IAAF Dec Page 1

Illinois
Association
of
Agricultural
Fairs
December 2015
‘Yes, We Can!’ Is Convention Theme
A man who has led his organization through some very
tough times will speak at the Saturday Breakfast
Meeting. He will spend as much time with us at the
convention as is possible for one on one help and at
Sunday morning roundtables so he can individually meet
and visit with as many fair board members as he can.
Chambers is committed that Yes, (We), Illinois County
Fairs can and will survive and prosper.”
In 2011, at the height of the state’s budget crisis,
California eliminated 100% of funding for the state’s 78
fairs. After an effort to restore the funding failed in the
Senate by a single vote, the state’s fair network went
from being the highest funded in the nation, at $32 million annually, to zero. Now, four years later, funding has
been restored for the 2015-16 fiscal year at 10 million,
and not a single fair closed during the funding drought.
How did the fairs, some of whom relied on State funding
for as much a 60% of their total budget, survive?
How did the California Fairs Alliance (the advocacy
organization for California fairs) lead the effort to recapture
public funding? Join us as WFA Executive Director, and
CFA Secretary, Stephen Chambers shares what worked and
what did not, during the California fairs four year struggle.
Stephen Chambers has served as the Executive Director
of the California based Western Fairs Association since
1987. The regional association represents fairs and fair
related business throughout the western US and Canada.
Born in Waterville Maine. Chambers grew up in
Wisconsin, Tennessee and Illinois. Prior to joining WFA
he worked as a staff analyst in the California legislature
and as the assistant trainer for the Desomer Stable, a
California based Standardbred racing operation. Chambers
lives in Elk Grove with his wife Susan and their collection
of rescue animals. He also continues to own, race, and
even occasionally drive Standardbreds. He currently owns
a very nice Illinois bred mare.
Chambers has visited over 300 fairs in progress and is
a self-described “witness and fan” of all things fair. He
is considered an expert on fair governance and fair related legislative issues. Chambers has been a frequent
speaker at fair association conventions, including the
Illinois association, as well as countless media experiences including Good Morning America, Nightline, USA
Today and the Wall Street Journal.
Stephen Chambers is Keynote Speaker for IAAF
Great Showcase Line-Up
IAAF Showcase Chairman, Bill Redshaw says there will
be a lot of great talent and fun at the Showcase Friday
night.
Performing this year will be Jake Gill (Upper Deck
Concerts), Chicago Honey Bear Dancers (Lisa
Michelle), Leland’s Road Band (Leland’s Road, Sharon
Elder), Penny Moon & Copper Creek (Penny Moon
Entertainment), State Line Drive (Variety Attractions,
Inc.), The Wolfe Brothers (Variety Attractions, Inc.),
Blacktop South (Tri State Entertainment, Devin Clemons
Band (Elsenpeter Productions), One More Round-A
Tribute to Johnny Cash (Amy Swyear), Caroline Kole
(Klein’s Entertainment), and Dennis Stroughmatt’s
Tribute to Ray Price and the Cherokee Cowboys (Dennis
Stroughmatt). Capping off the evening will be ice cream
from Prairie Farms, Illinois Wines from Tom & Pam
Schahrer, and snacks and beverages sponsored by
Burnham & Flower Insurance.
Dates to Remember
The President’s Pen
!
!
!
*
"
OUTSIDE THE BOX” AND “WE
CAN” GET TO KNOW GOVERNOR RAUNER, DIRECTOR OF
AGRICULTURE RAYMOND POE.
I would like to thank the entire
IAAF Board of Directors, Cathy
Redshaw and Marla Behrends for
their support the past two years and
for pointing me in the right direction
when common sense did not always
prevail.
It has been very rewarding and
humbling to meet all of you and
visit at your county fairs and the
zone meetings. Even though we all
do things differently our common
goal is still to educate and promote
agriculture in Illinois. See you in
January.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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Harvest was quick. Thanksgiving
done. And deep into Christmas
plans.
The famous saying “It’s time to
settle in for the
winter” couldn’t be farther
from the truth.
In this difficult
time of uncertainty with the
budget and
county fair
funding, we are
going to need
to JUMP into
action the
minute a budget is approved.
