Georgia National Fair Trip
By: Sandee Sytsma, Chairman of the Board, Florida Strawberry Festival The 2018 Florida Federation Fall Fair trip was to the
Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agri Center in Perry, Georgia. 35 members representing 7 fairs attended making it the most well attended trip ever, according to Lisa Hinton, Federation Executive Director. Mr .Stephen Shimp, Executive Director and his fabu-
lous staff rolled out the red carpet and treated us royal- ly. Some members had already been there but for many of us it was our first experience and it surely made a lasting impression. This is the 28th year for the 11 day event that covers about 300 acres. The big buzz this year was their brand new birth- ing center for cows and pigs called the Baby Barn. We had the honor of Mr. Gary Black, Georgia’s Commissioner of Agri- culture, giving us the tour. Just watching children (and some of us adults too) see a baby calf being born was a thrill. A gentleman on the microphone was talking us through it and explaining every action. You can even download the GNF app for “Push Notifications” so you can be noti- fied when a birth is within 5 to 10 minutes. The Agri Center displayed 10’ photo- graphs recognizing every one of their 159 counties and their agriculture. Keaton Walker, Sponsorship & Special Program Coordi-
So excited to see and visit with Johnny Webb, General Manager of the Georgia Association of Agricultural Fairs. (L to R) Dawn Rowe, Os- ceola County Fair; Johnny Webb; Lisa Hinton, FL Federation; and Terry Atchley, Hardee County Fair.
Rick Reithoffer, our host for dinner, Rhonda Ward, Collier County Fair
Every Fair Trip has to include a side trip! This crew stopped and picked cotton (with permission of course) by car light.
Our thanks to Reithoffer Shows and the Reithoffer family for hosting our Florida group for dinner.
nator, shared her enthusiasm for the youth in agriculture programs. She said “We consider our fair the Super Bowl for our 4-H and FFA members.” Their School House Pro- gram involves between 10-15,000 students and their Rally Group Program involves another 25,000. They have over 5,500 livestock entries. Aside from livestock and their 70 ride midway they also
boast a beautiful multi-purpose indoor arena that seats 8,300. During the fair it’s used for concerts but the rest of the year a variety of events are held including Paso Fino horse shows, barrel races, etc. Mr. Shimp shared that they haven’t raised the gate price
of $10 in years and have no intention of doing so because they strive to stay affordable for the masses. He also said their property is used for about 250 other events throughout the year from large occasions to small weddings. Plans are underway for a new 60,000 sf event building.
Amazing arena facility for concerts and equestrian events and great backstage tour.
We got to meet their mascot “Fair Bear” which was a big
hit with fairgoers, young and old. We thank the fine people at Georgia National for a great
day. We learned a lot, saw many smiles and hope to re- turn .
You can’t beat a personal meet and greet and a personal tour with the Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black. (L to R) Sandee Sytsma, Florida
A warm welcome, lots of great information, and a great meal—thanks Stephen Shimp, Keaton Walker, and Richard Scuderi!
FAIRCRACKER-FALL 2018
Strawberry Festival; Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black; Paul Davis, Federation President; and Johnny Webb, GA Association of Ag Fairs.
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