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55th Annual Convention Held The Florida Federation of Fairs and Livestock Shows held its 55th annual convention, April 20-22 at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront in Jacksonville. The delegates were very responsive to moving to a new location for the first time in several years. Thirty one of Florida’s Fairs were in attendance and fifty four exhibitors participated in the trade show. The convention began with a fundraising golf tournament held at the Queen Harbor’s Country Club and Yacht Club. Martha Leverock, CEO of the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair and her staff, along with the golf committee, put on a very successful event. For Martha, this was an exceptional DAY as she had never even been on a course until the tournament! The results were wonderful. Over 100 golfers turned out for a more than Fair day of golf! As is a Florida tradition, the pre-convention activities included a Thursday morning breakfast honoring the past presidents of the Association. Thirteen Past Presidents were in attendance. The breakfast was followed by a meeting of the Board of Directors. The educational seminars began Thursday afternoon with a “First Timers Welcome” made by Vicki Chouris. Four workshop presentations - Consumer Protection Issues; Fair Ideas for Everyone; Working with the Media During a Crisis; and Sponsorships From the Ground Up set the tone for a very dynamic program. The evening’s activities featured a salute to Federation President, Lisa Hinton. Theming and decorations for the “Wrangle In Some Fun” were well received by all and a tremendous amount of thanks was given to Gayle Hart, Marketing Director for the Greater Jacksonville Fair for all of her hard work along with her committee members. Part of their duties was organizing both a silent and live auction which generated over $7500. Friday’s official opening began with a welcome by Lisa Hinton and the National Anthem, sang by Dan West, Manager of the Manatee County Fair. National Keynote Speaker, Mr. Greg Rice gave a humorous and very informative welcome to the group which made for an energetic opening. His involvement as a Board member of the South Florida Fair, where he serves on the Marketing Committee, gave him insight as to Fair operations and the industry. Educational sessions were held Friday and Saturday. In order to bring national perspectives to the Florida members, guest speakers from 3 state associations were asked to participate in the Florida program. These included Michele Treptow, Georgia National Fair; Nancy Smith, South Carolina State Fair; and Penny Reeh, Texas Association of Fairs and Events. Keitth Hessey, past IAFE Chair was also a presenter. The annual banquet was held Saturday evening with 260 in attendance. Several awards were presented including the recognition of Blue Ribbon Fairs. The Associate of the Year was awarded to Jeff and Jill Eaton of Kandu and Co. and Richard McClain of Highlands County Fair was inducted into the Federation’s Hall of Fame. Jeanne Keaton, St. Lucie County Fair, was recognized for obtaining the most new members. A new program addition was the awarding of a Staats Scholarship. This year’s recipient was Danielle Padgett. Ms. Padgett’s application was submitted for consideration by the Sarasota County Fair. Following the banquet, entertainment was provided by Lo Cash Cowboys. A reception honoring Hall of Fame recipient and the new Federation President was held in the Federation’s hospitality suite, a popular location for networking each evening of the convention. The Board of Directors for the year 2006-2007 is as follows: President Victoria Chouris, South Florida Fair; 1st Vice President Alta Mosley, Southwest Florida Fair; 2nd Vice President Doris Graska, Citrus County Fair; Secretary-Treasurer Ellany Johnson, Florida Strawberry Festival; Past President Clark Converse, Pasco County Fair; Giles Ellis, Florida State Fair; Bob Gast, Volusia County Fair; Donnie Jarrett, Northeast Florida Fair; Jeanne Keaton, St. Lucie County Fair; Martha Leverock, Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair; Artie McIntyre, Highlands County Fair; Dan West, Manatee County Fair; Jim Ward, Pasco County Fair; Associate Directors Tim O’Brien, O’Brien’s Food Service and Jill Eaton, Kandu & Company; and Honorary Directors Don Coker, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Frankie Hall, Florida Farm Bureau. |
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