I would like to thank Margaret
Vaughn and Marla Behrends for
making arrangements for us to testify in front of the House of
Representatives. Tom Moore,
Marcia Craig and Tami Craig
Schilling, did an excellent job of
telling our story.
If you haven’t already done so,
registration for the January convention is due. Our theme this year is
“YES WE CAN”. Our aim must be
“WE CAN SURVIVE”, WE CAN
BE RESILIENT”, WE CAN THINK
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Illinois Association of
Agricultural Fairs
OFFICERS
President .............................................Ron Meyer,
Peotone
Vice President .................................Bill Redshaw,
Rushville
Past President ..............................George Fewkes,
Albion
Secretary/Treasurer.....................Marla Behrends,
Forrest
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DIRECTORS AT LARGE
Bill Jennings (Southern Zone).....................Olney
Tom Moore (Central Zone) ..................Jerseyville
Marvin Perzee (Northern Zone) ..............Ashkum
ZONE DIRECTORS
Jim Walsh (Southern Zone).........................Carmi
Russell Vandeveer (Southern Zone).....Kinmundy
Sandy Hoke (Central Zone)......................Tuscola
Jill Hardesty (Central Zone) ..............Farmer City
David Engelbrecht (Northern Zone) ....Leaf River
Ken Tyrrell (Northern Zone)...................Sheridan
Ron Meyer
President
PRESS & PUBLICITY
A Note from the Fair Bureau
On behalf of the Illinois Department
of Agriculture, I want to express my
sincere gratitude for your patience
and understanding during the difficult budget situation we have experienced this year.
We understand that each of your
county fairs had to make difficult
financial choices in light of uncertain state funding. Because the
budget situation is still not resolved
as of this writing, I am asking each
of you, both county fairs and fairs
and expositions, to please continue
to submit your annual reports, particularly your Premium Grand
Summary Reports and your
Declarations of Intent.
Should state funding become
available, you must have submitted
your reports by the respective
reporting deadlines in order to be
eligible to receive those state dollars.
Again, thank you for your continued patience and support.
Rhonda Jachino
Acting Bureau Chief
County Fairs and Horse Racing
Illinois Department of Agriculture
rhonda.jachino@illinois.gov
Office: 217-785-0110
—2—
Amber Selman .....................................St. Charles
Ken Casson ..............................................Fairbury
ZONE OFFICERS
SOUTHERN
President .............Mike Meisenheimer, Union Co.
Vice Pres. .........................Marcia Craig, Clay Co.
Sec./Treas. .....................Ilene Ruroede, Perry Co.
CENTRAL
President ..................Mary Liz Wright, Edgar Co.
Vice Pres.......................Craig McCoy, Fulton Co.
Sec./Treas..................Jerry Seinger, Christian Co.
NORTHERN
President.......................Jack Ratcliffe, Boone Co.
Vice Pres ..........................Brian Larsen, Ogle Co.
Sec./Treas.............Cindy Mielke, Stephenson Co.
www.IllinoisCountyFairs.org
Contact:
mbehrends@illinoiscountyfairs.org
marlabehrends@hotmail.com
Southern Queens
A great group of queens representing the Southern Zone enjoyed the morning
with Queen Sadie Gassmann and Queen Pageant Director, Cathy Redshaw.
Raymond Poe Is New Director
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed life-long farmer and Illinois State
Representative Raymond Poe the
Director of the Department of
Agriculture.
Poe’s experience as a legislator, as a businessman and as
a farmer makes
him the ideal
choice to lead
the agency.
Poe has represented the citizens of Central
Raymond Poe
Illinois for the
past 20 years as a member of the
General Assembly.
He was a member of the
Agriculture & Conservation;
Appropriations-Higher Education;
Personnel & Pensions; and Business
Occupational Licenses (Republican
Spokesperson) committees. He has
farmed in Sangamon County his
entire life.
In addition to his legislative experience, he served on the
Williamsville School Board, where
he was president for three years. He
is also the former president of the
Sangamon County Farm Bureau and
the former president of the Lincoln
Land Farm Supply.
Poe is a graduate of DeVry
Institute of Technology in Chicago.
He lives in rural Springfield.
71 Vie for Fair Queen
Illinois County Fair Pageant
Director, Cathy Redshaw, says we
have 71 contestants vying for the
coveted honor to be our 2016
Illinois County Fair Queen.
