Fair Person Of The Year Named
(Condnwd from Peg* Al)
how to make it better.
It is in this atmosphere where
Poggi said, “I get my batteries
recharged.”
Paulene Poggi was honored at the State Fair Association
annual banquet.
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Poggi celebrated her 25th year
involved with the West End Fair
this past summer. For 17 years, she
has served as treasurer and has
been chairperson of its committee
to book entertainment, print lair
books, and do publicity work. And
she has been involved with the
state association for as long.
She was also appointed by Gov.
Robert Casey to be a member of
the agricultural fair advisory com
mittee. She has one more year to
serve.
The state Department of Agri
culture is charged with administer
ing the state fair fund, which was
established early to continue sup
port of Pennsylvania’s many com
munity fairs.
Originally, fairs in the continen
tal United States were promoted
and supported by the young gov
ernment in order that most agricul
tural Pennsylvanians could better
compete with British agriculture.
Since extension services were
available and most people did not
pursue higher education prior to
farming, sponsoring community
fairs was seen as a way to educate
the general public and help retain
the competitiveness of the
industry.
Today, agriculture is still impor
tant to the county fair, according to
Poggi.
“I think agriculture at fairs appe
als to people more today than (it)
every did,” she said, explaining
that previously, when many still
were connected to a working farm,
or not far removed, knowledge of
farm animals was more widely
prevelant.
Today, with few people and
children ever getting a chance to
see farm animals up close, fairs
offer the general public that oppor
tunity, she said.
But further, fairs offer commun
ities a'chance to be happy and
involved.
Poggi said she came to fairs late
9
9
in life. Her first exposure was at a
Union County fair when she was a
little girl and visited with her
grandparents on their farm.
But then, in her late teens, she
started working for Weoe Chicken
Farms, of New Jersey. At the time,
it was the largest baby chick farm
in that state. She worked as office
manager and secretary for business
owner Elmer H. Wene, who was
also New Jersey secretary of
agriculture.
Following that she worked as
office manager and accountant for
private printing plant United
Lutheran Publication House, in
Philadelphia.
Her third job she held for 27
years, working also as an office
manager and accountant, this time
for the Visiting Nurses Associa
tion, in Ardmore.
Then she retired and moved to
Mifflinburg with her husband
Louis, where they bought a farm.
Mifflinburg was the area where
both their parents were bom and
raised on farms. Poggi and her hus
band bought Hemlock Springs
Farm, and more or less share
cropped it out for a number of
years, until selling it.
But soon after she retired and
they moved into their new place, a
neighbor recruited her for service
for the West-End Fair.
She said receiving the recogni
tion from the state association is
one of the greatest honors she has
ever received.
“I was sruprised and very flat
tered to received, because it has
always been a pleasure to work
with all the fine friends. It seem
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like (I’ve made) hundreds of
friends.
“It’s ihe most friendly group of
people I have ever worked wilh,”
she said.
sfcejTOMinues lo volunteer
heroineTs hot even a considera
tion. “It keeps me alert,” she said.
“It helps you to slay young and
vital and I think the most important
thing as you get older is that people
want you to do something.”
She said that older people,
though competent, don’t get asked
to do things. She said through that
people suffer in self-esteem. Vol
unteering to work for a local fair,
or any other volunteer work can
make a big difference in attitude.
She said being involved, at any
age, is a key to self-worth and self
growth.
But there are other reasons for
helping with fairs. “I feel that peo
ple today are missing a big oppor
tunity, especially if they have kids,
(if they don’t) visit a small country
fair.”
The success of small fairs to
continue over the years, she said is
directly attributable to the support
by the state.
“Small fairs owe most successes
today due to the cooperation of the
Department of Agriculture with
the fair fund.
“And too, we have been lucky
that our governors have been gung
ho on fairs. But the future (of fairs)
hinges on what people think is
important.
“I think education is important,
no matter if its agricultural or
whatever.”
And fairs educate, she said.