That saying is attributed to Confucious… or to Mark Twain, depending on which Internet site you believe. But whoever said it, those of us involved in the fair industry know exactly what it means. Why do we do what we do? It certainly isn’t because the pay is great. Some of us are volunteers, and our only “pay” may be a free glass of lemonade given to us by a sympathetic vendor. It’s not because the working conditions are perfect. Try setting up livestock pens in 95-degree heat or pushing a car out of the mud during a summer downpour. It can’t be because the work is predictable. When there are barns full of cows, sheep, goats, chickens and rabbits, all of whom have unpredictable and uncivilized behaviors, anything can, and usually does, happen. Add to that thousands of people, many of whom also have unpredictable and uncivilized behaviors, and each day becomes a test of our flexibility, our patience, and our ability to solve problems on the fly. No, we do what we do because we know that our fairs are important communitybuilding tools. In a time when we are so fractured as a society, anything that brings a community together instead of tearing it apart is a positive force. We do what we do because we know that our fairs are one of the few places where people can learn about agriculture. With only 2% of our population involved in farming, people are so far removed from the sources of their food and fiber that they fail to realize how vital agriculture is to their lives. And we do what we do because it’s fun, interesting, and never dull. It stretches our creativity, forces us to challenge our abilities, allows us to meet people from all walks of life, and brings us the satisfaction of doing something that makes a difference in the lives of a lot of people—kids, farmers, businesses, families, vendors, politicians—the community. More times than I can count, I have heard fair managers say that they ought to write a book about their experiences in this
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unusual career. When I retired from managing the Monroe Couty Fair in Rochester, New York after a 20-year tenure, I felt a real sense of loss. It was almost a grieving process. So, I decided to do what others always said they wanted to do and write it all down. That’s when Fair Lady: Memoirs of a County Fair Manager was born. Written in anecdotal form, I tell fair stories with humor, candor and lots of teachable moments. Some of the things that happened are funny, some not so funny, but mostly, a lot funnier in retrospect than when they actually happened. The book has been well-received in the fair industry with managers telling me how “spot-on” my descriptions are and how well they relate to the trials and tribulations to being a fair manager. It is a laugh out load read about the unique and sometimes crazy situations that fair managers face. Besides being manager of the Monroe County Fair for 20 years, I was president of the New York State Association of Agricultural Fairs that recently inducted me into their Hall of Fame, and I was president of the Henrietta Chamber of Commerce that named me Business Person of the Year in 2000. Fair Lady is available at Amazon Books in both paperback and e-book format and also at barnesandnoble.com. I am available for presentations on fair management as well as a historical perspective on being one of the first women in the fair management field.
Fran Tepper
Fair Lady “If you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
Fair Lady is available at Amazon Books in both paperback and e-book format and also at barnesandnoble.com.
