Behind the scenes making the fair office run all year round - but especially in July - is office manager Bev Hoover.
She answers the phones until help arrives the second week in July and takes care of board business year round.
"I write receipts, do computer work, write checks, balance the books at the end of the month," she said. "That's a few things."
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PHOTO BY VICKI JOHNSON
Fair office manager Bev Hoover works at her desk.
Hoover, who has been office manager since 1991, is adamant about one thing. She isn't the fair manager.
"No. No. No. No. No," she said. "I'm kind of behind the scenes. I don't need credit for anything.
"We no longer have a fair manager, just a board of directors," she added. "The fair manager makes lot of decisions. I just bring items to the board to have them make the decisions."
Hoover said she loves the fair.
"The fair is fun," she said. "My kids have been involved with
the fair. You meet a lot of nice people. I guess it's for the kids ultimately."
As the years have gone by, Hoover said she spends more time at her day-to-day job than she used to.
And that time increases substantially when July arrives.
"I worked 22 hours Monday and Tuesday altogether," Hoover said of the first week in July. "It's not quite 24/7, but it's about 80 hours during fair week."
The office gets busy with people making preparations.
Around the second week in July more help arrives to take care of entries and the last-minute chaos that goes with preparations.
"We'll have four other people to help during fair month," Hoover said.
"People come in to make their entries for the fair," she said.
While entries are handled else where for the tractor pulls and other large contests, the office handles entries for the pig scramble, cheerleading competition and the turkey-calling contest in the new Conservation Area of the Merchant Building.
"People can buy their tickets here, and buy parking permits," she said. "People can trade in their (weeklong) tickets for a wristband at the office. We've been doing that four or five years."
She said getting wrist bands makes the job easier for the people working the admission gates.
"Just show 'em your wristband and off you go," she said.
