The late Donnie Huffman of Vacaville, shown here with a Clydesdale at the 2006 Dixon May Fair, served as the founder of the Friends of the Dixon May Fair and its ag scholarships. The deadline to apply for the scholarships is March 1.

DIXON, CA (MPG) - The Friends will provide nine college scholarships, valued at a total of $25,000, in its annual Donnie and Tootie Huffman Scholarship Program that is open to Solano County high school graduates majoring in an agricultural field.

In the past, eligible ag scholarship applicants had to "be attending a college or university within California."  As of 2024, the rules have expanded to “a college or university within the United States,” announced Carrie Hamel of Dixon, scholarship chair.

In the four-year university or college category, scholarships available are:

--The $5000 Donnie Huffman Presidential Memorial Scholarship

--The $4000 JoAn Giannoni Scholarship

--The $3500 Ester Armstrong Scholarship

--The $3000 Joe Gates Memorial Scholarship

--Three scholarships at $3000 each

In the two-year, or community college category scholarships available are:

--The 1500 Jack Hopkins Memorial Scholarship

--$1000 scholarship

Since 2000, the Friends have awarded a total of $248,750 in college scholarships, Hamel said.

The scholarship program was named the Donnie and Tootie Huffman Scholarship Program in honor of the founding president Donnie Huffman (Feb. 29, 1940-2023), and his wife, Tootie, the founding treasurer. A resident of Vacaville Donnie died June 17, 2023, after a long battle with cancer.  His wife Tootie continues as a Friends of the Fair volunteer.

More information on the scholarship application rules is available on the Friends of the Fair Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/FriendsoftheDixonMayFair. Applications must be on the Friends of the Fair form and include a personal essay of not more than two pages; accumulative and current transcripts; and two letters of support, with one from a professional educator. The packet (one set of originals and a copy of each document) is to be mailed to the Friends of the Fair, P.O. Box 242, Dixon, Calif.