You can start making your county
plans now that you know which
competition your county fair will be
in.
Don’t forget to get your banquet
tickets ordered for the Sunday
Banquet starting at 4:30 p.m.
Doors will open at 4 p.m.
(Tickets required.)
—3—
from the
IAAF
Hope to see you
in January.
Meet Your New Zone Officers Elected During Annual Zone Meetings Held Earlier
Swinger Elected
Central Zone
Secretary/Treasurer
The Central Zone had almost 200 in attendance for their meeting at
the Crowne Plaza in Springfield. (l-r) Sandy Hoke and Jill Hardesty
were re-elected to the IAAF Central Zone board member positions.
Mary Liz Wright, Edgar Co. Fair, was elected to be President. Craig
McCoy from the Fulton Co. Fair is the new Vice-President. And Jenny
Swinger, Christian Co. Fair was elected as the Secretary-Treasurer. All
officers serve 2 year terms.
Jenny Swinger resides in Edinburg
with her husband Adam and three
children – Paisley, 7; Reagan, 4, and
Drake, 2.
Swinger has a B.S.in Finance
from the University of Illinois and
Vice President of Mortgage Lending
at Regions Bank. Jenny and Adam
are members of the Christian
County Fair Board.
She is in charge of the Little
Miss, Jr. Miss, and Miss Christian
County Pageants as Pageant
Director. She prides herself on a
well ran pageant and queens that
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(Continued from previous page)
conduct themselves in a positive
way. She and her queens volunteer
numerous times a year to serve their
communities.
Her most recent volunteer activity
(and one of her favorites) was to
provide over 100 meals to local
farmers during 2015 harvest. The
“Thank A Farmer” campaign was
well received in the county.
Jenny is an avid Chicago Bears
fan, loves to work out and read, and
enjoys gardening.
Jenny’s favorite fair memory - the
morning after she was crowned Miss
Moultrie Douglas County Fair
Queen she was asked to be on the
Channel 3 news. While on the news,
her task was to wash a heifer in her
crown, sash, and business suit. It
was a site but very enjoyable and a
memory she will forever cherish.
Larson elected
Northern Zone
Vice-President
Brian Larson is retired and raises a
few calves and has bee hives for
honey production in Mt. Morris.
Larson has been married almost 40
years and he and his wife were
blessed with a son, daughter and 7
grandchildren. In his youth he
showed livestock in 4-H and FFA.
The Southern Zone meeting was held at a new
location at Rend Lake and everyone really liked the
venue. (l-r) Ilene Ruroede from Washington County
was re-elected as Secretary-Treasurer. Mike
Meisenheimer of the Union County Fair was elected as President. Clay County board member,
Marcia Craig was elected the new vice-president.
(l-r) Cindy Mielke, Stephenson Co. Fair was re-elected as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Northern Zone
at the Pitstick Pavilion, Ottawa. The large group of
fair members elected Jack Ratcliffe, Boone Co. Fair,
to be the new Northern Zone president. Ogle Co.
IAFE Convention Moves to San Antonio
The IAFE Convention will move to
San Antonio, Texas, in 2018. The
IAFE’s contracts in Las Vegas for
the convention and trade show end
in 2017.
Last year, due to exorbitant price
increases in Vegas, the Board of
directors authorized the staff to seek
proposals from hotel and convention
facilities in Las Vegas and elsewhere
for 2018. The process has been long,
thorough and thoughtful and considered many proposals from throughout the United States.
The directors authorized staff to
negotiate a contract with the Henry
B. Gonzalez Convention Center and
nearby hotels on the Riverwalk in
San Antonio, Texas for the 2018 and
2019 events. The contracts have
—4—
been signed and we are moving full
steam ahead in the planning for the
Convention to be held in this new
site in 2018 and 2019.
The Henry B Gonzalez
Convention Center renovations will
be complete in 2016. We’ll be asking for your input and ideas on creating the best IAFE Convention and
Trade Show ever in 2018!
Larson said, “if it was not for volunteers involved in fairs and livestock shows that I would not have
had the opportunity to have been in
4-H and showing cattle at fairs.”
