President’s Column Back in 1811 a gentleman
by the name of Elkannah Watson became concerned that America was falling be- hind Europe in agriculture and ani- mal hus- bandry. He organ- ized his neighbors and en- couraged them to display their best livestock and produce. He of- fered cash prizes of approxi- mately $70. That was the be- ginning of the tradition that today we all know as the Great American Agricultural Fair, and wouldn’t Mr. Watson be shocked to see what de- veloped from his first “Fair.” I imagine he’d be quite sur- prised to see the level to which our Fairs have grown, today incorporating the latest advances in technology, util- izing electronic media, the internet, and seeing the level to which mechanical rides have developed, all while re- maining true to the roots of his first event by serving as the Gateway to Agriculture for so many of our neighbors.
Our events are truly amaz-
ing and I believe their contin- ued success is virtually guar- anteed when you take a look at the level of commitment of all those who attended our latest convention and trade show in Naples. Those of us who were able to attend for
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Florida Federation of Fairs
all or just a part of the con- vention helped make it the most heavily attended con- vention in our history. When you review the topics that were available along with the experience and expertise of the many presenters, all of us had the opportunity to learn something new and apply it to our Fair. “The Network” of the IAFE and the FFF once again helped us improve our Fairs for our participants and attendees.
Before I wrap up this edi-
tion of the President’s column I want to take the opportu- nity to thank our Immediate Past President, Gayle Hart of the Greater Jacksonville Agri- cultural Fair for her service to the Federation not only as President but as a Board Member since 2008 and a Committee Member since 2003. Gayle has brought her enthusiasm and “out of the box” thinking to our organiza- tion and we are better for her contributions.
The same can be said for
our Executive Director, Lisa Hinton. Lisa takes the input from the Membership and other industry veterans and pulls it all together to provide us with one of the best learn- ing and sharing experiences available to those of us in the Fair business. Thanks Lisa!
Looking forward to seeing
everyone in West Palm Beach on August 1-2! Take Care. Rick
& Livestock Shows, Inc. OFFICERS President
Rick Vymlatil CFE, South Florida Fair PO Box 210367 /
West Palm Beach, FL 33421-0367
Phone: 561-790-5207 Fax: 561-790-5210
rick@southfloridafair.com
First Vice President
Tom Umiker CFE, Greater Hillsborough County Fair
Second Vice President
Felecia Chivington, Pensacola Interstate Fair Secretary/Treasurer
Dawn Rowe, Osceola County Fair Immediate Past President
Gayle Hart, CFE, Greater Jacksonville Ag Fair DIRECTORS
Paul Davis, Florida Strawberry Festival Wanda Jones, Columbia County Fair Shawn Krauel, Central Florida Fair
Albert Montes, Miami-Dade County Fair & Expo Bill Olson CFE, Greater Jacksonville Ag Fair Charles Pesano, Florida State Fair
David Viers CFE, Volusia County Fair Rhonda Ward, Collier County Fair
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS
Justine O’Brien, O’Brien’s Food Enterprises Dennis Lee, The Dennis Lee Show
HONORARY DIRECTORS Danny Raulerson
Florida Dept. of Agriculture, Farmers Market Division
Frankie Hall, Florida Farm Bureau
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lisa Hinton CFE
In This Issue
Associate Members (New and Returning) ................................ 45, 46 Attorney’s Corner ............................................................................... 3 Board Meeting Notice ........................................................................ 1 Board of Directors.............................................................................. 2 Commissioner’s Message ............................................................... 30 Convention News ............................................................... 7,8, 10, 12 Directory Advertising Rates ............................................................. 25 Executive Director’s Message ........................................................... 3 Faircracker Advertising Rates ......................................................... 47 Florida Fair News ....................................15,17,18,20,21,24,25,26,36 Getting to Know New Directors ....................................................... 37 Golf Tournament ................................................................................ 5 Guest Columnist Vicki Chouris ........................................................ 32 IAFE News ....................................................................................... 32 Important Dates ................................................................................. 3 Legislative Report ............................................................................ 28 Mission Statement ........................................................................... 48 NICA News ...................................................................................... 39 OABA Update .................................................................................. 40 President’s Message ......................................................................... 2 Remembering Those……… ............................................................ 38 Spotlight on our Associates .................................................. 41,43,,46 YPI ................................................................................................... 35 Zone II .............................................................................................. 31
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