 In Logan County, the fair is the place where thousands of people
will come together each day to compete, show animals or wares, do a
little business, eat and drink, or be entertained.
In a look behind the scenes, there are those at the fair who
never get to experience the same kind of fun that the rest of the
fairgoers do. The office workers are one of those groups. Behind the
closed doors of a little building (and in air conditioning) near the
south end, you will find two office girls who have done the yeoman's
share of paperwork and coordination needed for the fair.
This year two young women carry that load. MaryJane Letterle and
Katrina Schreiner have been working in the Logan County fair office
all summer long.
In the offseason, both MaryJane and Katrina are both full-time
students, but both say they look forward to the summer months, when
they can step back into the office, to the job that they love.
Office preparations for the Logan County Fair begin in early
June. There are ribbons to be sorted, grandstand tickets to be sold
and, most important, entries to be taken. MaryJane and Katrina have
their hands in every detail surrounding the fair.
Over the course of the summer, the girls have handwritten over
150 entry tags and computer printed many more. MaryJane does not
mind the tedious task.
"Having to write or type a lot of tags means lots of entries, so
that's a good thing," she said.
Indeed it is a good thing. Having more entries means there will
be more items such as paintings, sewing projects, baked items or
even Lego creations for patrons to view at the fair. When it comes
to the fair displays, it's all with the understanding that art,
textile and culinary projects may inspire another fair attendee to
practice all year in order to enter their creation at next year's
fair.
There is never a dull moment while working in the fair office.
During the fair, the office girls spend 15 and 16 hours a day
juggling checks, animal reports, horse racing, phone calls and
pointing fairgoers to the restrooms.
From the queen pageant on Tuesday to the demolition derby on
Sunday, MaryJane and Katrina have prepared something for each event.
Even though they are working at pitched fever this week and as they
become more sleep-deprived, running on caffeine, both girls will
greet anyone entering the office with a pleasant, "Hello, can we
help you?" sometimes in sync.
MaryJane and Katrina each have regrets about working the office.
MaryJane has never seen a live animal show in the ring, and Katrina
has never participated in the demo derby.
However, it's not an entirely dull, isolated existence working
for the office. The girls have been privy to some unique
opportunities. In their favorite experiences they list harness
racing, pace car rides, early morning fair food breakfasts and
extreme golf cart driving.
Throughout the stress-filled, fast-paced fair week, MaryJane and
Katrina still have a passion for the fair office job.
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To those who have never been to the Logan County Fair, MaryJane and
Katrina say -- attend! The fair offers many experiences that will
never be forgotten.
Katrina recommends the scramble night.
"Not many county fairs have scrambles, and that is a sight to
see," she said.
She personally understands the amusement of the scrambles since
she was a former participant, even catching a goat, pig and calf.
(See pictures of this year's
scrambles.)
MaryJane encourages those who have never attended the fair to
come for lunch or dinner or both. To her it is a steaming corn dog
dipped in ketchup with an ice-cold lemonade shake-up, fried pickles
and a funnel cake for dessert that cannot be beaten during the week
of the fair.
Each girl says she did not realize how much work went into
creating the "cleanest and best" fair in Illinois until working in
the office.
The people of the Logan County Fair are the main reason MaryJane
and Katrina love the fair office job.
Of course MaryJane and Katrina do not prepare the fair alone.
There are others involved, and both girls cited Logan County Fair
secretary Mike Maske, Penny Thomas and Bob Thomas, who direct the
preparations for the fair.
Maske, Penny and Bob Thomas motivate the girls to maintain a
friendly and positive atmosphere in the fair office. MaryJane and
Katrina emphatically declared that they could not do it without the
guidance of these supervisors.
It is the strong leadership of the fair board, and the love and
dedication of the many, many employed and volunteer workers such as
MaryJane and Katrina, that allows the Logan County Fair to continue
to be a beloved tradition in our community.
There is still plenty of fair left to get out and enjoy some time
together with family, friends and neighbors at this once-a-year
social. Check the fair schedule:
http://www.logancountyfairil.com/.
[By HANNAH MICHALSEN] |
