Fair open Saturday, hopeful for today
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on October 4, 2015 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Madison Shelton, 6, tries to steal a piece of cotton candy from her brother Jonathan, 8, as he tries to eat the sugary treat Saturday morning at the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair.
It's tricky running a county fair.
Despite the fact that all those involved -- animals and people alike -- are used to being outdoors, come rain or shine, that doesn't mean it is wise to keep to the schedule.
The gates of the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair were open on Saturday, but that was not the case Thursday and Friday as inclement weather delayed the opening of the 67th annual event and forced the cancelation of several events.
Among the casualties were the junior meat goat show, the junior market lamb show and today's junior beef heifer show, as well as bull riding, planned for Monday and Tuesday.
The precarious weather had a lot to do with the swift decisions, especially for those traveling great distances to participate in the fair, office manager Edythe Blanton said.
"The main thing is, they bring in the trailers with all the animals. They bring them in every day," she said Saturday morning. "We felt like we had to make the call (Friday) because we had people coming in from Elizabeth City (and other areas). We wanted to make a decision and give them a little bit of time.
"But we're hoping for better weather."
Unfortunately, when such a decision is made, it is not a postponement, and the events will not be rescheduled.
"We just don't have a time, there's something scheduled every day," Ms. Blanton said. "There's not enough time to get it in."
Eddie Pitzer, fair manager, admitted it is tough to be at the mercy of the weather, whether torrential rains or a possible hurricane, as almost happened this year.
"The grounds are so saturated," he said, although so far the upside is that the water was quickly absorbed.
Nevertheless, because the animals are transported in trucks and trailers, the weight becomes too much for the fairgrounds, he said.
Friday evening, only one event remained on schedule, the Queen of the Fair, held in the entertainment arena.
"They had had four rehearsals," Pitzer said. "If there was any possible way, barring a disaster or no power, we felt like they had worked so hard."
The Mar Mac food booth was also the only vendor that opened that evening, he said.
On Saturday, when predictions had been for "party sunny, partly cloudy," the decision was made to open the gates. The day also wound up featuring scattered showers and slowed down crowds for much of the day.
With today promising to be a worse weather day, the decision about whether the fair will be open was uncertain at press time.
"We would love to be open," Pitzer said Saturday. "We'll have to evaluate it. Safety is that big concern. Last year we had a rain day, that first Friday of the fair was a rain day. We didn't cancel. And of course the year before that we had almost 10 days of perfect weather.
"It's a gamble. You roll the dice. You can't do anything about the weather."
Perhaps the most challenging part is the advance preparations involved for the award-winning fair.
"This is an event that we plan for year round," Pitzer said. "It doesn't just come together overnight. We're already looking at what we're going to go do next year.
"We have the contracts already in place -- for entertainment, for services. We're obligated to pay them. Any time we have days that we can't operate, there's a potential for lost revenue."
Efforts have also been made to maintain and improve the property on U.S. 117 South.
"We have continued to build on the fairgrounds," he said. "Last year we added new rest room facilities. This year we did the underground wiring and new lights in the parking lot, plus the livestock shelter or livestock barn."
With this year's events running through Saturday, Pitzer said he remains hopeful that the public will still want to come out to the fair, even if those plans have been delayed.
"All of our entertainment is still scheduled, the shows will be going on under the pavilion," he said. "Check out the Pork Chop Review. It's the first year he's been here."
Updates on the fair, including postings of weather conditions and closings, can also be found online, at waynefair.com.