Beth Hangi DC Citizen of the Year

Dodge Center’s Beth Fahning Hanggi has been named Citizen of the Year by the Dodge Center Lions Club.
Each year the Lions ask club members and the community to nominate a candidate for the Lions Club Citizen of the Year. This year the nomination committee chose Hanggi, of Fahning and Associates, LLC, for the honor.
Beth grew up in Dodge Center and is a graduate of Dodge Center High School. B Following high school she earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Winona State University. Beth never had any plans to return to live in Dodge Center and headed for the bright lights of Minneapolis/St. Paul where she worked for three years at various jobs.
Growing up, Beth was involved with 4-H and the Dodge County Fair, as were her two siblings, since their dad was always involved with the county fair. The joke in the family, she said, was “we did not know being in 4-H and participating in the fair was a choice. This was a good thing and taught many valuable lessons and the opportunity to make many friends.”
Beth’s father, Gerry Fahning, came to Dodge Center in the mid 1950’s as the Dodge County 4-H Extension Agent and in 1962 he left Extension and started in the insurance business. Gerry told Beth that if she was ever interested in joining him in the insurance business, it would be her decision to make. In 1990, Beth did decide to come into the insurance business and asked if she could join him, moved back to Dodge Center and Fahning and Associates, LLC, was formed. Beth is now the owner of Fahning and Associates, LLC and specializes in Health Insurance, Medicare Supplements, Employee Benefits and Life insurance. The office is located on Main Street of Dodge Center, and she is one of seven women business owners on Main Street, The Maidens of Main Street.
Beth is a member of the Dodge Center Chamber of Commerce and is the 2025 President. She is a committee member of the Dodger Days Celebration, which is held on Father’s Day Weekend, June 13 through the 15 in 2025. She is active in the Dodge Center United Methodist Church and on the third Wednesday of each month she helps with the community meal. This community meal is open to the public; a free will donation is collected for the meal with the proceeds going to various local charities.
This is a good fit for her, she said, as she loves to cook. She is also a founding member of a Caregivers group that meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. This interest and need came about from being a caregiver to her father.
In 1998 Beth married Ralph Hanggi. That same year Ralph took a teaching job at Grand Rapids School District, and they moved. Beth has continued in the family insurance business in Dodge Center making a 5 ½ hour one way commute each week. She has also continued to be involved in the Dodge Center community. While home in Bowstring, Beth is also involved with this community too, serving as the Township Treasurer. Beth said there are benefits in traveling the state each week, she gets to experience two springs and two falls, because of the different growing seasons, some of the best times in Minnesota.
Beth has many hobbies, a few being stained glass projects, flower and vegetable gardening and sewing. She also enjoys fishing, ice fishing and deer hunting. Some would think that hunting came about because of the move up north but she is a southern hunter, hunting near Kenyon. She also enjoys listening to the Twins, the Vikings and of course the Minnesota Gophers.
Beth and her husband Ralph enjoy going to rock concerts, especially Blue Oyster Cult, and have attended many concerts and other rock bands throughout the years.
Being a resident and business owner in Dodge Center, Beth likes the small-town atmosphere whereas the show Cheers would say, “Everyone Knows Your Name.” Small town people, they care about you, she said.
The Dodge Center 2025 Lions Citizen of the Year presentation was done at their June Picnic meeting. Congratulations Beth for a well-deserved award for service to the community!