He decided that he needed to get
involved and give back to the youth
so they have the same opportunity to
participate in fair livestock shows.
He started volunteering many
years ago and has served on the
Ogle County Fair Board for approximately 10 years and currently is
treasurer. He is in charge of commercial exhibit booths and sponsorships to the Ogle County Fair.
Craig elected
Southern Zone
Secretary
Marcia Craig has lived in Clay City
for 46 years. She and her husband,
Ed, raised their two children, Tami
Craig Schilling and Cori Craig there.
Craig testified earlier this year,
“that both of her children are
involved in agriculture today,
because of the life’s lessons they
learned by going to county fairs and
exhibiting their livestock.”
She delivered a credible, moving
testimonial along with her daughter
Tami during the House of
Representative hearing this past
summer. The IAAF thanks you for
your efforts.
Craig serves as the Executive
Secretary for the American
Corriedale Association. Livestock,
particularly sheep, have “being born
into a livestock family has greatly
influenced my entire life.
For 45 years, her family ran a
livestock business and showed sheep
throughout the US.” Her grandchildren are the 5th generation, to raise
Corriedales.
Growing up she exhibited her
Corriedales at the Moultrie-Douglas
County Fair during her 4-H career.
At a 4-H livestock judging contest, she met her husband. She said,
“he really asked me out on a date
because he wanted my family’s
shearing business. LOL!” But the
truth is he could see her beauty,
which shown through when she represented her hometown of Arcola at
the county fair queen pageant.
Craig said, “I love every aspect of
county fairs and feel the development of our youth is crucial as they
move forward to become leaders in
the future.”
Craig says she has served as Clay
County Fair secretary and treasurer
of the Clay County Fair Association
for over 25 years and she looks forward to promoting the county fair
system as she serves on the
Southern Zone Board.
Vaughn: No Results in Budget Summit
On December 1st, at the urging of
several civic groups, the four legislative leaders and the Governor sat
down for the first time since May to
discuss the budget.
The first part was a public meeting with each leader and the
Governor given a chance to make a
statement and then they went into a
closed door session that produced no
results except the fact that they have
agreed to meet again the following
week.
The House went in session the
next day and there was bipartisan
support for SB 2039 which passed
the House with an amendment fund
with programs that are not funded
through General Revenue Funds
(GRF) but rather through monies
that are earmarked for specific programs such as the local government’s share of the Motor Fuel Tax,
funding to 911 Centers, State Police
Operations, Secretary of State
Operations and firefighter training
which comes from an assessment
insurance companies pay on Illinois
policies.
The measure still has to pass the
—5—
Senate but the Senate President and
Governor have indicated their support so hopefully it is a start to
address the budget standoff.
The bottom line is the Governor
does not want to negotiate on the
budget or discuss a tax hike to balance it unless the democrats agree to
term limits, reform of the legislative
redistricting process and tax caps.
Stay tuned….
—Margaret Vaughn
IAAF Lobbyist
Schedule of Events for 2016 IAAF Convention
“Yes, We Can”
106th Annual Convention
Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs
Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express
Springfield Illinois
Schedule of Events for 2016 Convention
All events open only to registered guests
with a convention badge.
Thursday January 14, 2016
8:30-11 AM Queen Registration—Plaza Lobby
1:00 PM
Queen Pageant Rehearsal—Ballroom
6-8:00 PM Carnival Amusement Safety Board
Mtg. — Plaza F - 1st Floor
8:00 PM
Associate Registration —Plaza Lobby
8-11 PM
“Can’t Miss IT” Pre-convention
hospitality and fun—Illinois Room12th floor
Sponsored by the Illinois State Fair,
North American Midway Ent.,
Northern, Central and Southern Zones
and Miss Illinois County Fair Pageant
Crew.
Friday, January 15, 2016
8:30 AM
Queen Pageant Rehearsals – Ballroom
9:00 AM
Registration Counter Opens
—Plaza Lobby
10:00 AM IAAF Board Meeting—Lincoln Room
1:30 PM
LET’S GET ACQUAINTED
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL
—IAAF Director Bill Jennings
Jennifer Giesike, CFE - President/CEO
Washington Town and Country Fair Washington, MO. Took County fair in MO thru
funding losses and succeeded with sponsorships.
