INDIANAPOLIS — When you walk through Pioneer Village at the Indiana State Fair, you take a step back in time. From antique tractors, to woodworking, to quilting by hand, you'll see a little bit of everything in this part of the fairgrounds.
One cabin in the village is notably empty in 2025.
"This is where my dad was for the last 25 years. He was the Pioneer Village coppersmith," said Cassie Garrett.
Garrett is the daughter of Ronnie Yurcak.
On April 13, 2025, Ronnie was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer.
Two months later, on June 13, Ronnie passed away.
"If maybe he had gotten that scan a year before," Garrett said while standing in the empty coppersmith cabin, "It would have been hugely impactful."
"Anybody else, that's exactly what I would say, you know, get those screens done, get those scans done, and make sure that you're good," Garrett implored.
The State Fair started on August 1, and members of the Pioneer Village team knew they couldn't try to fill the coppersmith cabin with anything but a memorial to Ronnie.
"He was already getting ready for the State Fair, because he starts that way in advance. He had a lot of stuff that he had ordered and was ready to go in his office. It just kind of looked like he left one day, and just didn't get to come back and finish it," shared Garrett.
Yurcak was a self-taught coppersmith. Garrett said he had been working on this trade for the last 30 years of his life.
At the State Fair, visitors, especially kids, could get their hand traced in his cabin, and it was made into a cookie cutter.
Garrett described what the cabin was like when he was volunteering there.
"It's pretty magical. They come in, and he worked right here at this station," she pointed to an empty table, with only Ronnie's hat sitting on it. "The kids would just all gather around the table, and he was so good with kids, so he'd have them laughing and smiling."
It wasn't just the kids. Members of Pioneer Village would also stop by his cabin for a chat and chance to relax while Ronnie worked on his projects.
Pioneer Village is a big part of the family's life, as Ronnie's wife Candy also volunteers as the cook who makes all the meals for members of Pioneer Village through the fair.
This year, the coppersmith cabin is filled with photos of Ronnie's work and time at the fair.
There is a sign outside the cabin honoring him.
Garrett also added a notebook inside the cabin.
"We knew a lot of people would wonder," she described of the empty cabin. "He had been here for so many years, we thought people might want to share memories which would be really special to us to have later on down the road."
This thought proved to be right, as there are now pages and pages filled with memories and well-wishes as we head into the final weekend of the State Fair.
Garrett and her other family members have read all of the notes from fair-goers.
"One in particular that I think is awesome is a family told me about how they've been coming here since their daughter was 6 months old, and she had got her hand traced in the first cookie cutter," Garrett started. "Well, last year she had her last one done, and she was 19."
Yurcak's work as the coppersmith touched countless families through years of visiting the State Fair.
While it is a little early for Garrett and her family to decide what the future holds for the coppersmith cabin, they hope to keep his memory alive. They've thought of supporting a foundation or something else they can give back to.
"I know that that will be in the works over the next year for sure, just to keep his memory alive and this craft alive," Garrett said.
The Indiana State Fair runs until Sunday, August 17. While you're here, Yurcak's family and the members of Pioneer Village hope you'll take just a minute to pass through the coppersmith cabin and remember Ronnie.
