Husker Harvest Days show No. 3. That was the first time Suzy Allan Kleeb greeted those who walked into the show office in Grand Island, Neb. It’s a tradition she’s continued for more than 43 years.

Kleeb admits that the early years as HHD office manager were a little tricky. “My kids would be next to my desk in the pack-and-play,” she recalls.

Visitors and staff didn’t mind but rather enjoyed watching her children grow up at HHD. It likely created the family atmosphere many find in today’s show.

“Suzy makes Husker Harvest Days feel like a family reunion for everyone who walks in the door,” says Matt Jungmann, Farm Progress national events director. “That’s what makes her so special.”

Humble start

Kleeb, a Nebraska native, was involved in the farm show when it started. She along where her late husband, Joe Allan, supplied the cattle for the first cattle handling demonstrations at Husker Harvest Days.

“She’d get up early on show mornings, help load cattle and then head to the office,” Jungmann recalls. “Suzy simply works hard and enjoys serving the people of this show.”

When her husband Joe Allan was killed in 1991, Kleeb continued their work to help the show succeed, Jungmann says.

But after four decades, Kleeb is retiring. “Suzy has been through an unimaginable number of owners, structures, bosses and thousands of exhibitor contacts,” he says. “She has been a rock and reliable through the evolution of Husker Harvest Days, always being the local contact that knew everyone and had a friendly smile for everyone.”

Husker Harvest Days staff and exhibitors wish Suzy, her husband Kelvin Kleeb and their family the best for their future endeavors.