Colleen Callahan (Invited) - USDA/Illinois
Rural Development Representative - Program
available for your fair.
What did your fair do differently in 2015?
Moderated by Bill Jennings, IAAF Director, and
Paul Johnson, Variety Attractions.
3:00 PM
Trade Show opens with a reception.
Thanks to Skinners Amusements and
Event-Tex for hosting this.— Plaza A-E
6:00 PM
Trade Show closes for the day
4:00 PM
Fairs and Exposition Fund Meeting
—Capital VI - 3rd floor
Audit Committee Meeting
—Turquoise—2nd floor
5:30 PM
7:30 PM
Showcasing—Plaza H-J
Drinks and Snacks Sponsored by
Burnham & Flower Insurance,
Illinois Wine by Tom & Pam
Schahrer, Ice Cream by Prairie Farms
MC: Kent Casson of Central
Illinois Farm Network.
Jake Gill (Upper Deck Concerts), Chicago Honey
Bear Dancers (Lisa Michelle), Leland’s Road Band
(Leland’s Road, Sharon Elder), Penny Moon &
Copper Creek (Penny Moon Entertainment), State
Line Drive (Variety Attractions, Inc.), The Wolfe
Brothers (Variety Attractions, Inc.), Blacktop South
(Tri State Entertainment, Devin Clemons Band
(Elsenpeter Productions), One More Round-A
Tribute to Johnny Cash (Amy Swyear), Caroline
Kole (Klein’s Entertainment), and Dennis
Stroughmatt’s Tribute to Ray Price and the Cherokee
Cowboys (Dennis Stroughmatt).
Associates who have hospitality rooms may be
hosting during other hours than those listed for
the trade show.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
7:00 AM
Registration Desk Opens
7:30 AM “The Eye Opening Breakfast” doors
open. — Plaza F&G
Tickets Required
Sponsored by Braun event and Skinner
Amusements
Special door prize for breakfast participants — $50 Cash
7:45 AM Breakfast
Opening remarks: Ron Meyer
Pledge of Allegiance
Invocation: Bill Redshaw
8:15 AM All non ticket fair members and associates are welcome to join the meeting after breakfast.
8:30 AM Welcome & committee appointments:
Ron Meyer, IAAF President
8:45 AM Presentation of “Friend of Illinois
County Fair” Awards, Marvin Perzee
Drawing for “Early Bird” door prize Donated by Burnham & Flower
9:00 AM Remarks: Department of Agriculture
Acting Illinois Director of Agriculture,
Raymond Poe
9:20 AM Stephen Chambers - Executive Director of the California-based Western
Fairs Association, “Your Fair Can/Will
Survive” -presented by Luehrs Ideal Rides
10:30 AM Drawing—All door prize winners must
be present to win at the time of each drawing.
10:45 AM Secretaries and Treasurers Meeting
—Rhonda Jachino & Gina Merano
—Plaza F&G
Please visit the associate member rooms
or trade show booths.
8:30 AM
Queen Pageant Rehearsal-Ballroom
11:00 AM-5:00 PM Trade Show & Associate
Rooms open —Plaza A-E
12:15 PM Jr. Talent Competition—Plaza H-J
1:00 PM
Afternoon Queen Pageant Preliminaries—Ballroom
3:00 PM
Central Zone Pres. Mtg.—Capital View
12th floor
5:00 PM
Trade Show closes
5:15 PM
Past State Queen Dinner - Plaza F&G
5:30 PM
Mass —Winter Garden-14th floor
5:30 PM
Sr. Talent Competition- Plaza H-J
7:00 PM
Evening Queen Pageant Preliminaries
—Ballroom
8:00 PM
Registration Desk Closes
Associates who have hospitality rooms may host
during other hours than those listed for the trade
show.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
8:15 AM
Protestant Worship - Newt Lundquist
—Winter Garden-14th floor
9:00 AM
Registration Desk Opens-Plaza Lobby
8:00 AM
Queen Pageant Rehearsal—Ballroom
9:30-11:30 AM Queen Brunch
• You and your Carnival - How you should work
together, even more now!
