The more than 100 volunteers at Pioneer Land seem up to the task of making the popular 1800s style village in Indiana come to life again – without their former leader – during the upcoming LaPorte County Fair.

Dick Reel, the driving force behind the creation of Pioneer Land and it becoming a major attraction, passed away in February. He was 74.

Dana Conboy, the new person in charge of what many people consider a magical place, said the challenge is daunting. The Wanatah woman is not backing away, though, because she promised Reel that she would be his successor.

Conboy, a volunteer at Pioneer Land for about 10 years, said she accepted Reel’s offer to carry on with his dream, thinking she’d have a couple of years to learn from him.

However, she was forced to dive in when his passing came much sooner than she expected.

“It was something I owed him because I gave him my word that I would be there for him. So, now, we’ll just get through it. It’ll be learning, but it’ll be fun,” she said.

Conboy said all the volunteers committed to Pioneer Land succeeding for years to come have assisted her during what’s been a sometimes-heavy-hearted transition.

She said the help has come from people involved in constructing the buildings on down to volunteer workers in areas like the blacksmith shop, general store, one-room schoolhouse and log cabin.

Leadership roles have also been taken by long-time volunteers like Carl Schultz, Merle Miller and Ron Schafer.

Conboy said Reel’s wife, Mary, also gave her the master plan for the village and all the notes detailing the history of Pioneer Land taken by her late husband over the years.

“Everybody misses Dick and that makes it kind of difficult, but it also makes it good for all of us to kind of go forward together,” she said.

Reel realized his vision for Pioneer Land as a place where people and families could come together in a more laid-back setting and have fun or simply talk. Toys and games made of wood and other old-fashioned materials are especially popular.

So far, Miller said things have been more hectic than usual from volunteers not realizing until recently everything that needs to be done to keep the village strong.

“Dick, of course, did an awful lot of stuff out at Pioneer Land. Stuff that people didn’t know he did. We really counted on him for a lot of things,” he said.

Pioneer Land was open as usual during the spring for annual tours by local school children. The village is now being prepared to operate as always during the fair.

Miller said the work is getting accomplished, though, because of the love and determination in their hearts for Pioneer Land.

He said not one volunteer has ever been paid since Pioneer Land was established in 1995 with the log cabin.

Miller said the log cabin and 13 other buildings that came later were paid for entirely with donations of money and labor along with dollars from fund raisers. Charitable contributions and fund raisers also pay for ongoing maintenance. No admission has ever been charged.

“That’s the coolest thing about Pioneer Land. We’ve done it all with volunteers and these hands,” he said.

After the fair, the focus will be on school tours during the fall and getting Pioneer Land ready for the annual Christmas open house.

Several thousand people usually come during the first weekend of December. Many first-time visitors have made going there a tradition, including a woman taken to the hospital to deliver her baby after she began having labor pains during a holiday visit to the grounds.

“Now, she brings that baby back every year at Christmas,” Conboy said.

Reel was also a retired Purdue Extension educator who spent many years working with youth in the 4-H program.

Conboy said she became a volunteer at Pioneer Land after Reel and another volunteer, Pete Jensen, began teaching her son about woodworking when he was still in grade school.

She said their connection to Reel and his wife later blossomed into a friendship.

“Since we’ve lost him, a lot of people have come out and said he did this for me. He made this difference in my life. It’s a legacy that he left behind that I’m just going to do my best to honor,” she said.

The fair runs from July 9-16. The annual Ham and Bean dinner to raise money for Pioneer Land is scheduled for July 10. Volunteers will have their annual fundraising auction during the last day of the fair.

“In my mind, it’s just a matter of carrying on who he was and what he wanted Pioneer Land to be,” Conboy said.