Alan Schreiner and Bonnie Begeman were named this year’s Old Threshers Man and Woman of the Year on the evening of Aug. 19 for their major contributions to the annual event that is held every August at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.

Schreiner and Begeman earned their awards during a ceremony at the entertainment building at the Fairgrounds. They raised the most money out of all of the contestants. Each of the six contestants – three men and three women – had a collection jar for donations. All of the contestants combined to raise over $1,700 that will go to the Central Missouri Honor Flight.

“I came from a military family,” Begeman said. “All three of my brothers retired from the service. Bernard was in the service. It is important to take care of the veterans after they have done their part in the service.”

The other candidates for the Old Threshers Man and Woman of the Year awards were Casey Haberstroh and Jane Johnson in the women’s division and Brian West and Tony Bethel in the men’s division.

The Old Threshers Show was held for four days from Aug. 17-20, celebrating Montgomery County’s farming heritage. It wrapped up its 46th year.

“There are a lot of people who say they would rather go to that than the fair because you see all of your old friends,” Begeman said. “It’s a little bit slower paced. It doesn’t cost as much money to go. When you go to the fair, you spend a lot of money there.”

Schreiner, a Montgomery County resident since 1960, said he always looks forward to going to the Old Threshers Show every summer.

“I have fun every year, except when it’s too hot,” Schreiner said. “I hope the crowds keep coming every year.”

Schreiner has been involved in Old Threshers for 18 years. He runs the sawmill.

“An older man who was running the mill was from Boonville,” Schreiner said. “He got me started. Since then, he passed away. I do this only three times a year. It’s not like I saw lumber every day. I just wing it.”

Begeman said her family has been part of Old Threshers for many years. Her husband, Bernard, works with the steam engines and sawmills. Her son also works with sawmills.

“I have a granddaughter who we celebrate her birthday up there every year,” Begeman said. “She’s 20 now and she’s off to college. So it’s a big family thing.”

Begeman said she enjoyed participating in the fourth annual Old Threshers Man and Woman of Year contest, which began in 2019.

“One year, Bernard ran for Man of The Year and he won,” Begeman said. “I thought, ‘Man, if I don’t win, that’s not going to look good.’ My daughter was busy making cans for me and tried to collect as much as we could.”

The Central Missouri Honor Flight is an organization that honors veterans and transports them to Washington, D.C.

“My husband was supposed to be going on the Honor Flight,” Begeman said. “He was scheduled to go on (August) 13th, but he had a pacemaker put in. So we decided not to go so he would have a little more time to recover.”