46 —Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, September 23,1978 Elizabethtown 'growing thing' The Elizabethtown Community Fair, in its fifth year, is the youngest fair in the county. It is also one of the fastest growing fairs, and helping it grow are two en thusiastic workers who hare been involved almost from its beginning. Mrs. Samuel Myer, Elizabethtown R 5, is general chairperson for the marketplace fair and she recalls that she got initiated in the fair when she was asked to help organize the entries five years ago. Mrs. Clay Mumma, Mount Joy Rl, current secretary for the marketplace fair, began working with it four years ago. Each year Hilma Muma-says with a laugh, “They get us in deeper.” Despite the long hours and hard work the two agree readily that every effort is worth it Sara Myer states, “We are proud when everything is displayed. It makes it all worthwhile.” Hilma agrees, “Sometimes we get very discouraged, but it is a pleasure to be able to have people display their handwork.” Hilma said she feels the growing Fair is good. “I think it is good for the community to be involved in the Fair and to have an opportunity to show their handcrafts. Many people tarn out quality things to display to fee public.” Hilma said growth has come in every department, but the needlecraft depart ment is “where we have seen the most growth.” Many people enter because they see other people who do it.” She predicts continued growth, if people are willing to work at the Fair. Asked if people can make money on winning entries in the fair, Hilma replied, “I think they do it as a matter of pride. Basically they do the work for nothing, so any premium they win is extra. I would encourage anyone to enter. We get a wide range of people - all ages.” She added that young people are eligible to be judged with other youth in any category in the Fair. Anyone who has ever read a fair booklet knows that there are categories which seem to cover almost anything a person would be interested in entering. Ap parently people have additional items they would like to display. Sara said, “Sometimes we get requests for categories, and we try to add when we have a request. Hilma pointed out, however, that the catalogue follows the basic state guidelines. She also noted, “We can only accept in the designated categories.” The Elizabethtown Fair is full of “firsts” this year. Formerly they were not open in the daytime, but Sara said they will open the exhibits from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to closing at the request of local citizens. “People wanted it to be open so they can see everything that’s there. Classes from school can now come and see the animals in the barnyard.” This was also the first year for judging of animals. FFA and 4-H project animals in The Fair is a By SALLif BAIR Staff writer When a computer was suggested as a possibility, the two women were en thusiastic. Sara said, “We are the only fair to be computerized.” During the week it meant many fewer hours of work. However, one major problem developed which caused inconvenience for all con cerned. While the numbers for the com puter were added, the specific numbers of flowers tobacco leaves, etc. needed for an exhibit did not get included in the finished booklet. The women expressed deep regret for the inconvenience caused people in preparing their exhibits, but they said they were planning to make allowances for confusion resulting from the mistake. Prior to the fair, Sara said, “We’re going to suffer.” Getting the book out is important as Sara notes, “I think people go through the book right away and plan what they’ll bring. Some people start right after the Fair to prepare for next year.” Hilma said, “People really plan all year, and work on items just for the Fair.” The two women work as a team, and their preparation for the annual fair begins about two weeks from now, when they will review their successes and study areas which need improvement. Sara noted, “We meet while it is still fresh in our minds, and try to think of anything to unprove it. In February we begin having monthly meetings to plan more carefully.” The Elizabethtown Community Fair is sponsored by the Elizabethtown Jaycees, and grew from a community festival to a swine and sheep were accepted. Sara said, “We wanted to grow, so'we met with FFA and they agreed to do a lot of the work. They helped get sponsors to defray the costs. The Kiwanis Club is sponsoring swine awards and Farmers Fertilizer is sponsoring the sheep trophies.” The FFA was responsible for the Kiddie Barnyard, a popular feature from former years. There was a parade for the first time, a King and Queen contest which involved voting for youngsters in the week prior to the Fair, and a tractor driving contest Another big, first this year was putting the entry cards on a computerized basis. Hilma said that the'work of calculating premiums usually fell to her and Sara and involved many late night hours during fair week. Each year they would say, “There has to be a much simpler way.” To find a better way they visited other fairs, in cluding the York Interstate Fair, and discovered that even at that large fair the winners were calculated by hand. The only difference is that the York Fair employs a staff of office workers to carry out the job. This year the booklet was distributed in a mass delivery with the Merchandiser, which proved an effective way to reach outlying areas around the town. “It cost us some money,” Sara said, “But it is the first time we got that much distribution.” Hilma added, “We really touched people who garden.” fair. It has no permanent buildings. Both women praise the efforts of the Jaycees and chairman Joe Maher, with Hilma saying, “The fair gives people something to look forward to. The community needs action, and the fair is a highlight of the Fall.” So far the fair continues to be successful each year, -although they have not been blessed with perfect weather. Earlier this week Hilma was predicting good weather, but added, “We take it all in stride.” With everything displayed in tents, Sara said they sometimes need plastic to protect exhibits from the elements. Monday and Tuesday were their busiest days, when they accepted entries and supervised the judging which requires a large number of people to assist. But their work pnor to the fair included such im portant tasks as helping recruit ad vertisers for the fair booklet, and scheduling as many people as they can for work during the fair. An interesting sidelight of the fair is the auctioning of the baked goods on the evening of the judging. Sara explained that just a piece of each baked entry is kept for tasting and judging, and the remainder is sold in an auction that goes extremely well. All the money from the auction goes to the community, in many cases going back into the Fair. Hilma and Sara both do some food preserving of their own, but say they would never enter as exhibitors while being so involved in the administrative end of the Fair. Hilma described herself as always being a “country girl,” although she didn’t live - * ** * on a farm. Since she sews, cans and freezes herself, she said, “I really enjoy seeing other people’s things at the Fair.” The mother of three children, Hilma said she encourages them to exhibit. She is a member of the Marietta Congregational Bible Church where she was active in the women’s group. She was formerly in volved with scouting, but a part time job has forced her to curtail some of her former activities. For Sara, being involved in the Fair is just one more in the list of community activities which she takes seriously. She is vice-president of Lancaster-Coupty Farm Women Society 6, a member of Eastern Star, and is a member of the First Church of God in Elizabethtown. She also works hard on the Dairy Princess Committee and mothered five children. In addition to preserving the fruits of a large garden at her dairy farm home, Sara said, “I enjoy doing for older people. It is very rewar ding. I feel young and I feel like working.” She recently helped an 86-year-old woman prepare for a move from her home to an apartment, helping her settle in, and she regularly assists a friend with grocery shopping and doctor visits. Hilma says her family doesn’t suffer during the week of the Fair because thej enjoy being there in the thick of things as often as possible. Sara said, “My family is very understanding about the work dun r Fair week.” By the time you read this, the Fair will be nearly over for the fifth year. But it is a certainty that plans will be underway m just a few weeks to make next year’s ev r better. And two reasons why it will better are Sara and Hilma, who are i. committed to a successful, community oriented Fair.
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