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For Doug and Ivan, it's been 50 years sharing a beer at the Olmsted County Fair
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Post Bulletin
ROCHESTER — For the last 49 years, Doug Marquardt and Ivan Sass have toasted their friendship with a beer at the Olmsted County Fair.
As the 50th anniversary loomed, Doug and Ivan, who are deaf, were not the only ones preparing for the 50-year milestone.
Ivan Sass, left, and Doug Marquardt pose for a photo during a celebration of their 50-year tradition of meeting at the Olmsted County Fair on Friday, July 31, 2026, at Graham Park in Rochester.
Neither was carded at the beer tent that first year, even though Ivan was underage.
When the Olmsted County Fair was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, the two guys met at the deserted fairgrounds and downed beers together.