THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 13, 1995 TAG: 9509120109
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA MCNATT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
The dust had hardly settled from the 1995 Isle of Wight County Fair before committee chairmen were meeting again to plan for this year.
And many of those early meetings were spent patting each other on the back for a job well done on the county's first fair in more than 50 years. The pats were well deserved, said co-chairman Richard Turner.
``We had to critique what went right and what went wrong last year. We know we picked the right dates. We had good weather. The rides were first class. I talked with people who have been doing fairs for 20 years, and they were impressed with our success.''
What went wrong will, hopefully, be corrected this year, Turner said. He is co-chairman this year with Joel Bradshaw.
Last year, the site next to the courthouse had been planted in crops that summer. This year, grass was planted so the area is more of a pasture than a field. Dust shouldn't be nearly the problem it was.
The location of the main stage has been shifted somewhat, and the entertainment is better-known.
``We're grateful for the people we've had who have really helped,'' Turner said. ``We've had good help, good leadership. It is a country fair - a county fair, the old-fashioned kind.''
That's what it was last year, and will be this year, he said - exactly what everyone had hoped it would be.
That's what fair vice chairman Grace Keen wanted when she first suggested years ago to the County Board of Supervisors that Isle of Wight should have a fair again.
``I just can't believe how all of these dedicated people have worked,'' Keen said just a week before the fair. ``Everything is ready to go, and it's beautiful. It has really come together very well.''
Keen said so many people deserve so much credit, including Alan Nogiec, fair manager and director of the Isle of Wight Recreational Facilities Authority, and Evelyn Chandler, a former county Planning Commission member who has been responsible for the past two years for bringing quality, family-oriented rides and amusements to the fair.
``Everybody has done a great job,'' Keen said. ``It's growing, and that's what we want.''
Controlled growth is what they want, Nogiec said.
``We saw a lot of things last year that we could have plugged in this year. We talked about things that would enhance the fair. We decided to incorporate heritage crafts - craftsmen who will do their trade as it was done way back when.''
There will be a wool spinner, carvers, a chair caner, Nogiec said - and, in the same area, the arts and crafts competition, a more modern version.
``We wanted to involve everybody from youth to adults, everything from photography to ceramics to cross stitch to quilting.''
The entertainment this year also has been expanded and improved, Nogiec said. And there will be more and broader livestock competitions. Advanced tickets for the amusements will be available at several locations throughout the county until today. On Sunday afternoon, a $12, unlimited-ride bracelet will be available.
If there is anything committee chairs agree they want to be different this year, it is that they hope to make a profit. The 1995 fair was a popular success, but it wasn't necessarily financially profitable. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
FAIR CHAIRMEN
Alan Nogiec, fair manager
Lud Creef, logistics
Laura Gregory, livestock
Evelyn Chandler, midway
Dr. Vito Morlino, budget/finance
W.B. ``Sonny'' Owen, exhibit/demo
Audrey Christenson, commercial/non-commercial
Gordan ``Stan'' Murrell Jr., entertainment
Larry and Mary Lee Willis, concessions
Tom Stanfield, communications
Connie Hassell, sponsorship
Bob Goerger, food/grains
Teresa Gregus, publicity
Debra Weir, arts/crafts
Dorothy Tew, horticulture
by CNB