Longtime San Benito County Fair volunteer Dolores Lashley spoke about photographs on display by some of the children she has mentored. Photograph by Danielle Austin.

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Tucked among the rolling hills off Airline Highway is the historic 103-year-old San Benito County Fair at Bolado Park where dozens of dedicated volunteers work to put on the annual event. 

Among them, Dolores and Charles Lashley have decided to take a step back from the fair after nearly two decades, heading for the pastures of Idaho to be close to their son, Justin Lashley. 

The Lashleys’ history with the county fair began about 18 years ago when their Justin enrolled in a local 4-H program. While her son was showing a pig at the fair, Dolores Lashley was wandering around the fairgrounds when a leader of the 4-H program asked her to volunteer, and she agreed to give a try.  

Two or three years later, the fair’s CEO asked Dolores to take over the 4-H/Future Farmers of America youth building for a few years. 

Fifteen years later the Lashleys were still volunteering at the fair. 

Fair manager Dara Tobias, who has worked closely with the Lashleys, said she is happy to see them off, but expressed her bittersweet feelings on their departure. 

“They are the absolute best,” Tobias said. “I have worked with Dolores and Charly for close to 20 years in 4-H and they have helped countless 4-H and FFA students with their projects. Their hearts are with the kids, and the animals, and everything youth.” 

Monterey CALIF: Charles Lashly posing with student from the Los Banos FFA program as she holds up her first place award for senior poultry showmanship at the Monterey County Fair.
Charles Lashley with a Los Banos FFA program participant with a first-place award for senior poultry showmanship at the Monterey County Fair. Photo courtesy of the Lashleys.

In the beginning, the Lashleys said, one of their biggest challenges was getting the children to pay attention, and reining in parents when they tried to get over-involved. 

Dolores Lashley said her biggest triumph was getting the children to be comfortable showing their rabbits. 

“We gave the kids rabbits, we raised the rabbits and the kids who couldn’t afford a rabbit, we would give them a rabbit so they would have something to show,” she said. 

The Lashleys said they have mentored more children over the years than they could possibly count. In 2026, they had 369 children register for 4-H and 138 register for FFA, fewer than the number of children they mentored last year.

The children the Lashleys take under their wing don’t have to showcase farm animals, they said. They can participate in anything from ag to art and photography, even welding. 

When mentoring youth, the Lashleys said they try to teach patience and communication with the public. 

“We have the kids come in and watch the (4-H/FFA) building, Dolores Lashley said. “We’re not here all the time—we try to get them to engage with the other kids that come in, find their projects, and talk to them about 4-H.”  

Charles Lashly and FFA student smiling for photograph while sitting on a bench.
Charles Lashley and an FFA participant. Photo courtesy of the Lashleys.

Among the lessons the Lashleys have learned from working with these kids, they said not counting the kids out is at the top of the list. 

“They might get down a little on themselves,” Charles Lashley said. “But they seem to always come back stronger and usually when they come back stronger like that, there is more respect and their devotion is more and more. They really get entwined with it, they take it to the excess, they want to learn, they want to be better and it’s just fun to sit back and watch them prosper.” 

Community support has also been a big factor in keeping their passion for the fair alive. They said they were encouraged to continue with the fair after their son graduated from the 4-H program because of the friends they made while working the fair. They had no idea how much their involvement with the fair would grow, they said. 

In fact, the Lashleys are hoping they can continue mentoring youth at a fair in Idaho. 

Jennifer Gifford, a friend of the Lashleys who was recruited by Dolores to help out with the fair, said it is going to be an adjustment for her that the Lashleys won’t be so involved in the fair and its preparation process. 

“The impact they have had over the years will always be a part of the fair even if they’re not here in person,” Gifford said. 

Asked for advice they would give on getting involved with the fair after their years of experience, Charles Lashley said, “I would say do it. The rewards outweigh everything. To be able to mentor a child, lead them. All you have to have is a desire to help someone. Do it, jump in, be first, dig deep, and just watch the kids because it’s more rewarding than what the average person would think.” 

For the Lashleys, though they are retiring from the local fair, they are looking at continuing their history of volunteering in Idaho. 

“I want to be a part of my son’s life, and my grandkids, but we will be back,” Charles Lashley said. “We’re not retire-retiring. Not yet at least.”

Dolores Lashley with longtime friend and fellow volunteer Jennifer Gifford at this year’s county fair. Photograph by Danielle Austin.

The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour and Taylor Farms.