Fairly Important Matters FEW PEOPLE HAVE HAD AS MUCH OF AN IMPACT ON CLAY COUNTY AS PETE SUTTON


By: Lamar Thames: Clay County Fair losing a great advocate in Pete Sutton. The affable, gregarious, humble, capable, likeable (I could go on, but I


think you get the picture) Sutton has been a staunch member and sup- porter of the Orange Park Rotary Club, an instrumental fundraiser for the Rotary’s Club’s Cure Cancer Golf Tournament, a 30-year resident, an independent businessman and the award-winning general manager of the Clay County Fair. Plus, he is just one heck of a nice guy. Next up for the recently retired 69-year-old genuine Florida native is to


devote his time to being Becky Sutton’s full-time husband and caretaker of their newly purchased 2.5-acre spread just west of Keystone Heights. “It’s actually about a hundred yards into Bradford County,” Sutton


said, but I think it is close enough for him to still be referred to as a Clay Countian. “It is like a dream come true for us. It is a ‘cracker house’ and we get up early to have coffee on the porch.” Sutton is originally from the Conway area of Orlando and the new


house takes him back to his roots. “I grew up in Orlando and didn’t want to leave,” he said. “But when I


went to work for Winn-Dixie and moved to Clay County, we came to love this place.” Sutton’s retirement from the Clay Fair is actually his third retirement,


which he said his wife hopes is his last one. “I think she is ready for me to stay home, and I am too,” he said. Retirement No.1 came after a lengthy career as a sales representative


with Winn-Dixie, which culminated after he became a vice president of sales in the Jacksonville office. That is where he formed relationships with several well-known athletic celebrities who participated in the Ro- tary’s Cure Cancer Golf Tournament, including Super Bowl winning quarterback Joe Theismann. “Joe was just a great guy,” Sutton said, “which was something I didn’t


know until we spent some time together. That was how it was with most of the celebrities who attended the tournament. They were great people and they all wanted to keep coming back.” Past District 6970 Rotary governor Ken Small credits Sutton and Winn


-Dixie’s involvement in the tournament as a big reason why the Orange Park Rotary Club was able to raise thousands of dollars for cancer re- search. “While a member of the Orange Park Rotary Club, Pete was the major


influence in getting Winn-Dixie vendors to come and support our club’s annual Cure Cancer Golf Tournament,” Smallwood said. “In fact, over the last six years of the Cure Cancer tournament, we raised over $500,000 net for the Clay County unit. I owe Pete a lot of gratitude for his involvement in bringing


so many sports celebrities to the tournament, including one of my all-time favorites, Gayle Sayers. The Chicago Bears run- ning back made enough of an impact on pro football that he was voted into the Hall of Fame despite only playing five full years in the NFL. After leaving Winn-Dixie, Sutton went into business for


himself as a sales consultant, but the travel involved was dif- ficult on his family. “With Winn-Dixie, most of the travel was on an airplane,


but when I formed my own business, I frequently had to be out of town, which was hard on us,” he said. A longtime Clay County Agricultural Fair board member,


Sutton was approached to replace Joan Bazely as general manager. “It was the greatest thing to happen to me,” he said. “It


meant I would be able to stay home and not travel so much.” It is apparent that Sutton treasured his time with the Clay


fair. “I really didn’t have to do anything,” he said. “The vol- unteers did all the work. Clay people are very passionate about the fair. It is like a big family reunion to them.” In fact, the fair is billed as “A Family Affair” for the way its


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Clay County Fair: Jim Corbin, Karen Brown, Jan Heath, Jim Johnson, Wayne Heath, New GM Tasha Hyder, Volusia County Fair Acting GM John Owens, Retiring Clay County GM Pete Sutton, Volusia County Fair President Billy Jones, Volusia County Fair Gate Superintendent Tony Johns (with black hat), VC Fair 1st VP Ronnie Hull & VC Fair Director Billy Lawrence.


At right: Stacey Wade, Steve & Wrisley Muir, Amanda Muir, Pete Sutton, Happy Norris and Tasha Hyder


FAIRCRACKER-SPRING 2016


residents take pride in its well- being. Under Sutton’s


guidance, the fair has contin- ued the tradition of receiving Blue Ribbon recognition from the Florida Fed- eration of Fairs begun by Bazely in 2003. “The national


recognition that Clay County Fair has received is a reflection of Pete’s dedication and passion,” said


Tony


Tharp, chairman of the fair Board of Directors. “Pete has been key to our success at the fair and we will truly miss him.” Sutton knows the fair will


In the summer of 2008, Pete Sutton was presented with a cover of the AT&T Real Yellow Pages, which fea- tured the Clay County Fair. Presenting the framed gift was Carolyn Ward with AT&T Real Yellow Pages. Sutton has retired as general manager of the Clay fair. Under Sutton’s guidance, the fair has continued the tradition of receiving Blue Ribbon recognition from the Florida Federation of Fairs begun by Joan Bazely in 2003.


continue to do well under the guidance of


his replacement, Tasha Hyder, who has been the events coordinator for the Town of Orange Park the past four years. “She will do as good a job in moving forward,” Sutton said. “She will


be able to take the fair to the next level because she can relate to today’s market through social media and websites.” For now, Sutton is anxious to get started on the next chapter of his life,


which means more time with his wife of 47 years, their daughter and granddaughter. “Becky has always been there for me and I am so blessed,” Sutton


said. “She has been a heck of a coach and I enjoy being with her.” Here’s hoping Pete and Becky get to spend a lot of their mornings over coffee and conversation in their Bradford County digs.


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