So, another Fair has rolled into town and out again. And it was a good one, at least for me. It is the reason this column may fall well short of the usual 1,000 words. I have enough notes and ideas that if combined would tally closer to 2,000 words, but time is short so I’ll just fill some space with a few comments about a couple of berry good times at this berry best fair.
In all honesty, I only spent a few hours at the Fair, four or five; but the week prior, before the security personnel and fences go up on Wednesday, I walked the grounds as I often do as part of a morning routine where I either head north toward Broadway or south toward SVF and the gold course. I find a certain fascination watching the whole fair come together; much like a stage production as set pieces and backdrops and props gradually make their way into the play. This takes a production crew and with the Fair the crew is large, larger than large, immense.
In the barns for every animal of every species on display (goats, chickens, pigs, rabbits, cattle) there is one designated young person and their attaches, usually a parent or sibling, maybe a couple others. For every display in the Floriculture/Arts and Crafts building, for every photograph in the old Cafeteria there is one person per photo and display, each with a few helping hands. Everything welded or planed or sawed or sewed, every veggie or fruit on display, every strip of beef jerked (a nod to Ricky Wayne), and every baked good plus what all else is found in the Orradre, all have a designated person or company who have myriad people involved in displaying that item in that building. And that is only scratching the surface when it comes to crew members in this four-day production.
I don’t know the number of food vendors situated around the grounds, nor did I take any real notice of how many booths were set up in Nate’s Expo, but the body count is way up there when you add temporary employees to the vendors numbers. The carnival has its own crew as does the security company so every ride and every gatekeeper add to the number, as do the numerous volunteers in almost all these areas. Now we get to the main stays of the event: Fair personnel.
Office staff, grounds, housekeeping, maintenance, the board of directors, Junior Fair Board members, all the people who keep the records, tally the proceeds, and myriad other tasks brings the crew total to somewhere in the middle hundreds. And then, of course, there is the audience, the fair goers, who number in the thousands. All told, the fairgrounds is a mighty populated place for a few days every May.
Entertainment is always a big draw at the Fair; this year was no exception. While I tend to shy away from functions with crowds over 8-12 people, I did stay on the fairgrounds long enough to hear a singer. I came with the express goal of catching at least some of one of his acts; and I did. The following day I met him in the SVF Green Room and we talked a bit. His name is Lenny Hoops, originally out of Savannah, Ga., he has been entertaining some 51 of his 63 years. And to an old theatre rat, that is some accomplishment.
The die was cast for young Lenny when at 9 years old he was taken to a James Brown concert and the experience cost him some rest; as he said, “I couldn’t sleep! I knew then and there this is what I wanted to do.” Listening to comedy radio programs through his parent’s bedroom door late at night was another hook set: “I knew I wanted to make people laugh like those people on the radio.” Starting young, even with a stint as a U.S. Navy submariner on his resume, Lenny had a 40-year career in New York City, including stints at Harlem’s famous Apollo Showroom and Def Comedy Jam; then-TV show hosts Geraldo Rivera and Joan London had him as guest performer. For the past decade he has been on the road doing what he does best, sings and makes ‘em laugh. “All my life,” he said, “I’ve loved being in front of an audience.” And I have about a minute’s worth of video showing Lenny Hoops in front of an audience, which proves he is a crowd pleaser.
I also got a few minutes with a giraffe and a zebra; sans stilts. The Animal Cracker Conspiracy is a company out of San Diego that contracts stilt walking animals, those found, I assume in Animal Crackers cookies; if indeed such a product even still exists on the market. Anyhoo, Susan the Zebra and Chadwick the Giraffe, who if I can read my notes correctly are both 27 years old, often they perform together so they know each talents (something any performer knows is a real plus), which comes across in the audience’s reactions. Our time was short, but I know they both have a decade of performances behind them, and Susan’s next gig is the weeks-long San Diego County Fair.
Now, back to SVF personnel for a moment. I was going to dedicate a goodly section of this column to the fact that this fair would be the last fair for a long-time employee, the head of the maintenance department; but no. The reason is, firstly, Rick isn’t all that jazzed about me writing about him, and secondly, Rick is the only one who could know for sure if it is his last fair, and thirdly, Rick himself doesn’t know. I figure if Rick doesn’t want me to make him famous in my column, then I just won’t mention his name, which is Rick.
Take care. Peace.
