Longtime fair official plans departure
Debbie Hoover loves the Hymers Fair, even though she can rarely enjoy it the same way as the roughly 10,000 people who flock to the annual event every Labour Day weekend. Hoover, who is in her 24th year as the fair's exhibit secretary, plans to vacate the position after this year's show. "It's time to pass the torch," she said on Monday from her Thunder Bay home. The exhibit secretary position is one of the busier volunteer assignments associated with putting on the fair, now in its 112th year at the Hymers Fair Grounds in Gillies Township. The secretary acts as an administrator, arranging for judges and entering exhibits — be they for crafts, canned fruit or pies — and logging winners and prizes. There is even a prize for the visitor who travels the farthest to attend the fair, which one year involved a person from Japan, Hoover recalled. "The exhibit office is the hub of the fair," Hoover said. "I wouldn't say the job is a chore, but you think about it year-round, it's always at the back of your mind." The lead-up to the fair on the last week of August can be a bit crazy, Hoover allowed, with last-minute entries and numerous voice mails to answer. Hoover became involved with the fair when her children were small and the family still lived in Kakabeka Falls. Her children are in their 20s now and have helped her with secretarial duties as they grew up. Hoover said those who put on the fair every year, including hundreds of volunteers needed when the event is open, are a "close-knit group." "It's like a big family," Hoover said. It's a delight, she said, to see adult exhibitors who once entered exhibits as youngsters now attending the fair with their own children. Still, Hoover said she's looking forward to spending more time at her camp, and perhaps being at the fair in a leisurely capacity, just taking in the sights. "Maybe I'll just go and have a look around," she said. Applications for the secretary position are being accepted until May 17. They can be sent by email to info@hymersfair.ca.
Carl Clutchey, Local Journalism Initiative reporter, The Chronicle-Journal
