer allows the use of any tobacco products on city-owned park land, recreational facilities, city facilities and open space. The policy also does not apply to chewing tobacco at the Memorial Park baseball facilities.

Click on the title below to listen to the Town Days Podcasts

• Fairfax 1

  07 Feb 13