Kathy Swyear, Swyear Amusements
• Insurance for Demos including Spectator & Participants; Carol Ramer, Ramer Race Promotions
• Alternatives to Livestock shows besides Jackpots
Lyle Dorjahn, Moultrie-Douglas
• Do you really see your fairgrounds in the eyes of
your guests? Gary Mielke, Stephenson County
• What’s your problem? Discussion & help.
Thinktank Discussions - Ilene Rurhode, So. Zone
• Weather Insurance talk - Robert Holmes, Spectrum
Weather Insurance
• IRS form 990 for Non-Profits
• Junior Fairboards & Generational differences Phil Ringhausen, Jersey County
• Differences between possible and impossible at
your fair - Cindi Mielke, Stephenson County
• Cheap advertising - New ideas or is there such a
thing?
11:00 AM
Annual IAAF Business Meeting
—Plaza F-G
Please Register for Door Prizes
A Crowne Plaza Package for the 2017 IAAF
Convention will be awarded.
Welcome - Ron Meyer, IAAF President
Minutes
Introduction of Directors
Committee Reports:
• Secretary-Treasurer report - Marla Behrends
• Audit Committee report - Ken Tyrrell
• Grievance Committee - Tom Moore
• Advocate Report - Margaret Vaughn
• Legislative Committee - Marvin Perzee
Old Business
New Business
Election of Officers and Directors at Large
Drawing for prizes donated by Swyear
Amusements and other prizes.
All door-prize winners must be present to win.
9:00 AM
1:00 PM
1:15 PM
2:00 PM
2:45 PM
4:00 PM
4:30 PM
6:30 PM
9:30 PM
Monday, January 18, 2016
8:00 AM
8:50 AM
9:15 AM
10:00 AM
Enjoy a Breakfast Sandwich & Coffee
—sponsored by AFantasy Amusements
Convene for Round Tables-Plaza F-G
Sponsored by Illinois Tractor Pulling
Association
Moderated by Jill Hardesty
Roundtables: First Session
Roundtables: Second Session
—6—
Queen Devotional & Farewell Luncheon
for Retiring Queen, Sadie Gassmann
—Plaza H-J, ticket required
Thoroughbred Racing Mtg.
—Governor Room, 3rd floor
Livestock Issues, Illinois Room3rd floor—Livestock Health Issues
Update and Expanding the Ages of
Youth Exhibitors.—Illinois Department of Agriculture Representative
Zone Officers Meeting
—Capital View-12th floor
Past Presidents Meeting
—Capital View-12th floor
Banquet doors open - Ticket required
Banquet Dinner
Please stay seated until our Banquet
Chairman, Tom Schahrer, releases you.
Grand March - Ballroom
Queen Pageant Finals —Ballroom
Reception for the new 2016 Queen
—Ballroom Pre-function Area
9:00 AM
IAAF Directors And Spouses
Breakfast—Ruby Room
IAAF Directors Meeting—Ruby Room
A Special Thanks
to all Convention
and Pageant Sponsors!!
Dave Hake Thanks His Mentor George Fewkes
George Fewkes has breathed, eaten and virtually lived
county fairs all his life.
Many a 4-H’er and exhibitors have looked up to this
quiet soft spoken man for years. He is still with his
grandchildren every year showing at the Edward County
Fair. Dave Hake is one of those 4-H’ers and exhibitors
that has looked up to him as a mentor.
Fewkes is stepping down from the state board, not
because he is tired or his love of fairs is diminishing; but,
because his love of fairs is so strong, he is stepping down
to bring in younger blood on the board to learn the ropes.
He will be there when the board and membership needs
help and wants help; because, his love for county and state
fairs and wants to expand the force of Fair Champions.
Hakes says, “He will work hard on the State IAAF
board just like George has always done.” The Southern
Zone voted on that change last month and becomes
effective after the Annual Convention. Thanks George
Fewkes. A job well done!
Dave Hake (Washington Co. Fair) thanked his mentor George Fewkes, past president and Southern
Zone board member George Fewkes (Albion).
Georgetown Fair presented
American Flag for Largest
Delegation of Attendees
Central Zone past president, Lyle Dorjahn
(Moultrie-Douglas Fair), presents the American
Flag to the Georgetown Fair President and
Georgetown Queen for having the largest delegation of fair board members at the Central Zone
meeting in Springfield. Thanks for your service to
the Central IAAF Zone Lyle Dorjahn.
