Convention News continued………..……………………………………….. Following the presentation of awards, President Artie


McIntyre turned the gavel over to Jeanne Keaton from the St. Lucie County Fair. After presenting the Past President‘s plaque to Artie. Jeanne noted that she is looking forward to her year as


President and sees this as an awesome opportunity to work for the betterment of our industry. After the entertain- ment showcase, everyone was invited to a reception honor- ing the new President, Hall of Fame Inductee, and Associ- ate of Year where the festivities continued on. The hospitality suite has been a continued success at the


convention. Everyone seemed to enjoy the opportunity to socialize and network after hours.


Rebecca and Charles


Panacek— Belle City


Amusements received the


Associate of The Year Award from President Artie McIntyre.


2010 Associate of The Year Award Goes to Belle City Amusements


Belle City Amusements has celebrated over 50 years in the Fair


industry. Owners Rebecca and Charles Panacek met on the mid- way when Beckie was just 16. After finishing school they were married and have raised two children, Zach after graduating from college works with his mom and dad and Charlotte still in school, and after graduation will decide. The name Belle City came from the town where Mr. Panacek,


Charles‘ father came from, Racine, Wisconsin, where they say the most beautiful women lived, thus the name Belle City. Charles has served as an associate director of the Tennessee


Association of Fairs and a director of the OABA. They are mem- bers of the Showman‘s League and the Independent Showman‘s Association and, of course, the Florida Federation of Fairs. The matriarch, ―Miss Mary,‖ as they call her, (Charles‘ mother)


still has an active role in the operations of Belle City Amusements. Many of us had the fine opportunity to meet her at the convention in Daytona. It is an honor to us all to have such a fine family rep- resent this year‘s Associate of the Year.


KEEPING SECRETS by Gayle Hart


I love secrets, I love the challenge of


not saying anything, predominately because public perception is that I am …chatty. So it was a surprise when Happy Norris called me and asked me to order an “alternative Hall of Fame plaque” for Lisa Hinton. One in which she, the actual winner of the coveted award would have no idea that she was really the winner because she (Lisa) had been given the name of another worthy person to add to the noteworthy list of honorees and Lisa ordered a plaque for that person. Whew! Did you get that? It was complicated and didn’t come without the scary parts such as: the Award company mistakenly packing Lisa’s plaque (the real one) with the fake one and some poor employee had to chase the box and retrieve the secret award or the fact that the ceramic molds broke on all of the plaques ordered and had to be redone to be sent just in the nick of time. Why go to such lengths to keep a secret? Just the fact that I was about


Happy Norris congratulates Lisa Hinton, this year‘s Hall of Fame Recipient


to embark on a clandestine journey made me giddy with excitement….Lisa knows EVERYTHING about the Florida Federation of Fairs. She’s as but- toned up as they come and nothing slips past her…until Saturday, May 15. So how did we get to the moment at the Hall of Fame announcement


when Happy dropped little hints of the winner such as: “This person began their career as a school teacher, this person has been employed by Rick Vymlatil and the always popular, “this persons first date with her husband was frog gigging.” Raised on a seed, cattle and hog farm in Trilby, Florida Lisa learned


early on to appreciate a hard day’s work and a deep respect for agricultur- ists. Her membership in the Future Farmers of American had previously been male dominated, but she persevered her detractors and was elected the first female State Officer in Florida as well as raising prize winning animals and winning state Career Development Events. Armed with her degree from the University of Florida with a Bachelors of


Science in Agricultural Education, Lisa taught agriculture at the middle and high school level in Hillsborough County. However, Lisa saw the opportu- nity to affect Agricultural Education on a broader scale and took a position with the Florida State Fair as the Director of Agribusiness in 1979. During her twenty-three years at the Florida State Fair she constantly re- evaluated livestock programs, implemented new innovative initiatives and was an active volunteer role with agricultural associations. After Lisa retired she dreamed of travel and spending more time with her


husband Bob, but the Florida Federation of Fairs was in need of an Execu- tive Secretary. The fit was perfect and the organization couldn’t be in more capable hands. It may have been hard keeping this secret from Lisa, but the reaction


was priceless as her children hid themselves until it was time to reveal the true winner of the honor. The look, the emotion was everything and more. As Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson said in his congratulatory letter to Lisa, “You are most deserving of being recognized as the newest member of the Florida Federation of Fairs Hall of Fame and it is an honor for me to commend you.” As we sipped champagne in the tiny hotel hallway it was a relief to know


Jeanne Keaton,


Incoming President, presents Artie McIntyre with the Retiring


President‘s Plaque. Winning the IAFE Fair


Management Scholarship was James Smith of the Levy County Fair.


the secret had remained just that and Lisa really was surprised. With her usual humble demeanor the tears on her cheeks left the clues of happi- ness for her family and an industry she truly loves. As I looked at Lisa and her tears of joy it was obvious she has always been true to herself and it made me wonder, “You think she still goes frog gigging with her hus- band?”


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