Volunteers make county fair go ’round
|
“Some people think the fair just drops out of the sky,” said Conner, who has volunteered for around 30 years. “It doesn’t just happen. It’s day and night. Anybody looking for me won’t have to hunt me down next week.”
That’s because Chuck and his wife, Nicki, will be at their familiar spot at the petting zoo. And if the petting zoo looks much like their home, it’s because roughly 150 of their farmyard animals are there. The petting zoo office even has a microwave and a coffee maker.
“We’ll get here around 7 in the morning and won’t leave until 10 or 11 at night,” said Chuck. “But it’s that kind of week for everybody.”
Chuck says he uses mostly his own animals for the petting zoo so he won’t have to worry so much about their safe keeping. He said two years ago, several possums that didn’t belong to him climbed out of a cage and vanished.
As for why he devotes so much of his time to the fair, Chuck said it’s simple.
“One day I was cleaning out the pig barn and it was pretty nasty,” said Chuck. “Two kids came by and asked me why I was doing it. I told them I’m doing this for you.”
Over at the Midway food booth, Elva Dean Bell and Doris June Moore spent yesterday afternoon scrubbing everything from fryers to napkins holders.
“You name it and it has to be washed,” said Bell while elbow deep in soap suds.
Bell has lived in the Midway community for 45 years and has been volunteering for the fair that long too. She remembers back when the Midway food booth was just one of a rare few at the fair and was located near the grandstand close to the Lions Club’s current booth.
Bell said times were different back then, both at the fair and the Midway food booth. Now with everybody’s busy schedule, Midway’s booth doesn’t open till 5 p.m.
“It used to be women didn’t work so they could take the week and work out here,” said Elva Dean. “Oh, you wouldn’t believe some of the homemade pies that we had. Now with everybody working and staying so busy, that doesn’t happen anymore. They call it progress.”
Midway has one of the largest food booths at the fair and it takes about 25 volunteers to keep it running. During business hours, Bell can be seen waiting on customers while Moore does prep work behind the scenes.
“We sell hamburgers but we have a lot of fun in between,” said Moore. “The main thing is the fair is good for Warren County. You hear about so many bad things, but this is good.”
Fair treasurer Carol Grandey said preparing for the fair begins six months in advance. She said starting in March, volunteers begin showing up on Saturdays to paint, mow, do other repairs, and keep the fairgrounds in order.
“There are some people who work pretty much throughout the year,” said Grandey, whose husband, Steve, is entering his 10th year as fair president. “It’s a lot of work and we all get tired. But when it opens up, I see the faces and people visiting with each and I know this is something the people of Warren County have to look forward to.”
One area of interest is always the Monday night entertainment. Like the rest of the fair, this entertainment is free. This year, Confederate Railroad will perform beginning at 7 p.m. In recent years, country stars Dierks Bentley and Trace Adkins have been headliners.
“The year we had Trace was because it was our 50th birthday so we spent a little more,” said Grandey. “It all depends on the kind of money we can spend as to who we get. Then it’s up to us to kick it around and decide who we want.”
It addition to mainstays like Monday night’s country music, the baby show, and the Fairest of the Fair beauty pageant, Grandey said a fairly new addition is gaining popularity.
“Friday night is karaoke night and it’s really grown over the years,” said Grandey. “As long as people keep enjoying it, we’ll keep having it. All in all, I think we have a pretty good lineup.”