Middlefield Post By Nancy Huth
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Sept. 2, 2015
The Fair is in Their Blood
he office secretaries at The By the time the general public Great Geauga County Fair attends the Fair, all the winners are the heart and soul of the have been chosen and ribbons operation and the pulse beating and prize money distributed. The in this giant. Always behind the hardest part of their work is the scenes (not even all are listed in rush in August to meet deadlines, the Fair Catalog) these secretaries multitasking, and not getting to are usually the first encounter fair see the fair while working in the exhibitors have. office. But all of the women said We have all had experiences at they enjoy their co-workers and schools, churches and businesses the public and take pride in a job where secretaries are the ones well done so everyone can enjoy who really know what’s going on. the fair. They also appreciate the One joke is that the boss is walking contact with children entering down the corridor and someone their animals. asks where he is headed. “Ask the Interacting with the public secretary,” he replies. is important in their work. Let me introduce you to our Being patient and answering a fair Fair secretaries (in the order multitude of questions is part of their employment years): Elly of the job. One question they Kenny (39 years), Sandy Scott (16 remember is, “Would you pay years), Mary Canfield (13 years) for the dry-cleaning of my white and Amy Blair (13 years, although pants? They got dirty at the fair.” Amy worked summers in high Although as secretaries they school and in college at the Fair). don’t see much of the Fair while Secretaries Sandy Scott and Amy in the office, they do enjoy eating Blair were in 4-H as youngsters and The Great Geauga County Fair secretaries( l-r): Amy Blair, Mary Canfield and Sandy Scott. Missing from the group is the fair foods, such as elephant entered various venues including ears, gyros, steak on a stick and, Elly Kenny. (MP photo/Huth) animals, sewing and conservation. fries. exhibitors, processing campground applications, taking Elly Kenny’s children entered swine You might wonder when the inventory of and ordering ribbons, answering phones, at the fair. work on next year’s fair begins. The unanimous answer from taking minutes at Board and Ground meetings, updating As assistant secretary Mary Canfield puts it, “We work all four ladies was, “The day after this fair ends.” So, thanks the Fair Catalog and typing new entries into the computer, hard all year to make a successful fair.” The tasks of the to these secretaries for their hard work all year round. They recording all winning entries and printing premium checks. secretaries include processing 11,000 entries from 1,500 help put the Great in the Great Geauga County Fair.