Smile

What makes Gary Reynolds smile? “Life. God is good. Everything is good,” said the 80-year-old Noblesville resident, who was recognized Thursday morning at the Bicentennial Groundbreaking of a new event center, The Silos at 37, to be constructed at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds, which will be renovated, expanded and modernized, the initial phase to cost $26.5 million. Reynolds and Sonny Beck were recognized for their contributions and support of the Hamilton County 4-H program and Purdue Extension Hamilton County during the groundbreaking ceremony, which took place on opening day of the Hamilton County 4-H Fair. Reynolds is also volunteering at the 4-H Fair at Fishers United Methodist Church’s food booth, which sells tenderloin, fruit cobbler and ice cream at the Fair. His booth duties? “Mine is to make sure I get the oil cookers going and change the oil every day, and that’s my job, and a little bit of frying once in a while.” What he enjoys most at the Fair? “I enjoy the people,” he said, especially those folks he only gets to see once a year. He also likes to see people serve and participate from his church, where he has been a member all of his 80 years. He and his wife Cindy have four children, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Reynolds is a big supporter of our community and is a donor at Conner Prairie in Fishers, where he is on an advisory group doing a similar multi-million-dollar expansion, he said. In 2014, the Reynolds family – owners and operators of Reynolds Farm Equipment in Fishers and Atlanta, Ind. – donated $1 million (spread out over 10 years) to Conner Prairie. The Reynolds family has been donating to Conner Prairie since 2011 and a board member of the living-history museum since 2011. Reynolds is the middle child of A.W. “Mac” and Arline Reynolds, who founded the business on Dec. 15, 1955. The Hamilton County 4-H Fair opened Thursday and continues through Monday. Read the 4-H Fair schedule in The Times.