Fair Time’s Coming: Hundreds Get Ideas For Future Fairs
MICHELLE KUNJAPPU
Lancaster Farming Staff
HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.)
The Pennsylvania State Associa
tion of County Fairs and the
Pennsylvania State Showmens
Association combined to sponsor
the 91st annual convention of
fairs, an event that drew more
than 1,700 people to Hershey
Lodge and Convention Center,
Hershey, recently.
During the conference, 19
county fair queens competed for
the title of Pennsylvania State
Fair Queen, with the coronation
ceremony during Saturdays pro
gram.
The event also featured a trade
show, talent showcase of various
entertainment options for county
fairs, spouses’ programs, a ride
safety session, educational semi
nars, and board meetings.
Additionally, 45-minute
roundtable discussions enabled
participants from various fairs to
both give and receive ideas for
Annie Clark demon
strates how to best display
holiday items in a breakout
session.
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Presenters at the conferences Super School include,
from left, front row, Annie Clark, Shirley Moyer, Rainy
Linn. In the back row is Beverly Gruber, Dawn Krautter,
Pat Horstman, Peggy Lipinski, and Don Fretts.
their respective fairs.
Attendees presented their ideas
about how to count attendees, or
handle the media. Participants
also learned about animal health
regulations and changes in exhib
iting livestock.
During the opening celebration
Frank Oliveto, Recreation Man
agement Associates, was the key
note speaker. Olivto discussed
Motivating Your Board. Dennis
Grumbine, Farm Show director,
also made Farm Show presenta
tions during the opening ceremo
ny.
Education seminar topics in
cluded emergency disaster proce
dures, planning for the future of
your fair, a certified food han
dlers course, or involving schools
in the fair.
The Pennsylvania State Asso
ciation of County Fairs and the
Pennsylvania State Showmens
organization each conducted
their annual banquet during the
conference.
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Shirley Moyer set up an idea for an api- Pat Horstman gave participants ideas about
ary display. how to display photography and artwork.
More than 100 attendees came
to an educational session geared
toward fair chairpersons/
superintendents.
“We’ve done judges’ schools
for the past two years,’ said
school organizer Beverly Gruber.
Consequently, this year’s school
offered a different slant, as fair
leadership came to get ideas to
take back to their own fairs.
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Before the breakout sessions,
Gruber, vice president of the
Pennsylvania State Association
of County Fairs and the compet
itive exhibit manager at four
fairs, gave an overview of com
petitive exhibits.
Peggy Lipinski, associate secre
tary of competitive exhibits at the
Schaghticoke Fair, Rensselaer
County, N.Y., followed her. Both
women have presented all over
the nation and Canada for the
International Association of Fairs
and Expositions (lAFE).
“What purpose or function do
competitive exhibits have?”
asked Gruber. “People like to
compete. It’s a way to showcase
their talents, and it gives fair
go’ers a look at the best of the
best.”
Gruber advised building mo
rale within the volunteer ranks
by conducting picnics or a
Christmas party. “They have to
think of themselves as a group,”
she said.
To increase entries, she recom
mended advertising a day care,
summer camps, boy or girl
scouts, flower and garden clubs,
retirement home, or doing in
store (such as fabric businesses)
promotions.
Adding new categories, such as
diabetic foods, window boxes, or
having an essay contest may also
give renewed interest to a fair,
according to several suggestions
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 1,2003-A3l
from the audience.
Besides changing the entry cat
egories, Gruber suggested that in
lieu of plaques or banners, fairs
could give away crocks, chairs,
gifts, or jackets.
Another change may be the
layout of the displays. “Concep
tualize new layouts without
straight lines and tables, she said,
keeping in mind the usual path
of travel.
To get press coverage, she sug
gested offering newspapers fea
tures ideas and keeping handy a
list of good contacts for possible
interviews for interested media
personnel.
“Fairs are rural razzle dazzle,”
said Gruber. “Believe in the con
cept of agricultural fairs, have a
good attitude, keep current, think
out of the box, and dedicate your
self to putting together the best
fair that you possibly can.”
Peggy Lipinski discussed edu
cation and participation ideas.
Lipinski hoped to help fair lead
ership take their department to a
new level “make it a tool to ed
ucate and entertain your fair
go’ers,” she said.
Competitive exhibits can also
become a means for the public to
be participants in your fair, she
said. “If the majority if your fair
go’ers are not exhibitors, then we
need to find a way to get the non
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