Correct
addresses
Tent Talk has a
continuing need
for correct
addresses as more
and more of you
switch from rural
routes to “911
addresses”. Also,
there are some
phone numbers
that have a new
area code that we
won’t know about
unless you tell us.
The Eye Opening Breakfast
Tickets may still be ordered for the Saturday morning IAAF breakfast.
Tickets will be held for pickup at the registration desk.
Name:______________________________________________________________
County Fair or Associate:______________________________________________
Town:_______________________________ Phone:_________________________
Email:_______________________________
Number of tickets:___________ @$13/ticket = $____________ Due no later than Jan. 7th, 2016
Please send this request and check to:
IAAF, c/o Marla Behrends, Secretary, 30808 E. 1200 N. Rd., Forrest, Il 61741
—7—
IAFE President Calico Coming to IAAF Convention
The New IAFE President and CEO,
Marla Calico is coming to our
Saturday morning breakfast to deliver her message personally to our
IAAF membership.
The International Association of
Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) is
proud to announce Marla Calico as
the new president
and CEO of the
organization
effective Jan. 1,
2016.
"We are
pleased and
excited Marla is
taking over for
Jim. We did a
very serious
national search,
Maria Calico
conducted several interviews, and
are confident Marla is the correct
person to take the reins of IAFE at
this important time in history," stated
2015 IAFE Chair John Sykes of the
East Texas State Fair in Tyler.
"There is no doubt she has the
knowledge, professionalism, and
enthusiasm to move the IAFE to an
even higher level."
Ms. Calico joined the IAFE in
2006 as director of education and
has served as chief operating officer
since 2014. Prior to joining the
IAFE professional staff, she served
as general manager of the Ozark
Empire Fair in Springfield, Mo.
She earned her Certified Fair
Executive designation in 1988 and
in 2003 she served as chair of the
IAFE. She was inducted into the
IAFE Hall of Fame in 2012.
The process was led by a Search
Committee consisting of the IAFE
Executive Committee -- First Vice
Chair and Chair of the Search
Committee Kent Hojem of the
Washington State Fair; IAFE Chair
Sykes; Second Vice Chair Becky
Brashear of the Maryland State Fair;
Past Chair Marlene Pierson-Jolliffe
of the State Fair of Virginia; and
Past Chair Debbie Dreyfus-Schronk
of the San Antonio Livestock
Exposition -- and added 30-year fair
veteran Jerry Hammer of the
Minnesota State Fair and Young
Professionals Initiative (YPI)
Representative Jessica Underberg of
the Erie County Fair (New York).
Executive search firm
Witt/Kieffer sought leaders from
around the world to be considered
for the position and presented them
to the Search Committee.
According to Hojem, "It was
exceedingly critical that an exhaustive search be undertaken for the new
IAFE president and CEO. This
organization and the fair industry in
general will continue to face increasingly complex and diverse issues.
The need to identify and engage
the best individual to lead this
organization into the future was
always our primary focus. Marla
represents those qualities we deem
paramount to insure a successful
future for our organization."
Ms. Calico holds a Bachelor's
degree in Agri-Business from
Missouri State University and
throughout her long career at the
Ozark Empire Fair served the
Springfield community as a volunteer and/or board member of numerous civic organizations. She has
been recognized as an Outstanding
Young Alumni from Missouri State
University and as one of Springfield
Business Journal's "Most Influential
Women."
"I'm honored to have been selected to serve the IAFE members as
the next president and CEO and
look forward to a bright future for
the Association. We have a dedicated and seasoned staff who are excited to expand the use of technology
to deliver education, facilitate the
exchange of ideas, and enhance
communication with our fantastic
members around the globe," stated
Ms. Calico.
She also noted that among the top
priorities for the Association in 2016
will be increased fundraising for the
IAFE Education Foundation to support expanded educational programming, a series of "listening" sessions
in various settings to get critical
input from members on issues most
important to them, as well as a focus
on advocacy for agricultural fairs in
governmental, media, and corporate
sectors.
Marla Behrends, Secretary
30808 E 1200 N Rd.
Forrest, IL 61741
Illinois
Association
of
Agricultural
Fairs
NONPROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
THOMSON, IL 61285
PERMIT NO. 1
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