FLORIDA FAIR NEWS
Miranda Muir joins KVLS & Osceola County Fair as General Manager It was a long trip from Tillamook, Oregon, but Miranda along with her husband Steve and Papillon dog
Tinkerbelle are finally settling into their new home in Kissimmee. Miranda began her position as General Manager on June 17 and has been very busy learning about the KVLS organization and Osceola County Fair. Miranda grew up just across the street from the Sangamon County Fair in the small town of New Berlin,
Illinois. Her grandfather is the reason she became involved in her hometown Fair at an early age. He served on the Fair Board for over 30 years. He passed along his fun-loving spirit and enthusiasm for his community. Through the years she has been involved in many capacities, from picking up garbage to pick- ing up famous musicians at the airport. Some of her favorites include directing their Queen Pageant, work- ing in the H.A.Y.L.O.F.T. (Helping All Youth Learn of Farming Techniques) and the Jr. Exhibit Building which she created and spear- headed through the years. Her lifelong involvement and love for Fairs led her to her professional niche, Fair Management. Prior to arriving in Florida, Miranda
served as the General Manager of the Tillamook County Fair in Tillamook, Oregon. She is currently attending classes through the Institute of Fair Management to become a Certified Fair Manager. When asked about her goals this year, Miranda replied “Learn as much as I can! Obviously being the new kid in town, I have a lot to learn; names, faces, processes, traditions, etc. Long term of course, I want to do anything and everything I can to make the Fair bigger and better, but most importantly build on its sustainability”. Miranda’s passion for Fairs and enthusiasm to succeed is overwhelming. Understanding the need to network within the state, she is
looking forward to becoming involved with the Florida Federation of Fairs. A good friend of Miranda’s gave her a little sign that reads “This house runs on love, laughter, and lots of Sonic Drinks.” Says Miranda – “I would say that sums me up pretty well. I always have a Route 44 Sonic Iced Tea nearby. And I have a wonderful family who taught me to work hard, but have fun, treat others with re- spect, and always remember those that helped along the way.” Miranda’s email is
Miranda@osceolacountyfair.com
The Northeast Florida Fair was held in Callahan
October 17-27. This year’s theme was “66 Years of Cowboy Boots & Country Roots!” There was excitement from Fair offi- cials, exhibitors, vendors and folks who came to enjoy the Fair. The grounds were beautifully decorated by Callahan Garden Club. Hildebrand Rides offered a variety of rides and games for the
entire family. Fair entertainment included hypnotist Ron Dia- mond, agriculture enthusiast for kids “Rowdy Rooster” and a vari- ety of local entertainment. The local middle and high school bands performed their talents several times during the Fair. Other competitions included arts, crafts, canned and baked goods and horticulture exhibits that were prepared by all ages. Our Home Arts Building included Nassau County school exhibit booths that were beautifully decorated to highlight the Fair’s theme. As always, the Fair is a time for the youth to showcase their 4-H
and FFA animal projects. The youth judging events included live- stock, poultry and consumer judging as well as a market skill-a- thon. The youth market sale was a success. The community came to support 4-H and FFA youth that participated in the mar- ket program by bidding, purchasing or giving an add-on. The recently added and work in progress “Old Time Village”
included a display of antique tractors. Fairgoers also enjoyed daily demonstrations on bee keeping and candle making. A big truck show provided by Mud Swag was on display the first
weekend of the Fair. People of all ages enjoyed seeing the trucks. The second weekend of the Fair was a first class rodeo provided by Flying G Rodeo. Cowboys and cowgirls came to com- pete in rough stock and timed events. We had a successful Fair! For more information and photos
from this year’s fair visit our website
www.neflfair.org, like us on Facebook: Northeast Florida Fair-Callahan, FL or e-mail us at
info@neflfair.org.
2014 Convention – Mark Your Calendar The 2014 Florida Federation of Fairs Convention will be held at The Waldorf Astoria in Naples, Florida. Be sure to mark your calendars for May 15 – 17, 2014 and don’t forget the Golf Tournament on Wednesday, May 14th.
25 Special Welcome For New Fair Managers Recently Miranda Muir, the new Manager of the Osceola County
Fair, reached out to the Federation for an “introduction” to the Fair community. As a result, Paul Davis, Chuck Pesano, Tom Umiker, and Lisa Hinton invited her to join them for lunch and an informal “meet and greet.” It was a great opportunity to meet Miranda and we look forward to having her in Florida. As a result of this event, a similar “meet and greet” was set up in
Orlando with the new Central Florida Fair Manager Shawn Krauel. At lunch, Federation President Gayle Hart, Martha Leverock, Happy Nor- ris, Rick Vymlatil, and Lisa Hinton joined both Shawn and Miranda Muir for a chance to get to know each other. This is a great new tradition that we will try to do with all new Fair
managers in the State…thanks Miranda for reaching out to us! A note to “old” and “new” Fair Managers, please call Lisa if you
would like to join a “meet and greet.” We are anxious to meet the new managers and to the “old” managers….. your knowledge is valuable!
Central Panhandle Fair Even with Tropical Storm
Karen on the horizon, the Cen- tral Panhandle Fair enjoyed a great run from September 30th to October 5th. The Central Panhandle Fair
is one of those Fairs that just make you smile! They have one of the largest canned goods competitions I have seen anywhere, great horticul- tural entries, a beautiful flower arrangement competition, neat school art displays, a fantastic educational Poultry competition, and hand washing stations with great signage….and much more! While I missed seeing Horace Carr as he had been at the Fair
Robert Johnson, Fair Manager and Lisa Hinton
earlier in the day, it was great to see his name on one of the Fair buildings that was dedicated in 1998. What a tribute to someone that has given so much to the Central Panhandle Fair, the Feder- ation, and the Fair industry. A special thanks to Robert Johnson, Fair Manager along with
Herb Strange and Mark Cooper, Fair Directors, for their gracious welcome and hospitality.
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